Morning Joes

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Indianapolis Colts 21-13 at USA Bank Stadium to improve to 6-2 and a game behind the Lions in the NFC North. That’s what the agate type in the paper will tell you. But the reality was the defense once again led the team to victory while the offense spent some time shooting themselves in the foot. The offense eventually put up 21 points in the second half, but three turnovers on the game could have spelled disaster.

As great as the opening quarter of the season was for Minnesota, the second quarter has been equally bad. The Vikings can play in the first quarter of games, but soon after that things begin to unravel. Add to that a season-ending knee injury to their best offensive lineman, Christian Darrisaw, and the Vikings’ trip to LA was anything but sunny. They may have come into the softest part of their schedule, but the Purple appear to be playing their softest football of the season. Things need to change quickly.

The Vikings’ perfect season has ended, but it is far from over. The Detroit Lions came to town and put together four consecutive scoring drives in the middle quarters, and that put the Vikings behind the 8-ball. They did battle and retake the lead in the fourth quarter with a scoop and score by Ivan Pace, but the offense didn’t hold up their end of the deal by getting a couple first downs late and the Lions win with a field goal.

The Vikings can separate themselves a bit from all NFC North challengers with a home win over the Lions and help to put away all the doubt that creeps in for Vikings fans when watching their favorite team in the second halves of games this season. The Vikings start fast and struggle out of the locker room in the second half and then hang on to win . . .  every time. That last fact of being undefeated is great, but the route taken there is slightly unnerving.

The Vikings did it again! Yes, they beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau by a score 31-29 to remain unbeaten at 4-and-0 and alone atop the NFC North Division. But what seemed like déjà vu’ all over again was they made it difficult. The Vikings busted out to a very dominating 28-0 lead before muffing a punt, giving up a touchdown and ultimately scrambling to the finish line. We have seen this in the past (and to be honest maybe feared it happening again on Sunday), but at least the Vikings won the game and kept their record unblemished. Sam Darnold had another very good performance, throwing three touchdown passes. Jordan Addison returned from injury and celebrated by scoring touchdowns as a rushing and a receiver and the defense played lights out (for three quarters, anyway). In the final minute, the Packers were a recovered onside kick away from breaking the Vikings’ and their fans’ hearts (letting them know what it might feel like to be on the other side of an epic comeback like their 2022 comeback against

The Vikings are for real . . . and their defense is lights out. They hosted Vikings-South, the Houston Texans—and were anything but hospitable, dominating them to the tune of 34-7. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw four touchdown passes (for the second time in his career, first time without an interception) and the Vikings defense confused Texans QB C.J. Stroud throughout, leading to three sacks and two picks. By the time this one was done, the previously undefeated Texans were handed their first loss of the season in dominating fashion.

kings weren’t flawless (two turnovers of their own, plus giving up 399 yards on defense), but they beat a very good Niners team, which should turn the heads of those who maintained that all they did last week was beat the lowly New York Giants. While that is true, the perception on this team is chanding. Lead by a much-improved defense, and a revitalized Sam Darnold under center, the Vikings are becoming a team to be reckoned with in the NFC North.

The Vikings opened up the 2024 season with a very decisive 28-6 win over the New York Giants on the road. All the questions were answered—at least for this week—but more questions are on the way. Quarterback Sam Darnold had one of the best games of his career (opening the game with 12-consecutive completions for his first time as a pro) and throwing two great touchdown passes. He looked better than his career reputation would have us believe, and so Vikings fans can get excited about the season going forward . . . at least until next week.

Oh, and if you like a little spice in your podcast, tune into this one as Craig talks about his Star Tribune piece on former head coach Mike Zimmer that has everyone else talking. There was plenty of buckshot in the story and even more on the VT podcast when he talks about it. Skol!

Speaking of that roster, the Vikings completed their cutdowns on Tuesday to get to that magic number of 53, but their work is not done.

After a week of practices together (in which the home team Cleveland Browns had their way with the visiting Minnesota Vikings), the Vikes and Brownies met in a preseason game over the weekend. And Minnesota turned the tables on their hosts, beating Cleveland 27-12. Despite only one starter on the field (Vikings right Guard Ed Ingram), there were some bright spots worth mentioning (something that isn’t worth mentioning is that Vikes head coach Kevin O’Connell now has a two-game winning streak in preseason games).

The Vikings are in Cleveland for joint practices with the Browns and made other news to discuss—Jordan Addison injury, the Andrew Booth trade and other acquisitions—and we’ve got you covered.

Justin Jefferson once worked a fake hamstring pull into his TD celebration known as The Griddy. Then last season he actually pulled one and missed half the season. It is not good to tempt fate, so it seems, if you consider karma a thing. And now Jefferson appears to recognize that he is working this offseason on trying to prevent another.

Another day, another day cornerback issue for the Minnesota. CB Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL on the first day of practice and is out for the season. Couple that with the death of rookie CB Khyree Jackson and a leg injury to offseason acquisition Shaq Griffin and the Vikings are suddenly scrambling to piece together a starting secondary come September.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell met the media Monday afternoon for their first press conference of the team’s 2024 Training Camp at TCO Performance Center, and the mood was slightly somber. They addressed the tragic passing of rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson, laying out how the team will honor him in the coming season.

The dog days of summer are upon us, and for the Vikings that means idle time before their Training Camp starts and the real work begins for the 2024 season. Unfortunately, that is not always good news for the Vikings players, who have a history of not spending their idle time wisely. Which leads us to the troubling case of Vikings’ second-year wideout Jordan Addison, who was found asleep at the wheel (both literally and figuratively) this past weekend.

The Vikings received the worst of news over the holiday weekend, when they learned that rookie draft pick Khyree Jackson was killed in a tragic automobile accident on July 6. The news hit hard and quickly reverberated throughout the team and its fans base, as the young 24-year-old cornerback lost his life when so much of it (and filled with so much promise) was right in front of him. We send out deepest sympathies and condolences to Khyree’s family and to the families of the two people who tragically died in the accident.

It happened. No, Justin Jefferson, wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, was not traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers (although the Steelers enquired to his availability). No, JJ wasn’t traded to the Los Angeles Chargers on draft day in order for the Vikings to move up and select WR Malik Nabers (although a trade on draft day did involve JJ, but that was the Vikings trading up a spot to land Michigan QB JJ McCarthy). No, what happened, in fact, was that Justin Jefferson (who goes by Jet rather than JJ) signed a contract extension to make him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. That happened. As many (decreasingly fewer as time went along) had said it would.

The Vikings have a new quarterback. Well, they actually a couple of them: Sam Darnold picked up in free agency and J.J. McCarthy drafted 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But you knew that. What’s new is that those QBs have been out at TCO Performance Center practicing with their new team, and one of them, Darnold, the presumptive opening day starter, spoke to the media. So, what did the new Purple signal caller have to say?