State of the Minnesota Vikings; What’s next for J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson?

State of the Minnesota Vikings; What’s next for J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson?

Heaps it up. Oh no. Purple Daily is daily Vikings entertainment. We just want the Vikings to win a Super Bowl before we die. I will ride with this group. Seriously, man. Please. And away we go. All right. Purple access. Jud and Chip as always. Um, Chip, I’ve been giving my very enthusiastic. No, no, no, no, no. enthusiasm now. It’s false enthusiasm. We’re going to the coal mine. Yeah. Yeah. We’re going through the coal mine. We’re digging graves. Um, nobody wants enthusiasm. What they want are answers. Damn it. And we are going to explore those. So, here here’s what I’ll tell you. I’ve been giving my opinions on this team for, you know, weeks now. Uh, you you get the opportunity on this show once a week. So, through all the twists and the turns and the quarterbacks and all of this, give me your current state of the Vikings. You can start with quarterback and go from there. What is your current state of of things having like I did as well watch the Kevin Oonnell press conference on Wednesday with where things are for a 4 and8 team? I would say very very deflated. Um the vibe is even Okonnell said we’re in a tough spot right now. Um, and you early in the season I felt tension when it we particularly because of the way it started with the injuries and this was not a team that’s supposed to be scuffling along and and and in this position. So, I felt some tension in the fact that this team was uh had $300 million spent on the roster. you know, a lot of expectations of of um getting to the playoffs, winning a playoff game, all that talk we had. So, I I just I felt the tension. Now, I just felt like now I feel like it’s deflated. like there’s um I I found O McConnell’s comments both on Monday after the game and Wednesday at his weekly press conference very uh it felt like a change in tone and demeanor and messaging and it felt like a a moment of introspection for the head coach this week in terms of how he calls games, his approach with JJ McCarthy. Um it’s I it’s it’s interesting. Um and he even kind of looked at big picture. I mean he started to go down there like you know what this means for the future for this team for decisions that are going to be happening afterwards. I mean I I I think there’s a real sense internally that this is not going to be okay and just said you know what chalk it up to what bad year I think there’s going to be not that I don’t think Okonnell’s in trouble but um I think there’s going to be some fundamental changes. You know, it it’s funny because on Monday I I mean, the last two games have been just awful. They’ve been just dreadful. And on Monday, I felt he was defeated. On Wednesday, I felt he was uh if this makes sense, happily resigned to the fate of the team. Uh and he’s talking about the importance of the game. And you know, we got to come back and you’re like, I’m not really buying this. Um all of that being said, okay, let’s just sort of try to break this thing apart. Starting with the quarterback, JJ McCarthy is supposed to be back as far as we know on Sunday. Um, five games left. What is progress? Because, you know, at this point I he’s been so bad that it’s it’s not like, well, he’s going to throw for five touchdown, you know, it’s not something ridiculous. Like, what would you in these last five games, what would you consider if you were Okonnell to be progress? uh look a quarterback that looks like he knows what he’s doing. A a quarterback who doesn’t look overwhelmed by the moment. Like at Green Bay, he looked to me completely overwhelmed. Um I I found it fascinating Okonnell’s pivot off the mechanics, these things, and it basically just said, “Just go out there and play. Just throw. If your mechanics are terrible, whatever. just just complete a pass. I I think both of you both of us had said all along this incessant focus and conversation on his mechanics and fundamentals are self defeating like yes um that’s obviously a big thing to Okonnell right you got to have the right balance footwork all those things face balance body whatever but I had never ever heard heard so much conversation about a player’s fundamentals as we in that five to six week period that we heard with McCarthy and I think it got in his head. I think he was so uh consumed by all that stuff that um that that contributed to uh the issues he had during games. So it was a major pivot by Okconor on Wednesday and he said, “We’re done talking about that. We’ve talked about that to death. Now we’re just going to Now it’s about uh was it uh good decisions or game management? Whatever. I forgot the phrase. Good decision. Basically go out there, throw the ball, and have fun, kiddo. I mean, it sound it sounded like a fifth grade uh you know, football approach, which was sort of weird, but whatever. It it it’s to me it tells you how uh confounded Okano is by this situation. Like this is and we said going in this year like his reputation was built on veteran experienced quarterbacks who either needed to elevate i.e. Cousins or needed to rehabilitate i.e Sam Darnold and some of these other guys. He hadn’t had this situation where he’s had basically rookie who’s never played and you got to get him up to NFL