The team should be able to handle business even in a hostile environment
The Vikings will have a tough test this week on the road vs the Seachickens. They are going to be desperate because if they lose then their playoff odds drop considerably but they would still have a chance due to the other teams in their division also having 6 or more losses. The Vikings are performing at a higher level statistically though. I think they will prevail but it is not going to be easy and there will be some worry. I think it is a great test for the playoffs though. What do you think? Can the Vikings stack another win?
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
NFL playoff scenarios: What if the Eagles, Lions and Vikings all finish with the same record?
Here are the steps to break a tie in the NFL between teams from different divisions (divisional ties are determined with the additional step of divisional record between steps 1 and 2):
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory in all games.
5. Strength of schedule in all games.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss
The NFC North factor
The Lions beat the Vikings 31-29 in their first meeting of the season on Oct. 20, so they have the edge going into the teams’ second matchup in Week 18 on Jan. 5. The Vikings have that single divisional loss, while the Lions have zero, but both teams also play one other divisional game — the Lions play the Bears in Week 16, and the Vikings play the Packers in Week 17. It could very likely all come down to that final game.
Looking ahead, if the Lions win out, they’re the No. 1 seed. If both the Eagles and Vikings win out, the Vikings would likely own the tiebreaker due to strength of victory, per the Detroit Free Press.
Here’s how the Vikings could land the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the NFL playoffs
The Detroit Lions, also 12-2, currently lead the NFC North and hold the No. 1 seed thanks to a Week 7 win over the Vikings. The 12-2 Philadelphia Eagles are also vying for the top spot in the NFC. The NFL currently gives the Vikings an 18% chance of earning the top seed, with the Eagles at 30% and the Lions leading the pack with a 52% chance.
If the Vikings win their remaining three games, they’re in great position to earn the No. 1 seed, regardless of what the Eagles or Lions do.
By winning out, the Vikings would finish 15-2 and necessarily have a better record than the Lions since the two teams play each other in Week 18. The Lions would finish 14-3 and earn a wild card spot.
If the Eagles also finish 15-2, the No. 1 seed would come down to tiebreakers, the first of which is head-to-head record. Since the Vikings and Eagles didn’t play each other this season, that’s not applicable.
Then we go to conference win percentage. If both teams win out, they will finish with identical 10-2 records against the NFC.
On to the next one, which is win percentage in common games. Philadelphia and Minnesota have four common opponents this season — the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams would be 5-1 against common opponents, so this won’t settle things, either.
On we go to strength of victory in all games, which simply means the combined record of all the teams the Vikings and Eagles have each defeated. This one’s trickier to calculate, because there are still three weeks left in the season. While the Eagles currently hold the tiebreaker here, the Vikings would likely get the edge by season’s end because of their remaining schedule. Minnesota plays the Seattle Seahawks (currently 8-6), Packers (10-4) and Lions (12-2), while Philadelphia plays the Washington Commanders (9-5), Dallas Cowboys (6-8) and Giants (2-12).
To say Sam Darnold has been a bargain for Minnesota would be a massive understatement.
Making just $10 million on his one-year deal, the 2018 No. 3 overall pick has exceeded every expectation the Vikings could have possibly imagined and has this franchise ready to make a genuine run at its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1976 season.
Through his first 14 games wearing purple, Darnold has completed 67.6% of his passes for 3,530 yards with 29 touchdowns, all of which are career bests. And despite his 11 interceptions, he still has the fourth-highest passer rating in the league at 104.9, which is also a career-high.
Given these numbers, the 27-year-old has joined an exclusive club that includes just two other quarterbacks, as he’s now only the third to reach 3,500 yards, 29 touchdown passes, and a passer rating of 100 or better in his first 14 games with a new team.
The first to do so was longtime Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Peyton Manning, who had 4,016 yards, 31 touchdowns, and a 103.5 passer rating in his first 14 games with the Denver Broncos in 2012.
The second was former Lions QB Matthew Stafford, who posted 4,142 yards, 35 touchdowns, and a 108.2 rating in his first 14 outings with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
That’s not bad company to be in.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings: NFL experts predict Week 16 matchup
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Vikings 24, Seahawks 20
“The Vikings have won seven consecutive games after ripping the Bears at home on Monday night. They found a power running game at the right time again with Aaron Jones — just in time to keep the Seahawks reeling up front. Sam Darnold will better protect the ball, while likely fill-in counterpart Sam Howell will have flashbacks to the heavy pressure he saw while with the Commanders.”
