Vikings Links: It’s Been A Fun Ride!

As the team gets ready for Jacksonville which will be a tough test despite their record, I thought I would repost this from the other day about Sam Darnold. I think he is being criticized way too much when you look at how other Quarterbacks around the NFL are performing. I am not quite sure what this fanbase expects but it is borderline delusional.

He started what looks like his 65th game this past weekend. That is about 4 seasons. He is clearly having his best season completing 69.5% of his passes for 1900 yards with 17 TDs and 7 INTs. For comparison …

Lamar Jackson has completing 68.2% of his passes for 2379 yards with 20 TDs and 2 INTs.

Baker Mayfield has completing 71.4% of his passes for 2389 yards with 23 TDs and 9 INTs.

Joe Burrow has completing 70.2% of his passes for 2244 yards with 20 TDs and 4 INTs.

Kirk Cousins has completing 69.2% of his passes for 2328 yards with 17 TDs and 7 INTs.

Josh Allen has completing 64.1% of his passes for 2001 yards with 17 TDs and 2 INTs.

Aaron Rodgers has completing 62.3% of his passes for 2107 yards with 15 TDs and 7 INTs.

Jordan Love has completing 61.3% of his passes for 1820 yards with 15 TDs and 10 INTs.

Jared Goff has completing 74.9% of his passes for 1840 yards with 14 TDs and 4 INTs.

Geno Smith has completing 68.1% of his passes for 2560 yards with 11 TDs and 10 INTs.

Dak Prescott has completing 64.7% of his passes for 1978 yards with 11 TDs and 8 INTs.

Patrick Mahomes has completing 69.9% of his passes for 1942 yards with 11 TDs and 9 INTs.

He is right there with a lot of other QBs in terms of picks thrown. He needs to clean it up a bit and I believe he will do better as he and KOC continue to work together. The one stat where it really is bad is the percentage of time sacked when dropping back to pass. Darnold is at 10.08% which is fourth worst behind Deshaun Watson, Will Levis, and Jacoby Brissett. They need to clean up the time to throw. Darnold is thrid worst behind Cooper Rush and Brock Purdy. https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/advanced-stats-qb.php

I think the criticism of Darnold in relation to other QBs around the NFL is over the top. He is doing an outstanding job for the team. He is likely going to get a good deal next year which should factor into the compensatory picks in 2026.

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Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Sam Darnold vies to play ‘smarter’ as Vikings visit Jaguars

What is Darnold thinking about heading into Sunday’s kickoff? Turnovers — as in, limiting them, especially after he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble last week.

“At the end of the day, I need to make smarter decisions,” Darnold said. “I just have to continue to use my eyes and my feet, and go through my progressions, and continue to trust that.”

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How Cam Robinson’s Crash Course on Vikings Offense & Code Words Helped Debut

Brian O’Neill checked in with Cam Robinson Friday afternoon.

Having been in Minnesota less than 48 hours since being acquired from Jacksonville via trade, Robinson had just one Vikings practice and a Friday morning walk-through under his belt.

“I asked him, ‘Hey, how are you doing? What do you need more help with? What’s giving you trouble?’ “ O’Neill recounted following Sunday’s 21-13 win. “And he was like, ‘Honestly, bro, I’m good.’

“I’ll just say from my perspective and how I operate, I would not be the same,” O’Neill added with a laugh. “I would need to know a lot more. But it’s pretty cool.”

“I knew the type of time, the type of work it was going to take me to prepare for this game, and I was all-in on that,” Robinson said after the game. “My teammates and coaches did a good job of preparing me and getting me to a point where I could go out and roll.”

The veteran lineman started at left tackle on Sunday Night Football and didn’t allow a single sack or quarterback hit of Sam Darnold, earning a pass-blocking grade of 64.4 from analytics site Pro Football Focus and a run-block grade of 63.9.

Darnold said he and teammates felt an “unwavering confidence in the huddle with the way [Robinson] was able to go out there and execute a game plan.”

Though O’Neill noted he’d have to watch the tape before fully evaluating Robinson’s performance, he considers it a “pretty special” accomplishment.

“Just so much credit to him for the work he put in over 72 hours to be able to do that. Obviously, he’s a veteran football player who’s played a lot of games, had a lot of success in this league, and I thought our two o-line coaches, Kup’ (Chris Kuper) and Shaun Sarrett, did a great job staying with him after meetings, after practice, late into the night … teaching him on the fly,” O’Neill said.

He pointed out that Robinson had to learn not only the offense but also “hundreds of little made-up calls” used at the line of scrimmage that aren’t necessarily part of the playbook.

“[Stuff] we just say to each other that we know what’s going on, that we’ve been doing together for a couple years now, this group,” O’Neill said. “He was able to pick it up on the fly – no problems, no questions asked.”

Robinson also benefited from playing beside left guard Blake Brandel, whom O’Neill said provided ancillary in-game support if needed.

