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Minnesota Vikings News and Links: Can The Vikings Beat The Titans?
Do you still believe?
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Big game this week. The team is going to be in another dogfight despite the Titams record. They will be tough at home. It would be nice to win convincingly but the way Sam Darnold has been playing brings a lot of worry. After watching this team for 50 plus year and seeing all four Super Bowl losses, I am beyond jaded. I want to believe but I need to see it most of the time with this team.
Do you believe they will beat the Titans?
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
NFL picks, predictions for Week 11: Minnesota Vikings vs. Tennessee Titans
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Vikings 24, Titans 19
Iyer: “The Vikings’ defense and special teams saved them in Jacksonville on an off day for the offense despite multiple red-zone trips. Tennessee can also be a tricky AFC South trip, but Minnesota should feel confident its pass defense can cause a lot of issues for Will Levis with Brian Flores’ aggressive scheming. Sam Darnold should play better, given he might be auditioning to replace Levis as the Titans’ QB in 2025.”
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Vikings 24, Titans 17
Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network: Vikings 24, Titans 10
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Vikings 21, Titans 10
Is it time to be concerned about Vikings rookie Dallas Turner?
As the Minnesota Vikings continue to smother opposing offenses — they’ve allowed just one touchdown and 13 total points in their last two games — fans and national media members have been wondering the same thing.
What’s going on with Dallas Turner?
Turner opened the season with a solid role in Brian Flores’ defense, playing 35 snaps and notching his first NFL sack in a win over the New York Giants. He hasn’t played more than 26 defensive snaps in a game since, and has played less than 20 in six out of the eight games he’s appeared in.
ESPN’s Matt Miller recently gauged the panic meter on Turner’s limited role. Here was his take in a report on 2024 NFL rookies:
“Turner, the No. 17 overall pick in the draft, was expected to boost a Minnesota edge rush that sorely needed help. And the team made an expensive draft-day trade to get him, which pointed to a clearly identified early role. Instead, he’s barely played this season,” Miller wrote. “(Week 9) was Turner’s best performance to date, with six pressures on 24 snaps, but his role is in flux moving forward. The Minnesota defense has been one of the best units in the NFL this season, but Turner’s lack of a consistent role is concerning.”
Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy had injection to alleviate knee swelling
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy had an injection in his right knee earlier this week to alleviate swelling that arose during his rehabilitation program, coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday.
McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the NFL draft, tore his meniscus during the first exhibition game on Aug. 10 and had season-ending surgery.
“We just wanted to make sure there was no cause for concern,” O’Connell said. “All reports were very positive, and he’s on the original timetable and in good shape.”
Scoggins: Vikings’ Harrison Smith is ‘Hitman’ on field and man of many talents off
Safety Harrison Smith is a pilot (though he sold his plane), a welder, a 1-handicap golfer, a puncher and a punching bag. Smith might be the most interesting man in the NFL — and he’s a future Hall of Famer
Harrison Smith didn’t give his first or last name during the Vikings player introductions on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” two weeks ago. Just his nickname.
“Hitman,” he said into the camera.
He could have said Renaissance Man. Or Most Interesting Man in the NFL.
They all apply.
“I’m just a tinkerer,” he said.
If something in his home breaks, Smith springs into action. If he doesn’t know how to fix it, he learns about it and then tinkers.
“We actually have a name for it in our household: It’s called Smithing,” said his wife, Madison. “If something breaks and we don’t want to get it professionally done, we just Smith it. So it’s got extra duct tape, throw some glue on it, a couple extra nails … that’s a Smith job.”
Smith and his wife recently learned about frequency of fabrics and how different clothing materials can impact the human body.
“He came home with a sewing machine,” his wife said. “He thought he was going to make all of his own clothes.”
Flying didn’t bring him joy for most of his life. He said he decided to attend aviation ground school to learn about flight “just to be more comfortable.”
One day his instructor asked Smith if he would like to go up in a Cessna. Not really, he answered, but he went along anyway.
“After that,” Smith said, “I thought it was pretty cool. So I started taking lessons.”
Smith doesn’t do anything halfway. He earned his private pilot license and his instrument rating and then went through unusual attitude and spin training in Florida.