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Vikings 31, Seahawks 19
“Geno Smith (knee) left the Week 15 loss to the Packers, and if he cannot go, then Sam Howell will face the Vikings, one of eight NFL teams with 40-plus sacks. Minnesota is 3-1 ATS when favored by four points or more, and Sam Darnold continues to be the hot hand.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Vikings 30, Seahawks 21
“The Seahawks might not have quarterback Geno Smith in this game. If he does play with that injured ankle, he will be limited. That matters against a good, aggressive Vikings defense. Sam Darnold will get back on track after a so-so showing last week as Minnesota keeps pushing to the top seed.”
Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network: Vikings 24, Seahawks 17
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Vikings 24, Seahawks 17
Sam Darnold Makes Plans With Vikings Crystal Clear After Besting Bears
Darnold spoke with ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” ahead of a dual NFL broadcast that included the Vikings against the Chicago Bears on ABC and the Las Vegas Raiders hosting the Atlanta Falcons on ESPN in staggered starts.
During that interview, the reporter asked Darnold about his impending free agency, to which the quarterback gave the safest possible answer.
“I’m not focused on that at all,” Darnold responded. “I’m really stuck in the moment.”
And while that may be the truth, even if it happens not to be the whole of it, Darnold made some telling comments following his team’s victory over the Bears.
That win put the Vikings at 12-2, in a tie for first place in the NFC with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, and paved the way for Minnesota to control its own destiny — win out and capture both the NFC North Division title as well as the top playoff seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
When ESPN’s sideline reporter asked Darnold how it felt to be in that position after spending the last several years as a backup bouncing around the league with the brand of “bust” seemingly destined to taint his reputation in perpetuity, the 27-year-old quarterback who always says the safe thing appeared to reveal a glitch in his public relations armor.
Darnold responded that there is “no other group of guys” with whom he would rather be taking this journey and finding this success, which is telling when it comes to his preferences for the offseason.
NERD ALERT!
Sam Darnold ranks incredibly high in ‘adjusted quarterback efficiency’ metric
Sam Darnold ranks 11th among quarterback in expected points added (EPA) per play this season. But that might not tell the whole story of how good he’s been. A metric called “adjusted quarterback efficiency” from analyst Kevin Cole, which attempts to include a variety of other factors, has Darnold as the fourth-best QB in the NFL in 2024, trailing only Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and Lamar Jackson.
Cole’s AQE makes “adjustments for expected EPA” on luck-influenced things like yards after the catch, drops, interceptions, defensive pass interference penalties, fumbles, strength of schedule, and weather. However it works, Darnold jumps ahead of Jared Goff, Joe Burrow, and Brock Purdy, among others, in this metric.
No matter what traditional statistics or advanced metrics you use, the numbers support the idea that Darnold has been at least a top-ten quarterback this season, if not top-five.
Through 15 weeks, he’s sixth in passing yards, fifth in passing touchdowns, fourth in passer rating, and fifth in yards per attempt. Darnold is ninth in adjusted net yards per attempt, which dings him a bit for sacks and interceptions. He’s sixth in success rate and third in completion percentage over expected. He’s seventh in PFF grade and fourth in big-time throw percentage.
Insider Rejects Former Executive’s Claims About Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
Sam Darnold’s price continues to rise. The question of whether or not the Minnesota Vikings will pay to keep him grows more intriguing right along with it. But where does that leave J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings first-round pick in the 2024 draft?
That conviction could carry over into their decision to pivot to McCarthy. However, former Vikings executive vice president and general manager Rick Spielman does not believe they should test fate a second time.
“If I was in Minnesota, why wouldn’t you keep Sam Darnold?” Spielman said on the “With the First Pick” podcast on December 10. He’s [McCarthy] a rookie. He’s going to start over from scratch. He didn’t do anything this year – he’s not practicing. He’s sitting in meetings, he’s rehabbing. He hasn’t done one thing since that surgery except rehab [and] throw the ball on the side maybe. But he’s not practicing.
“You’re starting from square one with him. Why not do a potential bridge deal like Baker Mayfield?”
As for McCarthy not practicing. That is true. But ESPN’s Kevin Seifert pushed back on Spielman’s assertion, highlighting the innovative way the Vikings have kept McCarthy as up-to-speed as possible.
“NFL rules prohibit players on injured reserve from participating in or even attending practice, regardless of whether their injuries are healed. The best McCarthy has been able to do is use the footage from Darnold’s helmet camera, which provides audio of the playcall in the huddle, a view of protection calls on the line of scrimmage and the sequence of Darnold’s reads based on coverage,” Seifert wrote on December 16.
“The video can be transferred to a wall of screens in the Vikings’ draft room, according to Wes Phillips, giving McCarthy a life-size view of the field. More commonly, however, he watches it with a virtual reality visor. He can also attend and participate in all quarterback and team meetings behind the scenes.”
