The Vikings are now facing the Bears without K1, Jennings, and Mason. Wentz gets the nod with JJ stepping into the backup role. He had better be ready because every time Wentz goes down, well, it seems like it takes a long time for him to get up. He is not even over 50 yet too. What are the odds that JJ gets to play?<\/p>\n
Bryce Young threw for 361 yards against the Bears with Jalen Coker (who?) grabbing 8 passes for 128 yards and 2 TDs. I\u2019d like to think the Jefferson can get in on some of that action no matter who is throwing him the ball. The Panthers 3 turnovers surely did not help them out and they lost the time of possession, 34 minutes to 25 minutes. They allowed the Bears to run for 291 yards although 61 came on a long run by Monangia and 29 on a long run by Caleb. Still, stopping the run will be huge.<\/p>\n
It will be tough on the road but if the Vikings can manage to run the ball a little better even without Mason, then I think that will help tremendously. Containing Caleb will be key as well. It is going to be a great game with a lot of intrigue.<\/p>\n
You know I am going with the Vikings. Always.<\/p>\n
There are a few good college games to watch today if you are inclined. At this point, I have to start checking out the QBs a lot closer.<\/p>\n
Trajectory of 2027 NFL draft QB prospects flips fast \u201cThis is a really good year to need a quarterback,\u201d another NFL scout said. \u201cLast year was not.\u201d<\/p>\n I try NOT to be a homer because I am a huge USC fan. Jayden Maiava looks pretty good. The Trojans have played San Jose State, Fresno, and the Louisiana Rajin\u2019 Canjuns. He has completed 67 out of 83 passes (80.7%) for 896 yards with 10 TDs and 1 INT.<\/p>\n Darian Mensah of Miami also is killing it. He has completed 71 out of 79 passes (89.9%) for 873 yards with 11 TDs and no picks.<\/p>\n A few other QBs that I have liked so far are Kamario Taylor from Miss St, Bear Bachmeier form BYU (wears number 47), Kevin Jennings from SMU, and Connor Weigman from Houston.<\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings News and Links<\/p>\n Career-defining season for Vikings coach Kevin O\u2019Connell? Kevin O\u2019Connell has produced one of the most unique r\u00e9sum\u00e9s in NFL history. He is the only head coach to deliver multiple seasons of at least 13 victories, as he did for the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 and 2024, without winning a playoff game. \u201cThere are certain guys that just have a high-end level of play design, playcall and the setup of that playcall,\u201d Orlovsky said. \u201cI played for one of them in Houston, Gary Kubiak. I had never been around a coach that could watch film, know exactly how the team and quarterback could attack the defense, but then in the game within a drive or two, know exactly what wrinkle might be needed and know how to get that wrinkle set up. I think Kevin has that.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes quarterbacks, because they are highly competitive and incredibly egotistical, think they can make whatever throw. For quarterbacks with this type of playcaller, you\u2019ve just got to get into that rhythm of believing he\u2019s got it.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview this summer, Murray joked that O\u2019Connell can coach \u201cfootball for dummies\u201d because of how clearly he articulates his concepts and provides answers. That reputation was a factor in the months leading up to the 2024 draft, setting into motion a series of events that could be career defining for O\u2019Connell\u2019s time in Minnesota. \u201cHe has a really, really, really unique ability for the entire locker room to buy into the message and the goal and the principles of how we try to do things,\u201d right tackle Brian O\u2019Neill said. \u201cI think he has incredible buy-in and he\u2019s one of those guys that we want to win for him, and not just alongside him. The best way I can say it is it feels like we work together.\u201d<\/p>\n This spring, O\u2019Connell began researching potential replacements for McCarthy. The way it happened, Murray told ESPN, immediately earned his respect.<\/p>\n \u201cWith all the narratives that have been said about me,\u201d said Murray, who was released in March after seven seasons with the Cardinals and one year left on his contract, \u201cKO really dug deep. He talked to people that knew me, really everybody under the sun. \u2026 He really studied who I was. And I think he also had his own perspective of me as a player and what I\u2019m capable of.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a social media age where all you see is what you see. He wanted to learn and judge me by himself. I definitely appreciated that.\u201d<\/p>\n As he moved through training camp, Murray quickly understood what other players had already concluded about O\u2019Connell\u2019s inherent empathy.