standards. And so I keep going back. This was just a major major miscalculation by Okonnell and Quacy on McCarthy’s readiness to run to be the the have the keys to a team that was built around veterans and supposedly um a team that was equipped to win in the playoffs. I mean, it was just a whiff. and not just um not just run a team, but run a team that Okonnell had a very specific offensive approach for which was very in-depth. Let me ask you this question though. I’ve been given that and we we text about this with uh Se as well yesterday, but I’ve been given that I’ve been given Okonnell’s approach at the podium, especially to um JJ McCarthy, a lot of thought. Do you think there is any chance that Okonnell uh in saying that which was basically go out there and just have fun, just throw the ball, let’s have fun, do you think a decision has already been made that JJ McCarthy will not be the starting quarterback next season? Like like it it just it felt it felt so different to me. What did you make of that? I I don’t I I didn’t get that sense, but I I think the way my take away from it, Jud, was we’ve overloaded this young quarterback with so many different thoughts. What is the phrase paralysis analysis? Yeah, paralysis by analysis. Yep. That’s what it felt like to me. Like he has so much going on in his mind, base, balance, footwork, this, that, all these things that Oh, yeah. He can’t function. And so I think that that was his way of just saying, “Forget all that. You know, we’re not going to focus on that. Go out and and and play, you know, the way you’ve played quarterback all your life. Try to complete some passes.” I It’s not that simple. I’m sure he’s still going to harp on his fundamentals and mechanics behind the scenes, but I I think it was a way of him I don’t think it’s to me at least, I didn’t take it as we already know what we’re doing in 2026. I think that was his way of saying we’ve got to figure out a way to finish this season to figure out what we need to do in 2026. Um I think you still have to give him these five games to get to the end of the season. Have the you know what will be 12 what 11 games if he uh if he starts his last five. Right. Six right now. Yep. Yep. Um they they need to get to the end of this and just say where is he at? Did he make any improvement? Did you know uh what’s the what’s the analysis of and then I think you make the determination of okay, we got to go sign a proven veteran. We got to do this or that. But I I don’t know that I don’t I didn’t take that sense. I I just felt like they’ve um they recognize that this kid’s overwhelmed with with all the that that’s being asked of him and um just the minutia or whatever of the position um that he’s not he’s just um it’s just so much the process for him right now. I wonder too, Chipper. Uh I wonder if Sunday’s game, which obviously Max Bromer started, McCarthy didn’t, and it it was also a disaster. I I wonder if that got the message through a bit too because, you know, at first I was like, okay, okay, McCarthy’s a disaster. I don’t like what Okonnell’s doing, but it was all McCarthy. Well, Brosmer obviously opposite end of the spectrum, undrafted, not a first- round pick, but you know, the game plan again or some of the elements again that he asked Brosmer to do, I think hammered home the stubbornness of Okonnell. And I mean, I I don’t know about you, and I I know that you covered, Max, but I actually felt bad for Max. Like, there were times I I felt empathy, not like frustration. I was like, “This is really hard to watch.” And it feels like if if Okonnell just won’t take his foot off the gas at times. I know he he will say he did, but it’s not how it felt at times. Yeah. Yeah. And and I I do uh know Max a little bit from obviously covering him and had him on my college football podcast for an hour uh during the draft process and really just thoughtful, smart, mature guy. But um I I Jud I wonder if and I don’t know if it’s one singular play but I wonder if if Okconor on the flight back said okay I have an undrafted rookie playing his first game against one of the best maybe the best defense in the NFL and one of the hardest places to play in the NFL. And on fourth and one, I put the ball in his hands to make a play like and and the disaster happened. I blame Con O’Connell more. Now quarterback knows you should know you can’t flip it sideways or underhanded. I mean, okay, but that to me is coaching. Like that’s and I I do wonder if he because Monday Judge if you heard him he’s like you know the things that we’re we’re used to doing top five top 10 passing offense vertical those things maybe we can’t he basically said we can’t do those right now and so I have to adjust and you’re smiling because you’ve been screaming about this since how long people tried to tell him that three weeks ago. I know this has been a theme. Yeah. Uh yeah, but there’s a stubbornness like, hey, this offense works. We put, you know, Sam Darno in there. We put this quarterback in there. We put this quarterback. It’s going to work. I think he’s learning. It’s like it’s not it’s not a plug-andplay situation where whoever’s in there should be able to run this. And again, I I don’t know if it was that one play, but I I think he realized, okay, I’ve got to change. like I can’t call this game the same way with with these quarterbacks what they’re at right now because