Hello everyone and welcome to the Week 2 Minnesota Vikings roundtable here at Daily Norseman. The Vikes had an incredible fourth quarter last week, overshadowing three tough periods to start the game in stealing a win in Chicago over the Bears on Monday Night Football.
But now we turn our attention to the Atlanta Falcons, and how we feel this Sunday Night Football appearance will go now that the boys are back in town *guitar riff*.
Let’s talk to it.
Question 1: Which injured player will be missed the most in Week 2?
Brandon Warne: One of the linebackers. I’m leaning toward Andrew Van Ginkel just because his absence came on a bit more abruptly, but more or less I’m more concerned about how the Falcons will attack the Vikings in the short game. I know Kyle Pitts has been more of a bust than expected, but between him, Bijan Robinson and the likely use of the short(er) passing game with Michael Penix Jr., I’m more concerned about missing a linebacker than I am Christian Darrisaw (who is still obviously a big loss).
Christopher Gates: I wanted to say Christian Darrisaw here, but I think that Justin Skule will be helped by getting onto home turf and getting better prepared for Week 2. So I’ll go with the more obvious answer and say Blake Cashman. Cashman has been a huge part of this Vikings’ defense since he got here last season, and while Eric Wilson is a capable replacement, he can’t do the number of things in this defense that Cashman can do. The Vikings’ defense had some issues when Cashman missed time last season, and I hope this doesn’t repeat itself again this season.
David Stefano: Blake Cashman. When he was injured last season, we lost 2 of the 3 games. He’s the hub of defensive communication. I think Eric Wilson will step in adequately, but he simply isn’t Cashman.
Sam Buegler: Christian Darrisaw. During Week 1, his absence was heavily felt, and I think that will continue into Week 2. The Vikings depth at the other positions will be stretched, but not as bad as at left tackle. It is too important of a position, especially with J.J. still learning and improving.
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Question 2: How would you grade J.J. McCarthy’s NFL debut?
BW: I’d give him a B+. I don’t think this is entirely like school, where you can flunk the first 75 percent of a class and need to finish strong to even get a C. I think “what have you done for me lately” looms a bit larger — hence the bumped-up grade — and I also think it wasn’t as though McCarthy could do much with the shackles on him early in the game. Yes, it was really ugly to start — but I think we all got a good sign that the Vikings might really have something here in the fourth quarter.
CG: If you judge the entire game as a whole, it’s hard to go with anything more than about a “C” on the A to F scale. Obviously, the first three quarters or so were not great, though a closer examination shows that McCarthy’s struggles might not necessarily have been all his fault. The fourth quarter was great, and I think that more than anything shows what this team has at the quarterback spot. It would have been easy for a young player like McCarthy to get discouraged and continue to be off his game, but he picked himself up and led this team on a furious comeback. I think that, going forward, we’re going to see a lot more of “fourth quarter” J.J. McCarthy and a whole lot less of “first three quarters against Chicago” J.J. McCarthy.
DS: First quarter: F. Second quarter: F. Third quarter: F. Fourth quarter: A+. McCarthy looked rusty and out of sync until he had his “welcome to the NFL” moment. He transformed from zero to hero in dramatic fashion. This was exactly what the team needed. While his performance pattern resembled other 2024 rookie class quarterbacks in their debuts, McCarthy’s journey from struggle to success was far more pronounced.
SB: A. I was going to try and explain it first, but I can’t be objective here. Leading a 4th quarter comeback on the road in your debut is incredibly impressive, and he showed poise and resilience to come back like that. I would also recommend checking out The QB School: he analyzed J.J.‘s play that was fascinating and left me feeling a lot better about the first three quarters of the game.
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Question 3: What Falcons player intrigues you most in this matchup?
BW: I just can’t quit Pitts. I know, again, he hasn’t matched the hype — but a safety valve for a young quarterback is invaluable, and the Vikings seem likely to be a bit vulnerable at the second level.
CG: I’m actually interested to see what Kyle Pitts is going to do against this Minnesota defense. For most young quarterbacks, like Michael Penix or J.J. McCarthy, the tight end acts as a bit of a security blanket, and the Falcons used a top 5 pick on Pitts a few years ago because they obviously thought he’d be a game-changer for them. While he hasn’t been actively terrible or anything, he hasn’t been spectacular, either. But with Cashman out, the Vikings might have some voids in the middle of the defense and a player like Pitts might be able to exploit those.
DS: Billy Bowman. His playing status remains questionable. As the Falcons’ nickel cornerback, Bowman’s presence or absence could be crucial against Kevin O’Connell’s intermediate passing schemes. Can he or his replacement keep pace with the Vikings’ offense?
SB: Younghoe Koo. Anytime you miss a game-tying field goal within the last minute, the pressure is going to be on. This game very well could come down to kicks between the teams, and I put my money on Will the Thrill in this case.
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Question 4: Who is the X-factor for the Vikings on Sunday night?
BW: I think I’m going with Jordan Mason. We saw what he can do to grind it out and wear down a defense, and now I’m hoping the Vikings will be able to use him to run down the clock late in a win. I considered Adam Thielen, too; don’t sleep on the Prodigal Son storyline.
CG: Jordan Mason. Mason got off to a very nice start for the Vikings against the Bears, and I thought he should have gotten even more opportunities. Even though he and Aaron Jones are technically a platoon at this point, I think Mason is slowly going to take over more and more as the top back. A key for the Vikings on Sunday night is being able to control the clock on offense, and utilizing Mason to a greater degree will allow them to do that. I think Mason has a big game on Sunday night, and if he does, that will help McCarthy and the offense get into more of a rhythm than we saw for most of Monday night’s game.
DS: The crowd. The Vikes are 1-0, fans will get to see J.J. McCarthy in the home opener, the return of Adam Thielen, the celebration of Jared Allen’s Hall of Fame induction, and all on Sunday Night Football. They’ll be ROCKIN’! The partying has already started.
SB: I’m going to say Adam Thielen. Other than the two-point conversion, he didn’t do too much. And I don’t think that will last. His return to U.S. Bank is going to be electric and he is going to be feeling that energy and use it.
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Question 5: What’s your pick for the game?
BW: I’m taking the Vikings, 28-17. Of course, knowing the Kevin O’Connell-coached Vikings, it’ll probably be a one-score game.
CG: As the kids might say, all of the “vibes” are trending towards the Vikings. They’re going to be at home in front of a raucous crowd, it’s Adam Thielen’s return to U.S. Bank Stadium (and I’d be willing to bet he catches more than the one pass he caught on Monday), and Jared Allen is going to be in the house to both sound the Gjallarhorn and be honored for his Hall of Fame induction at halftime. The Falcons are a good football team, but I think the Vikings are going to move themselves to 2-0. We’ll call it 27-17 in favor of the good guys.
DS: Vikings, 30-20. SKOL!
SB: I think the Vikings take this one, 24-14. I don’t know if the Falcons are going to be able to keep up with our offense if J.J. Is able to settle in, and our weapons get going.
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