“You put the plane into a spin and then get it out,” he said. “The first time you get into a spin, it’s pretty uncomfortable. It’s the initiation of the spin where you go from flying to not flying, that moment takes your breath away.”
https://fansided.com/vikings-news-florio-floats-darnold-replacement-jones-clears-up-being-carted-off-jefferson-makes-more-history
As it goes in the NFL when a quarterback is struggling, many are calling for Darnold to be benched, arguing that Minnesota has no genuine chance to compete for a Super Bowl with him under center. But with first-round pick J.J. McCarthy lost for the season, the only other options the Vikings have on the roster right now are Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien.
As such, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has floated another option for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell to consider, which is where we’ll kick things off.
During Sunday’s game, one who we can only assume is Florio (it’s his site, after all) took to Pro Football Talk’s X account and had this to say:
Is it crazy to wonder what Kevin O’Connell could do with Ryan Tannehill down the stretch? Because it really looks like the Sam Darnold chariot has turned back into a pumpkin.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 10, 2024
While it’s an interesting suggestion, it’s never going to happen. Nor should it.
For one, with all due respect, Tannehill isn’t Joe Flacco. He’s not coming off the couch like Flacco did with the Cleveland Browns a year ago to put on miraculous performances. And even at his best with the Tennessee Titans, it’s not as if Tannehill was lighting it up. In 10 appearances last season, he threw just four touchdowns against seven interceptions. How’s that better than Darnold?
3. Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
CMP% 68.2
YDs 2634
TD 17
INT 8
YD/Att 7.91
Is Atlanta getting what it paid for in the $180 million quarterback? It depends on the week. Cousins is generally known for being steady rather than spectacular, but his 10-game start with the Falcons has been something of a roller coaster: His best days have bordered on career performances, but his off days have basically sunk his team with off-balance throws in winnable games. Eleven of his 17 touchdown passes (or 65%) have come in just three games, putting the pressure on Atlanta to keep him well-protected.
2. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
CMP% 69.5
YDs 2208
TD 12
INT 9
YD/Att 7.1
By most surface-level metrics, the three-time Super Bowl champion has been merely a mediocre quarterback in 2024, barely throwing more scores (12) than picks (9), ranking 17th in passer rating, and throwing it deep just 4.5% of the time — easily the lowest mark of his career. Yet he’s also completing passes at a higher rate than ever (69.5%), taking what’s given amid a steadily shuffled supporting cast and, best of all, posting largely superb marks when trailing to shepherd a 9-0 start.
1. Vikings QB Sam Darnold
CMP% 68.6
YDs 2141
TD 17
INT 10
YD/Att 8.2
In many ways, nobody’s winning the “Sam Darnold argument” right now. On one hand, the Minnesota Vikings don’t start 5-0 without him; the journeyman was even more composed than expected as an authoritative point guard for Kevin O’Connell’s deep lineup out of the gate. Suddenly, however, he now leads the NFL in giveaways (13), fighting to halt his own instincts and stop slinging balls downfield when the moment doesn’t call for it. Minnesota’s still-solid playoff hopes may depend on his next steps.
Matthew Coller: Behind the scenes of Kevin O’Connell’s viral victory speeches
With players gathered around him in a circle, Kevin O’Connell bounced around like a boxer in the ring. The vein in his neck was popping out and his voice cracking as he shouted out the defense’s top performers.
“Harrison Phillips with a fumble recovery, Byron Murphy with an interception for the third straight game, Gink with a sack and two TFLs, Cash with five tackles and a sack — welcome back, Cash — and I.P. welcome to the show with five tackles and a sack,” O’Connell yelled.
He got extra jacked up when he got to safety Cam Bynum’s name and started pantomiming Bynum’s game-sealing interception.
“Cam Bynum, when we needed it, tracking it, finding it, interception to finish it off,” he screamed as the entire locker room cheered.
O’Connell then announced that every defensive player was getting a game ball.
He wasn’t finished with his postgame speech yet. He turned to the scoring hero of the day, new kicker Parker Romo, who was just signed this week to take the place of injured star rookie Will Reichard.
“All Park did was go 4-of-4,” O’Connell hollered as outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard danced next to Romo and turned the kicker’s hat sideways.
