Vikings Links: Gotta Love Being 8-2

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Minnesota Vikings News and Links

NFL fans torch officials after questionable call in Titans-Vikings game

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-fans-torch-officials-after-questionable-call-titans-vikings-game

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw a pass to Addison in the end zone. There were about three defenders around Addison on the play. Brown leaned with his shoulder and appeared to hit Addison right in the chest to break up the play.

The hit jarred the ball loose, and it appeared Minnesota turned the ball over on downs. But Brown was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Tennessee was also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Darnold scored on the next play to make it 13-3.

Funny that they are not complaining about yet another missed facemask call on Sam Darnold!

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Why the Vikings benched Ingram for Risner and how it went against Titans

The Vikings made the decision to bench inconsistent third-year starter Ed Ingram and give Dalton Risner the nod at right guard in Sunday’s game against the Titans. The end result was a victory on the road, but Risner wasn’t exactly an immediate upgrade in his first career game at RG.

The former Denver Bronco, who had played left guard in each of his first 73 NFL starts, allowed a pressure to star Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on the Vikings’ first offensive play. He settled in after that and only allowed one more pressure the rest of the way, but he finished with a subpar 50.0 PFF grade (60 is average). That includes a 55.3 pass-blocking grade and a 47.9 grade in run blocking.

“I wanted to take a look with Dalton being healthy now, seeing if we could get a little bit more of a veteran presence there, consistent,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said postgame. “It was a tough challenge to have Dalton’s first start on the right side be against Simmons and (T’Vondre) Sweat, that’s two of the best interior guys playing right now in this league. We’ll look at the tape and see how Dalton did. I felt his play style. I felt him totally into the game.”

Regardless of how PFF viewed Risner’s performance, it seems like a near certainty that he’ll get another start next Sunday in Chicago. It wouldn’t make sense for the Vikings to flip-flop back to Ingram after one game. Using PFF grades, which aren’t perfect, the bar for Risner to clear is low. Ingram’s 54.0 grade in nine games ranks 58th out of 63 guards who have played at least 300 snaps this season.

“I was proud of the way Ed handled the week as well,” O’Connell said. “Knowing he’d be one snap away, he was asking great questions, and he was prepared and ready to roll. So, we’ll continue to try to find that best five. It’s definitely not going to be a week-to-week thing, but we are going to allow some competition to play out while the season is still — seven games left and the ability to try to hunt that best five and get the most out of all those guys.”

Consistency is the reason O’Connell cited for making the move on Sunday, and that feels like the reason why Risner will likely keep the job the rest of the season. He’s a better pass protector than Ingram, largely because he’s less susceptible to disastrous reps where he whiffs on a block entirely or steps on a teammate’s foot. Those plays can ruin drives.

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Vikings’ middling run game makes it abundantly clear — they need help on the interior OL

Running the football better for the duration of the 2024 season is one of the staff’s primary focuses.

“When we’ve been at our best as an offense,” O’Connell said Monday, “we’ve been able to establish the run. It’s easier said than done sometimes.”

Pro Football Focus ranks the Vikings O-line as the league’s eighth-best run-blocking unit, while ESPN’s run-block win rate ranks the Vikings 17th. Average yards generated before contact is another worthwhile statistic in gauging offensive-line play, and the Vikings come in at 15th, according to TruMedia.

Notably, the Vikings’ only interior offensive lineman who costs more than average for a starter is Bradbury. Now that Ingram has been benched, they also don’t have a starting interior offensive lineman on his rookie contract.

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Three areas where the Minnesota Vikings must improve to keep winning

1. Running the football

2. Giving up chunks to opposing passing games

But if there’s one concern that lingers on that side of the ball, it’s the tendency for the Vikings to allow chunk plays to opposing passing games when pressure doesn’t get home. Will Levis had several of those on Sunday, most notably a 98-yard touchdown to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine that briefly got Tennessee back into the game. He also threw a 51-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley that was negated by an illegal formation penalty on his right tackle. On the very next play, Levis found a receiver for a 33-yard gain anyways.

The Vikings’ pass defense was a major issue in losses to the Lions and Rams, and the return of Blake Cashman hasn’t magically fixed things in that regard. This season, the Vikings have surrendered 66 pass completions of at least 15 yards in 10 games. Only the Ravens (87 in 11 games) have allowed more on a per-game basis. It’s something Flores and the Vikings’ secondary have to tighten up ahead of matchups against better offenses in the coming months.

3. Turnovers

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NFL power rankings Week 12: When will the national media take 8-2 Vikings seriously?

No matter how many games the Minnesota Vikings win, there always seems to be a qualifier.

The Vikings started 5-0, but … is it sustainable with journeyman Sam Darnold under center?

The Vikings beat the Jaguars, but … can we trust an offense that managed just four field goals against the worst team in the NFL?

The Vikings beat the Titans, but … they allowed way too many passing yards to a bottom-tier quarterback in Will Levis.

The Vikings are 8-2, but … look at the opponents they’ve faced recently, and now they get the tumbling Chicago Bears!

