Morning Joes

The Vikings lost another one-score game (30-24 versus the visiting Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium). They lost it once again at the goal line in the final minute. And they lost it one more time due to shaky quarterback play and multiple turnovers. The loss was a disappointing one in a season of them. But somehow the hapless Minnesota Vikings remain alive (but on life support) for their post-season prospects.

In what might be the worst loss of the season, the Vikings lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in overtime. After building a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, the Vikings stalwart defense (which hadn’t given up a touchdown since the last series of the Denver Broncos game) gave up three consecutive scores in the fourth quarter and ultimately the game-winning field goal in OT for a dispiriting, debilitating and very disappointing 27-24 loss.

Coming off the bye, the Vikings heads to Las Vegas where fortunes are gained (but more often lost in the casinos) and there are so many questions pestering the Purple personnel department: Who will start at QB? How much will JJ play and contribute? How much money should they give Kirk Cousins this offseason. Will any amount of money be enough for Brian Flores to return? Why can’t we have nice things?

During their bye week, the Vikings nearly said bye-bye to their playoff chances. They held onto their 6th seed position in the NFC playoff picture, but the red-hot Green Bay Packers tied them at 6-6 and crept into the seventh spot. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also 6-6, so the Vikings playoff chances dropped to 41 percent and their margin for error plummeted to about zilch with five regular season games to go. It’s crunch time in Minnesota.

Considering the full gamut of odd, bad, strange, embarrassing and downright maddening losses to the Chicago Bears, the Vikings sunk to a new low. It’s always weird when these two teams play in Chicago, or even worse, if it is Halloween Night. But on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings succumbed to the glare of full moon fever and were taken down by Chicago 12-10—in a game in which the Bears were the first team this season to win without scoring a touchdown.

We've seen this before: the Vikings lose to a beatable team due to turnovers (including another one on their first drive). Even head coach agreed and said we had already learned this lesson before. But we were thinking that the Josh Dobbs Affect would erase that kind of thing. But the turnovers reared their ugly head and may have cost the Vikings a chance to win the NFC North Division in back-to-back seasons.

The Vikings hosted the NFC South Division-leading New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, and we all know what happens when these two teams get together—stranger things. In this one, the Vikings teed up a blowout in the first half and then coasted (nervously) to their fifth win in a row. 

The Vikings entered the game in position for postseason play (if the season ended then) despitelosing their QB1 last week, and this win certainly doesn’t change that prospect. With twobackup quarterbacks who showed poise, efficiency and promise in a season that was formerlytotally off the rails, suddenly the 5-4 Vikings have something going for them. And we here atthe Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com andpurplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune andstartribune.com) are here to talk about it all.

Last Monday night the Vikings outplayed a very good San Francisco 49ers team to save their season. Check. This week, they went to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Packers with a chance to get to.500 on the year and vault back into playoff contention. Check again.

It went well for the Vikings for a while—that Niner fumble was followed by a Niner missed field goal and the Vikings had a 10-0 lead. But the Niners scored before the half and then Jordan Addison got his redemption by stealing a pick from Charvarius Ward, the defending who stole reception from Addison on the third play of the game.

We won’t bail them out at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (we being, Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory and purplePTSD and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune). We will hold the offense’s feet to the fire (even though wideout Justin Jefferson was on the sidelines on Sunday) and implore them to improve quickly.

The Vikings are officially in trouble because after a season of close games, good luck and fortunate bounces of the football going their way, the opposite it is happening and the Vikings aren’t good enough to overcome those bounces. And we (Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startibrune.com) are here to discuss it all on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

Kirk Cousins had one of his worst games as a Viking, yet still threw for two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson. The defense struggled to put much pressure on the rookie QB Bryce young early, but a number of Brian Flores blitzes, several great plays by Smith and a couple of Marcus Davenport sightings perhaps will stave off the trade Cousins and tank for Williams talk for at least a week. We will have something to say also--(Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startibrune.com—on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. There is plenty to unpack in this first win and plenty to fear in this next game coming down the pipe—so tunie in and check it out!

There is always a new way to win a football game—or if you happen to be affiliated with the Minnesota Vikings (a player, coach or fan), a new way to lose one. Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk about how the Vikings 0-3 start.

They outplayed the Eagles for parts of the game but once again fumbled, stumbled and bumbled away a winnable game. That makes it seven turnovers in the first seven quarters of the season. Mark Craig and Joe Oberle talk Vikings 0-2 start.

Well, there will be no beer sold the rest of the season at U.S. Bank Stadium . . . because the Vikings lost the opener. (Okay, that’s an old joke and is likely stale, but not as stale as the taste of this loss.) The Vikings were beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 on the home turf and it already puts them behind the eight-ball in the NFC North. 

At long last, here we are—the start of the 2023 NFL Regular Season and the Vikings’ opening game of the year at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s a Bucs team that is not defending a Super Bowl title and does not have The G.O.A.T., seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady behind center. Unless he somehow un-retires this week.

Stuff is starting to get real. The Vikings made their roster cuts this week and have been busy ever since that time backfilling holes in the roster for depth. GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah has frantically signed several players as head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores have put in requests for more players. Stuff is getting real with one week to go before the start of the 2023 NFL Regular Season.

It was a spaghetti western for the Vikings in their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday—the good, the bad and the ugly. The good was some of what we’ve come to expect this offseason: Ivan Pace with another good game, Lewis Cine with a flash defensive play, Najee Thompson killing it on special teams. We saw that in week one and saw it again against the Titans on Saturday night.

The Vikings are a third of the way through their preseason games and one half of the way through their two joint practices with the Tennessee Titans, so what do we know so far? Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk 1st preseason game and what to expect for game 2.