O’Connell handed another ball to long snapper Jake McQuaide, who was also acquired this week due to injury, and mentioned punter Ryan Wright’s save on a high snap.
Before wrapping up and getting on the plane home, he made sure to get a few more things across: “Sam, everybody in this locker room knows that you are the guy that’s going to take us there.”
O’Connell pointed a football at Sam Darnold, who had a tough afternoon with three interceptions.
To conclude, the mic drop: Declaring the next day a “victory Monday” off. The players went nuts.
…
“I made a pact with our team that, I always tell them that I’m going to be honest with them in regards to expectations,” he said. “I hope the expectations that they have for themselves and that I have for this team outweigh anything out there. If not, then I’m not doing my job. That gives me an incredible runway to tell our guys when it’s not good enough or what they need to improve for the team.”
…
“He lifts everybody up,” Jones said. “It’s just so real….he makes everybody feel a part [of the win], which we are all a part of it.”
Star pass rusher Jonathan Greenard agrees.
“I feel like KO makes everybody feel wanted, appreciated,” Greenard said. “No matter what the job, big or small. All jobs are huge here.”
Again, there is intent behind that.
“I think it’s important that everybody in that room knows that they are a part of it,” O’Connell said. “The power of belonging is a powerful thing.”
But Greenard’s favorite thing about the KOC postgame locker room show is that the message in the turbo speeches isn’t different from the one that players are hearing on a daily basis inside TCO Performance Center.
“After the games it just solidifies what he’s already talked about all week,” the Vikings leader in QB pressures said. “It feels great to know that he’s not bulls—ing you. He’s never bulls—ed us once. It gives you more confidence because he believes in what he’s talking about.”
Pro Bowl right tackle Brian O’Neill said that fans are seeing a tiny snippet of O’Connell’s coaching style, the tip of the iceberg.
“We get a lot more reinforcement from him than a five minute speech,” O’Neill said. “For us it’s another touch point with the coach to drive home some key points. That’s just one soundbite of something we live and breathe with him throughout the week. It’s good to hear but we hear that a lot more and we know the ‘why’ behind it… [The postgame speech] is not necessarily where we get belief in ourselves from him because we have a lot more hours with him throughout the week.”
What does the Vikings’ financial future look like? Contracts, salary cap and more
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5920433/2024/11/14/vikings-future-contracts-salary-cap-nfl-draft/
Notable expiring contracts
Jonathan Bullard DL 31
Camryn Bynum S 26
Stephon Gilmore CB 34
Shaq Griffin CB 29
Aaron Jones RB 29
Nick Mullens QB 29
Byron Murphy Jr. CB 26
Brandon Powell WR 29
Harrison Smith S 35
Jerry Tillery DT 28
Jihad Ward LB 30
Both starting safeties (Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum) have uncertain futures with the team. All three starting cornerbacks (Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr.) do, too. If Minnesota can’t bring back Aaron Jones, it’ll be left with a depleted running back room. Interior defensive linemen, backup edge rushers, a backup quarterback and a punt returner won’t generate headlines. But those roles are integral to winning rosters. The Vikings will need to come up with answers for all of them, whether they re-sign some of these players or look elsewhere.
Other contracts to watch
Garrett Bradbury C 29
Blake Brandel G 27
C.J. Ham FB 31
Josh Metellus S 26
Brian O’Neill OT 29
The question is this: Should the Vikings revamp the interior of their offensive line? Or should they lean into continuity, especially with Bradbury at center, as they presumably transition to a young quarterback in J.J. McCarthy?
Salary-cap outlook
YEAR : CAP SPACE: RANK : DEAD MONEY : RANK
2024 : $7.18M : 18th : $68.3M : 30th
2025 : $74.4M : 6th : $3.1M : 10th
2026 : $99.3M : 16th : $0 : N/A
2027 : $180M : 21st : $0 : N/A
Draft capital available
Pick : 2025: 2026
1st-round pick : Yes : Yes
2nd-round pick : No : Yes
3rd-round pick : Maybe (comp) : Yes
4th-round pick : No : Maybe (Cam Robinson)
5th-round pick : Yes (2) : Maybe (Cam Robinson)
6th-round pick : No : Maybe (Cam Akers)
7th-round pick : No : Yes (potentially multiple)
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