“Breaking the huddle, sometimes I would look over – Sam would call the play, and because I kind of was curious, I’d look over as we were walking to the line, and Blake’s whispering in [Cam’s] ear,” O’Neill said. “You know, last season there was the game with [quarterback Joshua] Dobbs, who didn’t know the system, and that was pretty crazy, but this one was one of the cooler ones I’ve seen for a lineman in the NFL.”

Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips was asked during his Tuesday press conference about this most impressive aspect of Robinson starting on such a crunched timeline.

“Everything,” he responded. “I mean from Wednesday, he gets here, he meets with the line coaches, they come in immediately like, ‘This guy’s a stud.’ “

Phillips noted that Kuper, Sarrett and O’Connell all raved early on about Robinson’s football I.Q. and comfort level taking on a new offensive system.

“There was this kind of calmness, where you weren’t worried about him,” said Phillips, who helped guide the offense Sunday from the sidelines rather than his typical post in the booth. “Everything you talk to him about he says, ‘I’ve got you, Coach. I’ve got you.’

“There was even a play where [I told him], ‘Hey, if you can’t get that guy, work up to the next, you know,’ and he said, ‘I’ll get him,’ “ Phillips added. “For this type of situation with a new player coming in midweek, having two practices and going out there and starting a football game, we all had just a good confidence about us. There wasn’t a worry in our mind.”

He’s seamlessly made the move to a new city and a new locker room, embracing the challenge of mastering a new offense.

“I love it,” Robinson said. “I love everything about the offense; I love everything about the team. For me, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

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‘Through the storm:’ Blake Cashman is the Minnesota Vikings’ maniac in the middle

Three years later, here’s Blake Cashman — starting middle linebacker for the marauding Minnesota Vikings — ordering a walleye entrée at The Copperfield three miles from the team facility. He’s got a brace around one pinky finger. He’s dealing with a nagging turf toe. Thick jawline. Scowling eyebrows. Popeye forearms. He’s no longer a crash-test dummy on the NFL’s fringes. He’s the psycho put on earth to pilot the league’s most psychotic defense, a scheme that cannon-blasts players at angles inconceivable to all other defensive coordinators. Most need a BAC level well north of legal limit to call the pressures Brian Flores does on the Vikings sideline.

Cashman is on the short list of linebackers who still make football one of society’s last vestiges of masculinity, the type of player those who witnessed the “Purple People Eaters” a half-century ago can appreciate. As these Vikings (6-2) enter the stretch run, he’ll need to be the difference. This defense was not the same without him those two losses. Here at this restaurant, for two hours, Cashman opens up on how he got from Point A to Point B. This league devours players by the hundreds. Countless 22- and 23-year-olds we’ve never heard of are chewed up and puked out to LinkedIn. They plow through that exit door at the facility and are filled with regret and resentment for years.

But every so often, the fit is perfect. Sign with the right team at the right time, and magic happens. Championship teams are forged.

Blake Cashman exudes the confidence of a man who struck football gold.

“That’s the thing with the league,” he says. “There’s so much talent obviously. A lot of it’s just the timing and the opportunity and if they collide at the right time.”

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NFL picks, score predictions for Week 10: Minnesota Vikings vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Vikings 30, Jaguars 20

Iyer: “This is a terrible spot for Jacksonville. Minnesota’s pass rush will be fearless in getting after Trevor Lawrence, as the Jaguars won’t run enough or well enough early and are down a key weapon to beat their defense in Christian Kirk. The Vikings should have no trouble getting Justin Jefferson to explode downfield for S

Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Jaguars 24, Vikings 21

Cluff: “Yes, the Jaguars are 2-7, but they are 2-2 when they are the home team and this game is at EverBank Stadium. Trevor Lawrence will have a big day in Jacksonville.”

Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Vikings 28, Jaguars 21

Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut: Vikings 31, Jaguars 21

Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network: Vikings 27, Jaguars 20

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Vikings Urged to Sign $25 Million Veteran After Trade Deadline Move

A player to consider in the aftermath of the league trade deadline would be veteran defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson. The Cleveland Browns held tight to Jefferson despite not playing him frequently but failed to find a trade partner. He was released on Tuesday afternoon amid a string of roster moves at the trade deadline in Cleveland.

A 2016 fifth-round pick, Jefferson has carved out a career as a prominent interior pass rusher. Pro Football Focus credited Jefferson with 21 sacks across the previous three seasons before he arrived in Cleveland and was buried beneath a deep defensive line group. His best season in 2022 saw him produce the fifth-best pressure rate among all interior defensive linemen.

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Vikings predicted to swipe 4-time All-Pro from Falcons to address aging secondary

At cornerback, the Vikings have little shored up beyond 2024, other than Mekhi Blackmon, who will be working his way back from a season-ending knee injury. Veterans Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr. are all impending 2025 free agents.

