Morning Joes

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said before the game against that Detroit Lions that he wanted his team to be the Grim Reapers and wield a death knell to the visiting Lions’ playoffs hopes. And while they did that with a 23-10 victory, a more appropriate guise would have been The Grinch (in the first act of that famous holiday program), as the Vikings defense took away all the Lions’ holiday cheer by creating six turnovers—and giving none of them back. Quarterback Max Brosmer, filling in for the injured J.J. McCarthy, suffered seven sacks in the game but did not turnover the ball on his way to his first victory as an NFL signal caller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The low-scoring, injury-riddled slugfest aside, the Vikings find themselves at another inflection point of their season, awaiting (on Monday) news on the severity of McCarthy’s injury. It’s important he finishes the season on the field for both his own development and the organization’s ability to evaluate him. Thus far, complete evaluation of the second-year QB has proved difficult, as he missed his rookie campaign with a knee injury and missed 6.5 games in 2025 (due to ankle, concussion and hand injuries) compiling just 8.5 games in his career.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

J.J. gets the headlines, but there should be plenty conversation about the Vikings defense, which had another great performance (coming on the heels of a shutout last week against Washington). They balled out once again, this time stifling the league’s number one offense in Dallas. McCarthy also got some help from his place kicker, Will Reichard, who hit two field goals, including a 53-yarder late to give the Vikings a two-score lead and essentially put the game on ice.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Turnabout is fair play. After going two games (23 possessions) without a touchdown, the Vikings took the ball down the field in the opening drive of the game against the Washington Commanders and scored on a bullet from J.J. McCarthy to tight end Josh Oliver (his first of two touchdown receptions on the day). And that was enough to defeat the hapless Commanders (eventually 31-0), who just took another step toward a high pick in next year’s draft. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The difficult loss cannot all be laid at the feet (arm) of the former Golden Gopher quarterback: the offensive line did him no favors, giving up four sacks in protection and offering little in run blocking, needed to take pressure off the young signal caller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Minnesota Vikings lost 23-6 to the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field on Sunday, dropping to 4-7 on the season and safely mired in the NFC North cellar. It was their second game without scoring a touchdown this year, putting their season on life support—and the EMT’s aren’t coming. (EMT, in this case, stands for Easily Made Touchdowns.) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Minnesota Vikings suffered their third loss at U.S. Bank Stadium this season (by a score of 27-19 to the Baltimore Ravens) to go to 4-5 and remain in the basement of the NFC North. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Vikings went into Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday as 9-point underdogs. They were coming off, perhaps, the worst loss in Kevin O’Connell’s tenure in a 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

McCarthy returns to the helm in the wake of a valiant but fruitless effort by Carson Wentz, who, in obvious pain, stayed in the game. Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk about next weeks game. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wentz and the Vikings had a chance to beat the Eagles, who have not looked like the defending Super Champions that they are. But scoring a touchdown in just 1 of 6 forays into the Red Zone (due to a number of different and infuriating reasons: bad snap, holding penalty, an intentional grounding penalty, one overruled by review and then a TD pass called back by a penalty), the Vikings have been mulling over a change throughout its short week to Thursday night against the San Diego Chargers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And nowhere is that injury report more important than in the quarterback room. Right now, this season’s starter at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, is trying to return from a high ankle sprain that took place in the second game of the season; his backup Carson Wentz, who secured a 2-1 record from the bullpen, injured his left shoulder last game and since the team is on a bye, we know little more of his condition; and practice squad-er (and former Golden Gopher) Max Brosmer, who did see his first NFL action in replace of Wentz, is ready and eager to step in where needed. This is the biggest question of the bye week, but certainly not the only injury-related one for the Vikings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The unpredictable 2025 Minnesota Vikings season continues with another comeback victory and sound play from unlikely sources. The Vikings beat the Cleveland Browns 21-17 in London, leaving their European tour with a split and climbing back above .500 thanks to the performance of a makeshift offensive line that thwarted one of the best defensive fronts in the league. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After the win last week, things were bright on the Purple horizon, but the view darkened quickly. Two winnable games in the early part of a tough schedule have been lost, two new offensive linemen have joined others already on the injured list and the defense is suddenly not the world beaters we imagined. There is so much to discuss. And we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to do just that. Tune in and check it out. Skol! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rodgers, actually, nearly took care of the Bengals on his own, forcing two fumbles and scoring two defensive scores in a game (the first player to do so in league history)—accomplishing it in the first half to bury them. Still, we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com), will certainly offer our opinion on that question and all things from Sunday’s game. Tune in and check out our discussion of the 2-1 Vikings, who are in a tie for first place in the NFC North. Skol! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Sunday night, Vikings fans were still warming themselves from the embers of last Monday night’s memories of the fourth quarter of the Chicago Bears game (in which their quarterback of the future, J.J. McCarthy, put on a display for the ages with three scores in fifteen minutes to secure the win in his NFL debut) when they were doused with the cold, wet reality of a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. McCarthy played like he had for the first three quarters against the Bears, and suddenly joy over the NFC Player of the Week turned to fear and loathing of a season quickly on the brink. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To everybody watching, the Vikings looked dead in the water after the third quarter, but then momentum changed—and the Bears could not stem the tide.

McCarthy will be surrounded on offense by a new offensive line, is joined in the backfield by Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones, and a healthy T.J. Hockenson fortifies the pass-catching crew of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison (in game four) to give the second-year Viking signal caller plenty of assistance in the first season as a starting NFL quarterback.

The Vikings first traded defensive lineman Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets for some draft capital, then traded QB Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles for more picks, signed Carson Wentz to take Howell’s spot in the quarterback room and then shipped CB Mekhi Blackmon off to Indianapolis to play for the Colts for yet another draft pick next offseason.

The spotlight remains on the QB position and in particular the Vikings second-year signal caller J.J. McCarthy (who didn’t play in the preseason game), and he did not disappoint this week in practice. The first joint practice for JJ was up and down but the second one featured a period during which he completed 13 consecutive passes and threw four TD passes—plenty to get Purple Nation excited for the coming NFL regular season.

Brosmer completed five of eight passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, compiling a rating of 118.2 against many of the Houston Texans’ reserves