the frustration um watching Jefferson sit on sideline on on that cooler and that closeup with his face just kind of like staring out there like I don’t want to put words in his mouth but it felt like he was saying what the hell’s going on here like this is you know this is not okay. You know, this offense and what’s No. Right. Right. So, yeah, I I you know, John, I I’ve I’ve I it’s been a very very interesting week uh around there, particularly because of the way Okonnell has expressed different things about his own handling of the team, his own handling of the quarterback situation. Yeah, I felt like the Mia Kulpa actually started I think I think it was last Wednesday after the Packers game and and it’s it’s almost like he is being and we’ve seen this before. It’s not frequently from coaches. Things have to be going very very poorly, but it’s almost like they get to the podium and get self-reflective. Uh and they’re trying to do that on purpose, but I felt like it started last Wednesday. But then Brosmer, you know, to your point, fourth and one, hey, go for it, kid. We’re going to do this. we’re going to have a fairly I know I know it’s an easy play in the National Football League, but for a guy, you know, who’s making his first start, it’s not. And then Monday, self-reflective for sure. Yesterday, a little bit more upbeat self-reflective, but yeah, I just I I I guess I’ll trust it when I see it. Um, and but I am curious just flat out on McCarthy. I’m curious like what do they because progress would be so slow at this point. I I would love to know what they need to see to say, you know what, we have gained a lot of confidence in the kid in these last five games. Well, the thing is, Joe, like if if they were playing um even okay and losing um you would be like, okay, you’re seeing some signs here. They’re not uh particularly the quarterback, not good enough yet to win games, but you’re seeing reasons why they drafted him. This is some of the worst quarterback play you’re going to ever see. I mean, it’s it’s like the offense looks hopeless. I mean, the last two weeks, you know, Green Bay and here is it’s like I think that’s where it’s a uh if you don’t have some self-reflection, um there’s probably a problem because this is as bad as it gets in terms of an offense functioning. And so what would progress look like for McCarthy? Jud, it feels like baby steps at this point to me. Like I I don’t I you know I don’t see there’s been no evidence that there’s going to be some like big revelation turnaround. He’s going to catch fire. So, I I I don’t know what they need to see to reassure them that going into 2026, he’s in a good spot. All right, that gets us um next off to the guy that you brought up sitting on the cooler in Seattle. somewhat ironic since if you recall Percy Harvin, one of Percy’s last games as a Viking, if not his last game, was a game also in Seattle, which is has become a seemingly odd house of horrors for the Vikings since they’re not in the same division, just in the same conference. But Justin Jefferson, uh, how much do you think he has to do with like where this goes from here? Because I mean, first of all, he’s not going to be traded. Second of all, if you wanted to trade him, the salary cap hit is just ma like the dead money is massive. You don’t want to trade him. He is one of your best players. If not, well, he is your best player, but like where do you where do you factor in him? Because like there’s a lot of things that say, well, give the kid another chance. Like there’s a lot of things where we could go down that path and you probably wouldn’t be good immediately next season, but you could say, well, this requires patience. But there’s other factors, including Justin Jefferson. So, where do you think Justin Jefferson’s future and thoughts factor in? Because I will say he has been a great soldier. I don’t know if that will just continue forever. Well, no. I mean, he’s been a model teammate in terms of um saying the right things, doing the right things, not getting, you know, an attitude if he has a, you know, a game where he doesn’t get a lot of balls. But he’s a competitor. He wants to win. And we know um you know he hasn’t articulated this but his legacy matters. Like being one of the best receivers to do it matters to him. I mean he’s putting up these historic numbers and if he looks at it and doesn’t have faith in the quarterback situation. Like is he just going to be fine with that? Well I can’t imagine he he will be considering I think this was his age 26 season chipper. And I mean, it’s literally wasted. Well, that’s that’s that’s wasted. You can’t waste prime years of a generational talent and and that’s that’s what this feels like it’s going to be for him. Um and so does he have input on what they do at quarterback? I don’t I don’t know. I know uh Okonnell values his opinion, values his thoughts. I mean, they talk a lot, but I don’t know it rise to a level of, hey, this is what we need to do a quarterback, but but he’ll have a but I do think he will. I like, yeah, I I don’t think he’s going to tell him exactly what to do, but I think I think internally, unlike externally, his voice is going to be heard loud and cleared. I I can’t see I can’t see him not not saying we, you know, I I’m not I’m not here I didn’t sign this contract to to go through this ever again. And shouldn’t that be unspoken? Like, that should just be obvious, right? like, hey, we got Justin Jefferson. We can’t have a quarterback play that can’t complete a pass to Justin Jefferson. Like, that’s not going to work. That’s not okay. Um, so they know it. I mean, they’re not dummies. They they can see the frustration. And I’m sure that you know I agree but they but but like if I’m Jefferson for first of all in my opinion he is a boiling pot and the lid’s on and and publicly he’s been fantastic but there’s no way that a competitor like that keeps quiet. So I got to think he has said hey just in case you dummies are thinking about like running this back. Let me tell you right now you’re like and and and I will say this would I put it past Jefferson to go to the wils and be like what are we what are you doing here? I wouldn’t. I mean, he’s gonna be 27. Football years. I think next season’s year seven. So, he’s not a kid. Like, he’s a young human being, but he’s not a kid as far as football goes. Um, like everything you said is logical, but it was also logical to think that JJ McCarthy like they knew what they were doing and they clearly didn’t. So, I just I keep going back to him and thinking, you know, to your point, generational talent. Um, if I’m him, loud and clear behind the scenes, I am saying we can we we are I am not going through this again. I’m not gonna demand a trade, but I mean I am not going through this again. And I I would uh and just guessing, but as close as him and Okonnell seem to be in as much dialogue as they have, I mean, we see them in camp. They’re always talking. You know, they’re doing it behind the scenes. So, I’m sure there’s been some pretty uh direct conversations about, you know, what needs to happen at that position going forward here the last five games to make everyone feel uh like I said, either reassured in McCarthy or reassured that they need to go get someone a veteran who’s going to come in here and there’s going to be a competition. Um, again, we see, you know, what that would look like. But, um, there’s no way, Jud, I keep thinking this, how did how did Okonnell misjudge this McCarthy’s preparedness? I have no idea. to this to this degree. What What did What did they see or not see, you know? I don’t know if it Yeah. I don’t know if it was hope. I I don’t know if it was just uh um an overconfidence in himself that being Okonnell that he, you know, that he could maximize him. I don’t know. I you know in some ways now their situations are totally different because one was a veteran and it failed but was a veteran but I mean did the Darnold success did the cousin success before that ma make him believe the press clippings quarterback whisper I mean we’re all guilty of it we all talked about it we all wrote it so I just wonder if he got full of himself enough to think whatever the problems are we’re going to solve them and and to your point earlier he is unplayably bad. Like like the Green Bay game, the Green Bay game and and the Chicago game in my opinion would have gotten an ordinary quarterback benched in game. Yes. You know, just benched just like we can’t do. We got we got we got to switch gears here. Yeah. I I will say this, Jud. They better come up with a hot start on Sunday because that stadium could get toxic very fast. I mentioned tension earlier. If he sails a couple passes on the first drive, that place is going to be um beyond tense. I mean, it it it could be uncomfortable for I mean, heck, remember what was the game where he was getting booed and ran off the thing holding his head? I mean, it’s That was Chicago, right? Yeah. Was it Baltimore? Was it Baltimore, then Chicago, then at Green Bay, then at Seattle? Is that right? Yeah. Yes. So, you talk about pressure. I mean, yes, you’d rather be at home than on the road, but if it doesn’t start well, it it’s not going to be comfortable for them. But that comes back to my question about like what is progress though? He’s been so bad that like progress could still be deemed booable. Like that’s the that’s the weird thing. Like you’re literally talking about don’t say like the the ball over Justin Jefferson’s head. But my point is like when you go back to how how he has played of late, it’s been so bad that you know, so like if he completes, it’s third and eight, he completes a checkdown for six yards, that used to get you booed. Does that now not get you booed because hey, he completed the pass, it just didn’t get the first down. Like that’s my serious question. And it’s a it’s a conundrum. Yeah. I I I Yes, cuz if if it was a check down there, people would probably would boo. But yeah, I I again, hey, it was a track down. Hell of a track down. Now go punt. It’s It’s staggering that this is the conversation we’re at because I, you know, I thought it would be some, you know, a little bit of a roller coaster ride, Jud. some highs, some lows, um some glimpses of, you know, like maybe we saw the fourth quarter against uh Chicago in the opener, some, you know, bad interceptions, but this is this is not a scenario I envision. I got to be honest with you. I maybe I bought into the belief too that hey first round pick and and Okonnell his track record with quarterbacks and just you know didn’t go in with eyes completely wide open to any scenario or to every scenario. Oh, I’m guilty of that big time. Yeah. Like I I didn’t This is a nightmare. I I mean I didn’t think this was I I didn’t think this was possible. like I I thought, okay, he might struggle a little bit, whatever. Uh, by now though, and and the other thing and the other here’s here’s how bad things are. Okay, let me just point this out. Things are so bad that the fact that the kid if if you’re willing to and for the sake of this discussion, I will. If you’re willing to buy into the injuries all being real, he can’t even stay on the field like like that. Like like the like our discussion our discussion should be about a quarterback that’s played pretty well and can he stay healthy for the last five damn games because he’s been hurt so much. Chip, we quit talking about that. I know. Yeah. And that’s the biggest thing there is. If you can’t play, who cares? Well, when he came back and there was 10 games to go and you said, “What’s the number one objective?” I said, “Play 10 games.” That’s not the number one objective anymore. Now it’s, you know, can you run an offense in a credible way, like in a functional way, like yes, the health is still an issue. Like he’s got to show he can stay healthy, but beyond that, I mean, the bigger thing is just can you can this offense actually do anything? How good do you how good at the end of the day, too? Let’s let’s strip away the quarterback discussion for just a second. at the, you know, with given everything else, let’s just say McCarthy played okay, like like not outstanding, but let’s just say he was functional and and you know, he was uh fine. How good do you think the rest of this team was? Like like cuz I I feel like there’s there’s other stories that have gotten just buried by this. Um, and look, the defense has had its moments. I thought on Sunday I played well. How Yeah, they did. How good do you think that this team was if you strip out the quarterback based on the lack of quality draft picks and then a free agent class that I think has been mediocre at best? Yeah, it was um yeah, not clearly the defense was not as off they were going to be, but you know, I thought they really fought hard um Sunday in that loss. I mean, they kept it from being, you know, I thought they really got after Darno pretty good. But, um, yeah, the free agent class obviously, you know, wasn’t anything like you saw last year. So, but I do wonder, Jud, that if the if the offense was just okay or inconsistent, would that um alleviate some of the pressure on the defense? with that. I I know they’re professionals and they’ll tell you they’re professionals and one thing doesn’t affect the other, but you can’t tell me that they’ve been so poor at the quarterback position that that hasn’t filtered out through the rest of the team. It’s human nature. I mean, that’s deflating like like to know that to watch that offense operate, that has to be deflating to the defense. That’s not the excuse because they have to be, you know, professionals and but they’re also humans too, Jeff. But I Yeah, I I just I mean, I thought the roster was uh again, probably I misjudged the the age of it. Not I knew how old they were, but that I looked at it through the best case scenario and not the more realistic scenario. Like all these guys are not going to play at the same level they played in their prime, right? There’s gonna be injuries. There’s gonna be things. though. Um, but it’s so hard to know, Joe, because the the quarterback position has been so bad. It’s like I I just got average quarterback play, what would it look, you know? I I don’t know. Yeah. No. And and and I do agree completely. I I thought it was interesting the description I read postgame in Seattle in the locker room. And those are those are if it it’s still the same as back in my day. Those are funky not great. It’s not a real big vi visitors room, but it sounds like they had Josh Matelis basically at the door greeting reporters to tell them how there’s no problems here. And and so it’s it does sound like they were like, “Okay, we might have a problem here.” Now, now you’re right, to the defense’s credit, they’ve been really good about this. But yeah, and and but Sunday had to be tough because you if you’re a defensive player on Sunday, you got to be just as upset or more upset at Okonnell. Like ordinarily it would be the offense, right? Like the defense turns on the offense or vice versa. But on Sunday, I mean, that’s Max Bromer starting and and yeah, he made some bad decisions and bad plays and yes, he’s a professional, but you’re also like what are we even doing here? Like like the fourth down call like why did we do that? It was fourth and one and I know the run didn’t do great but you can’t just abandon the run because it’s not like what you think it should be. So yeah it is an interesting dynamic. Um I will say this uh and and again this is all that this is going off what we have been what we are told publicly. So but it does feel like things are the vibe is weird. Definitely there’s a lot of frustrations. Um, I will say I don’t sense the like like it feels like it could be a lot uglier though as far as the public comments by players. It feels like it could be a lot worse. That that might be the saving grace. It doesn’t feel like it’s gone completely sour as far as screw it, I’m going to tell the public or the media what I think. No, there there’s been no fingerpointing and that’s to a credit to I mean I think it’s a good veteran locker