The Vikings could certainly bring most or all of those guys back, but with the sixth-most projected cap space in the NFL, they could also look to make a free agent splash elsewhere.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report released his first 2025 Free Agent Big Board of the season on Wednesday, and he predicts the Vikings will use some of those cap dollars on four-time All-Pro safety Justin Simmons of the Atlanta Falcons.

“The Vikings, who have $77.8 million in projected cap space, could also be interested in Simmons,” wrote Knox, who ranked Simmons No. 23 overall on his big board and mentioned the Washington Commanders as potential competition. “Minnesota will have playoff aspirations in 2025 and may have needs at safety.”

Buy or sell: Justin Simmons to the Minnesota Vikings in 2025

Working against a potential marriage between the Vikings and Simmons, though, is that he plays the same position as Smith, who’s five years older but playing at just as high a level. Smith actually leads all Vikings defensive players in snaps (514) through eight games this season.

Smith isn’t going anywhere. He’s under contract through 2025, and the team’s much more likely to rework that deal and allow him to retire a Viking than it is to target a new veteran at the position in free agency.

The verdict: Sell.

Predicted by who?

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No more Vikings moves as NFL trade deadline passes

The NFL trade deadline has come and gone without any deadline-day action from GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Minnesota Vikings.

It wasn’t a totally quiet deadline for the Vikings, of course, as they acquired Cam Robinson from the Jaguars last week to fill in for injured star Christian Darrisaw at left tackle. They also added running back Cam Akers in mid-October.

But the Vikings didn’t do anything on the defensive side of the ball, nor did they make any sort of major splash to upgrade a 6-2 team. Akers is a quality RB2 and Robinson was a win-now pickup as an injury replacement, but questions remain about some of this team’s weaknesses moving forward.

Perhaps the most glaring need was a defensive tackle with some pass rush juice. Of the 90 DTs who have played at least 200 snaps this season, Jerry Tillery ranks 76th and Jonathan Bullard ranks 90th in PFF pass rush grade. They were never realistically going to land Dexter Lawrence or Jeffery Simmons, but someone like Calais Campbell or Osa Odighizuwa could’ve made a major difference.

To be clear, Minnesota’s lack of draft capital was a factor here. The Vikings have just their first-round pick and two fifth-rounders in next year’s draft, plus a likely third-round comp pick to come. That’s why they traded a late-round swap in 2026 for Akers and a fourth-rounder in 2026 for Robinson. Then again, it’s worth noting that they have so few picks because they gave up so much (a 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 across the 2024 and ‘25 drafts) in a series of deals that resulted in the Dallas Turner pick this year.

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Vikings’ Stalled Trade Talks for Top-100 Player Deemed a Deadline Regret

The Minnesota Vikings missed an opportunity to recoup draft capital by failing to seal a deal on trading third-year linebacker Brian Asamoah, a move that was deemed one of the team’s biggest regrets at the trade deadline.

After the NFL trade deadline passed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on November 6, that the Vikings had trade discussions involving Asamoah, adding that “there was interest, which deepened the intrigue on deadline day,” but Minnesota ultimately “decided to stand pat.”

Selected 66th overall in the third round of the 2022 draft, Asamoah showed promise during his rookie year but has disappeared from the Vikings defense under Brian Flores. Asamoah has played just 13 defensive snaps in eight games this season — all in a Week 3 blowout of the Houston Texans.

Fansided’s Cody Williams listed the decision as one of the biggest trade deadline regrets in Minnesota.

“Everything considered, it would’ve made a lot of sense for the Vikings to do exactly that. The Oklahoma product has simply not had a role to play in Brian Flores’ defense,” Williams wrote. “With his draft pedigree and physical tools, though, he could’ve gone for a Day 3 pick in either 2025 or 2026 to a team in need of linebacker depth.

Vikings’ 2022 Draft Class is Looking Even Worse

While the new Vikings regime has navigated their “competitive rebuild” of the franchise competently, its first draft class continues to be a bane to the fan base.

Of the Vikings’ four selections in the top 100 picks in the draft, Ed Ingram is the only player to start. First-round pick Lewis Cine was released in the summer and is on the Buffalo Bills practice squad, while cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., also released in the summer, was just cut by the Dallas Cowboys.

Asamoah falling out of favor in Minnesota is another reminder of the follies of the new regime’s first draft class.

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Yore Mock

Trade Partner: Chargers

Sent: Pick 28, 2026 MIN 7th

Received: Pick 53, Pick 85, 2026 LAC 2nd

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Trade Partner: Packers

Sent: Pick 53, 2026 JAX 7th

Received: Pick 54, Pick 124

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Trade Partner: Titans

Sent: Pick 124

Received: Pick 133, Pick 184

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54. Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 6’5” 310

85. Trey Amos CB Ole Miss 6’1” 190

100. Luke Kandra IOL Cincinnati 6’4” 323

133. Gunnar Helm TE Texas 6’5” 250

139. Billy Bowman S Oklahoma 5’10” 195

163. Shemar Turner EDGE Texas A&M 6’3” 300

184. Kalel Mullings RB Michigan 6’2” 233

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