There was already optimism about McCarthy’s progress during training camp.
“The Vikings had grown increasingly excited about the likelihood that he would be ready to play this season — and there was an outside chance that he could have beaten out Darnold for the Week 1 starter’s job. The injury not only set back those plans, but they also limited his capacity for developing over the course of his rookie season,” Seifert wrote.
“Spielman doesn’t have the same access as Vikings coaches and executives to the details of McCarthy’s behind-the-scenes work.”
Vikings drop in a few power rankings despite winning seventh straight game
Despite the win, the Vikings dropped a spot or two in a few of the national power rankings this week. Here’s our weekly look at power ranks from across the NFL media landscape…
PFT – No. 4 (Last week: No. 4)
FOX Sports – No. 4 (Last week: No. 5)
The Athletic – No. 5 (Last week: No. 3)
SI.com – No. 5 (Last week: No: 4)
CBS Sports – No. 5 (Last week: No. 4)
NFL.com – No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)
Yahoo! – No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)
ESPN – No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)
Falcons’ decision to bench Kirk Cousins makes Vikings look quite prescient
The Atlanta Falcons announced on Tuesday their decision to bench quarterback Kirk Cousins and make rookie Michael Penix Jr. their starter moving forward. At 7-7, they’re just one game back in the NFC South, and they’ve decided that Penix gives them a better chance to win. Considering Cousins has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions over the last five games, the move isn’t shocking.
Somewhere, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah saw the news and was likely transported back to the events of this spring. No one in Minnesota’s organization was rooting for this, of course. It’s a difficult reality for a person who meant a lot to the Vikings over the past six years. But Atlanta’s QB change solidifies something that had been clear for a while, which is that Adofo-Mensah and company made one of the best decisions in recent franchise history when they let Cousins walk out the door and signed Sam Darnold to help replace him.
The Vikings reportedly had interest in bringing Cousins back this offseason after his excellent 2023 campaign was cut short by an Achilles tear. But they also had limits on how much they were willing to commit to a now-36-year-old quarterback coming off a serious injury. They had no interest in matching what Cousins got from Atlanta, which was a four-year, $180 million contract that includes $90 million guaranteed. Commendably, the Vikings stuck to their process.
Adofo-Mensah’s moves this spring have aged remarkably well. The Vikings are in the midst of a season that has a chance to reach rare heights. They’ll have a decision to make on Darnold next offseason, with McCarthy waiting in the wings, but that can wait for now. What’s abundantly clear is that they were right to be OK with moving on from Cousins, who delivered just one Vikings playoff win in six years on big contracts.
YORE EXTREMELY STUPID LINK OF THE DAY
Vikings Could Replace Sam Darnold in Reunion With 4-Time Pro-Bowl QB
The Minnesota Vikings could go several different ways at quarterback after the season concludes, including taking a trip down memory lane.
Somewhat ironically, and just one year after making the swap under center, Darnold may now be too expensive for the Vikings long-term (particularly with No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings), while Cousins may prove a completely affordable option as a backup to McCarthy if/when he steps into the starting role next season.
The way a Cousins-Vikings reunion could work is similar to how the Pittsburgh Steelers landed Russell Wilson for the league minimum of $1.2 million during last offseason.
In that scenario, the Vikings could swoop in and offer him the league minimum as a free agent — just as the Steelers did with Wilson when the Denver Broncos released him ahead of this season. Atlanta would owe Cousins $40 million in 2025, which would mean Minnesota pays the QB $1.2 million for the season and the Falcons are on the hook for the other $38.8 million.
Yore Mock
Trade Recap
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 2, Pick 33
2025: Round 4, Pick 102
New York Receives:
2025: Round 1, Pick 28
…
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 2, Pick 42
2025: Round 3, Pick 74
2025: Round 6, Pick 185
New Orleans Receives:
2025: Round 2, Pick 33
2025: Round 4, Pick 102
…
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 5, Pick 143
2025: Round 7, Pick 230
Carolina Receives:
2025: Round 5, Pick 140
…
42. Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 6’0” 220
Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
74. Omarr Norman-Lott DL Tennessee 6’3” 315
Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
97. Darien Porter CB Iowa State 6’4” 200
Photo by Luke Lu/Diamond Images via Getty Images
143. Jake Majors IOL Texas 6’3” 315
Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
163. Andrew Mukuba S Texas 6’0” 190
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
185. Connor Colby IOL Iowa 6’6” 310
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
230. Aeneas Peebles DL Virginia Tech 6’1” 290
Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:
- No discussion of politics or religion
- No feeding of the trolls
- Leave the gender hatred at the door
- Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
- Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
- No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
- If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
- While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm