After winning their week one matchup against the Chicago Bears on the road, the Minnesota Vikings would end up splitting the season series as they dropped their week 11 matchup at home 19-17. Late-game heroics from J.J. McCarthy and Jordan Addison would not prove to be enough, as a massive kickoff return set up the Bears in great field position to win the game with a field goal.
After watching this performance, who are the studs and duds for the Vikings? Let’s talk about it.
Stud: Dallas Turner
Dallas Turner had arguably his best game of the year, as he was all over the place for this defense. He would finish with seven tackles, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and a sack. With Jonathan Greenard out, Turner stepped up in a BIG way to help spearhead a great team defensive effort, limiting this explosive Bears offense to just 19 points and 320 yards of total offense.
Dud: J.J. McCarthy
Our first dud goes to J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy struggled mightily yet again on Sunday, completing just 16 of his 32 attempts for a mere 150 yards with one late-game touchdown, but throwing two interceptions. To his credit, these Vikings’ weapons on the outside dropped at least six passes, which changed the outcome of this game vastly. McCarthy held the ball for too long, was far too erratic with his accuracy, and struggled to show any touch on his passes.
Stud: Blake Cashman
Whenever you tie a single-game high for the NFL, you deserve a stud nod. Blake Cashman tied the league lead for tackles in a game on Sunday, finishing with a staggering 15 tackles, including six solo tackles. Cashman was everywhere this week. He always finds a way to be around the ball no matter where it is on the field, and that kind of ability is vital for a strong defense.
Dud: Jordan Addison
Yes, he did catch what we thought would be the game-winning touchdown late. But the number of drops he had this week is what lands him on the duds list for week 11. Addison dropped what could have been a long touchdown early in the game and struggled to recover, dropping another easy catch right before hauling in the touchdown. With a struggling quarterback, drops are inexcusable, especially ones we have seen him make over and over.
Stud: Myles Price
Myles Price had another stellar game (after an early blunder), totaling 172 total return yards over the span of seven total returns. Price got absolutely blasted on a kickoff return, but instead of going down, or worse, putting the ball on the ground, he bounced right off the defense and ran another 5-10 yards before being forced out of bounds. His electricity in the return game got Minnesota good field position a few times, but the offense could not capitalize.