room that knows that even though you’re frustrated that’s only going to make it worse, right? And so there there’s been none of that. I mean, yeah, clearly they’re frustrated, but I I know you’re a big hockey guy. I I think about this analogy, Jud. When you have a terrible goalie and the players feel like they’re down two nothing before they even step on the ice, what does that do to the the mindset, all that? That’s what it sort of feels like to me, you know, that that you’re I agree. It’s going to be it’s going to be so hard for your offense to score that, you know, you just it’s it’s hard. It’s hard to operate that way. And so, yeah, I think uh you know, again, to like you said, to their credit, they’re not nobody’s pointing fingers or saying, “Hey, we’re holding up our end of this.” You know, none of that stuff going on. Um but it’s tough. I mean, Okonnell’s comments Wednesday about, you know, being in his position and, you know, this is not something he’s had to face. Now, they had, you know, they had a tough year there when Cousins got hurt, but this is totally different. I mean, this is, you know, this was a plan that they chose that has not worked out. This was um this was absolutely their plan and it’s it’s completely not it’s gone sideways on them. Yeah. Because when Kirk got hurt, you know, they traded for Dobs, but it’s then a series of backups. But you know what’s interesting about that is if you remember after that season where where I think Dobs won his first two games and then I think they won like one of their last six games or something like that and it was Dobs, it was Mullins, it was that that ill- fated start by Jared Hall against the Packers uh here. But if you remember if I want to say at the end of that season the Wolves or somebody articulated this back that the Wolves had basically said losing Kirk Cousins is not an excuse to lose games. Um, and so I am like like this is where I’m very curious now when the season is done how this is dissected because I don’t think you could go go in and say, “Hey, we we didn’t know he couldn’t really play.” Um, because to what you just said, you’re right. They picked their path. So like what are the what are the conversations? A and full disclosure, I think, you know, I think developing your talent and losing these last five games would not be the worst thing for a draft pick, but that’s me. But I mean, I don’t think the Wolves think like I don’t think the Wolves think like Jud thinks uh they spent $300 million. They convinced them to spend $300 million those roster. I don’t they’re I don’t think they see the value in losing right now. We know they’re fans. We watch them come out of the locker room after losses. They take it hard. They’re they’re not uh yeah, whatever happens, you know. No, no, no, no. that they are. Um, you remember Mark Wolf after they fired uh, Zim and and Spielman, we we think we should be petted if this roster was better than what it it showed. Um, I was it two last year or the year before whenever they had the their kind of their milestone anniversary of being owners. I was just talking to Mark Wolf. It was during the spring otaas and tanking was kind of the talker at the point and I was like what do you think about tanking and he made this face he’s like he says like that’s not what we’re about he said we don’t fundamentally believe in that at all so it’s going to be some I’m sure some uh tough conversations with uh the coaching stano and quy and them after the season like where was the where was the misjudgment here in terms of spending all this money on this roster and giving the keys to a rookie quarterback who clearly needed more time to develop. Oh my god. Yeah, that’s going to be that’s going to be a a fascinating dissection. And and I mean I still don’t think I’m with you. Okonnell is not being fired, but I still don’t I don’t think everyone walks away unscathed. I don’t I don’t see how you have this big a colossal bust. And there’s a lot of things too. Um, you know, McCarthy front and center quarterback obviously, but we’ve talked about this. There’s a lot of draft picks missed. Um, you know, why is Ty Felton a third round pick a gunner? Like you can’t I think he’s taken 18 offensive snaps, which is ridiculously low. So, yeah. All right, Chip Scoggins. Uh, we will continue to dissect the Vikings. Um, not sure we’re going to be talking about a win, but it is the Commanders. We’ll see if uh Jaden Daniels comes back and starts. Uh, but that is it for us on this Thursday. I’m Jud. He’s Chip. Thanks for watching.

It has been a rough year for the Minnesota Vikings… The Minnesota Vikings host the Washington Commanders on Sunday. What’s the best-case scenario for how J.J. McCarthy performs on Sunday? How did Kevin O’Connell botch the judging of J.J. McCarthy’s preparedness so much? And perhaps most importantly, how does the mess at QB impact Justin Jefferson? Chip Scoggins from The Minnesota Star Tribune is joined by Purple Daily’s Judd Zulgad for another Purple Access!

0:00 – The Minnesota Vikings vibe is deflated
5:26 – KOC’s miscalculation of J.J. McCarthy
12:45 – KOC is becoming self-reflective late in the season.
16:15 – How do Minnesota Vikings struggles impact Justin Jefferson
20:35 – DID Kevin O’Connell become overconfident in himself?
28:00 – There’s no problems here…

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