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: No. 6 (up 2 spots)

Iyer: “The Vikings restored some steady play for Sam Darnold on the road, and their defense had no trouble with a very limited Titans offense. They can strengthen their wild-card position in the NFC North with the Bears and Cardinals up next.”

Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: No. 6 (up 2 spots)

Cluff: “How’s this for distributing the football? Sam Darnold targeted 10 different receivers Sunday, with nine of them catching passes.”

Sayre Bedinger, NFL Spin Zone: No. 7 (up 4 spots)

Bedinger: “At this stage, you can’t really do much except tip your cap to Kevin O’Connell and the job that he’s done for the Minnesota Vikings since taking over as the team’s head coach. I’ll be honest and confess that I felt as though the Vikings were going to struggle a bit this year with Sam Darnold at the helm, but they are 8-2 and they are actually keeping pace with the Detroit Lions in the NFC North a little bit. Now, how long is that going to last? The Lions don’t look like they’re going to lose many more games. The Vikings have to start by getting to their 9th win which could happen Sunday in Chicago. They’ve got to find a way to kick the Bears while they’re down.”

Peter Dewey, Sports Illustrated: No. 10 (up 3 spots)

Dewey: Minnesota picked up another win against an inferior opponent — Tennessee — on Sunday, keeping it just one game behind Detroit in the NFC North.”

Consensus ranking: No. 7 (up 2 spots)

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Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears in Week 12: Game preview, best bets and odds

Why bet on the Vikings

The Vikings have had three consecutive wins that weren’t as close as the final score. Last week, Minnesota had 24 first downs to 11 for the Tennessee Titans, whose only touchdown came on a 98-yard fluke play on third-and-11. A week earlier, the Vikings set a league high in time of possession while holding the Jaguars to just 143 yards, with the 12-7 final only being close because Sam Darnold couldn’t stop throwing interceptions in the end zone. Take away the Titans’ 98-yard TD and the Vikings have been allowing well below 200 yards per game this month.

While the Bears haven’t scored 20 points in more than a month, the Vikings have allowed the third-fewest points in the league at just 17 per game. It was noted in a piece last week that Williams has been the worst of all the first-round rookie quarterbacks this year. Perhaps his biggest issue has been avoiding the rush, as he’s been sacked a league-high 41 times and owns the worst sack percentage among every QB who has played more than seven games.

Enter Minnesota’s defense, which has recorded an NFL-high 115 quarterback pressures thanks to a league-best blitz rate of more than 35%. Even wise veteran quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers have had trouble dealing with the Vikings’ unpredictable defense. How do you think Williams will fare?

Why bet on the Bears

Chicago has lost four straight, but as noted above, Williams was dramatically better last week in new play-caller Brown’s debut, and if not for Eberflus’ miserable clock/field management in the final minute, the Bears likely would have completed the upset against Green Bay.

Also noted earlier, the Bears beat the Vikings last year when they picked off Minnesota four times. Darnold leads the NFL with 14 turnovers and the Bears are seventh in the league with 17 takeaways. Chicago’s pass defense has the best net EPA and has allowed the fewest passing touchdowns.

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Vikings Positioned to Replace Sam Darnold With $160 Million Rival QB

Sam Darnold is expected to land a starting job elsewhere next season, meaning the Minnesota Vikings should be on the search for another veteran quarterback to take his place.

Yes, J.J. McCarthy will be the Day 1 starter for the 2025 season if everything goes according to plan, but he’s also the only quarterback under contract beyond this season.

The Vikings need to find a capable veteran backup quarterback who could also push McCarthy for the starting role if the rookie is not ready by next season.

Daniel Jones fits that mold. The New York Giants benched Jones this week as his future in New York looks bleak despite his physical gifts as the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft.

Former NFL MVP quarterback Matt Ryan said that Jones is capable of reviving his career but needs some time as a backup to reassess how he plays the position — a similar path Darnold took before he landed with the Vikings.

“I look at starting positions that are gonna be open next year and I don’t see a place where an organization is gonna pay Daniel Jones that starting quarterback money right now,” Ryan added. “I think he goes to the bench for a little while. … I just don’t see a spot for him as starting quarterback next year.”

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Yore Mock

Trade: Jets

Sent: Pick 28

Received: Pick 38, Pick 96, Pick 182

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Trade: Browns

Sent: Pick 96

Received: Pick 105, Pick 168

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Trade: Bills

Sent: Pick 105

Received: Pick 115, Pick 173, Pick 206

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38. Tyleik Williams DT Ohio State 6’3” 327

100. Omarr Norman-Lott DT Tennessee 6’3” 315

115. Jonah Monheim OC USC 6’5” 310

141. Luke Kandra OG Cincinnati 6’4” 323

164. Jordan Burch EDGE Oregon 6’6” 295

168. Terrence Ferguson TE Oregon 6’5” 255

173. Bhayshul Tuten RB Virginia Tech 5’11” 209

182. Hunter Wohler S Wisconsin 6’2” 218

206. Teddye Buchanan LB California 6’2” 235

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