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a great gauge of guys\u2019 temperament,\u201d Murray said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s one thing that you can respect, especially as a quarterback. Maybe you didn\u2019t have the best week. As a player, internally, maybe I\u2019m feeling like I didn\u2019t have the best week. I\u2019m frustrated. He\u2019ll pull you aside when he doesn\u2019t have to, but he feels that that guy, whoever it is, might be down.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s just been really seamless and really easy,\u201d Teasley said, \u201cfor us to stay on the same page and communicate daily about every aspect of our football operation. And I\u2019m really happy with where that relationship is and excited to continue to work with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 Speaking a week before the victory over the Packers, sitting in his office with a pristine view of the Vikings\u2019 practice fields, O\u2019Connell was confident in his growth.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter our experiences over the previous four years,\u201d he said, \u201cwhen [adversity] comes, we\u2019ll be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n NFL Expert Picks: Vikings Defense vs. Bears Offense Offers Intriguing Week 2 Matchup Bears 30, Vikings 24 \u2013 Pete Prisco, CBS Sports<\/p>\n The marquee matchup is the Brian Flores defense against the explosive Bears offense. At home, look for the Chicago offense to keep it rolling. Bears take it.<\/p>\n Bears 30, Vikings 23 \u2013 Bill Bender, Sporting News Bears 38, Vikings 24 \u2013 Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News<\/p>\n Keep rolling with the Bears who keep getting master motivated by Ben Johnson to step on the gas for four quarters. Caleb Williams and the running game came out firing and focused in Carolina. Brian Flores shouldn\u2019t shy away from his blitzing, but Williams is well equipped to beat it with his arm or his legs. Chicago\u2019s defense will give up the yards again, but Minnesota won\u2019t keep up with whoever it has at QB.<\/p>\n 0 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com<\/p>\n Analysis from NFL.com\u2019s Dan Parr: We have our (very) early favorite for the coaching matchup of the year here, with the Bears\u2019 offensive mastermind, Ben Johnson, facing off against Vikings defensive genius Brian Flores.<\/p>\n Who will emerge victorious in the battle between two men who seem to try to redefine the word aggressive on a weekly basis?<\/p>\n Johnson has already stated he wants the Bears to break the single-season scoring record \u2014 and he apparently meant it, given that his team dropped 59 points on the Panthers last week. As for Flores, Minnesota blitzed 78.3 percent of the time against the Packers \u2014 no other team had a blitz rate higher than 52 percent in Week 1. For what it\u2019s worth, Caleb Williams completed 9 of 14 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz last week. He did not fare as well when Flores sent a blitz at him 67 percent of the time in their last meeting (a 19-17 Bears win in Week 11 of last season).<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s contest will give us a much better gauge on whether Williams really has entered the elite tier. I\u2019m on record as a believer.<\/p>\n 2 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report<\/p>\n Bleacher Report analysis Gary Davenport: The Bears dropped 59 points on the Panthers last week. \u2026 Minnesota\u2019s defense is a fair bit better than Carolina\u2019s. The second is that Chicago\u2019s defense was \u2018turrible\u2019 in Week 1. Not terrible. \u2018Turrible.\u2019<\/p>\n Bleacher Report analysis Kris Knox: In Week 1, the Bears reminded me a lot of the 2024 Bengals. They feel like a team that can score almost at will, but one that may need to score at a high clip to win games.<\/p>\n 2 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB<\/p>\n 0 of 11 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN<\/p>\n 1 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic<\/p>\n Thoughts from The Athletic\u2019s J.J. Bailey: The new Minnesota Vikings era lasted all of 11 plays before Carson Wentz was back under center and, just as everyone predicted, the 33-year-old journeyman led them from down 22-10 late in the third quarter to a 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers.<\/p>\n We all expected that, right? It\u2019s possible that Chad Graff did, considering he\u2019s the only one riding Minnesota this week. This is a real heat-check of a pick. It means that the Vikes would beat the Bears with a recently concussed Kyler Murray (who threw an unforgivable pick last week) under center \u2014 or Wentz stringing together two improbable starts.<\/p>\n Chicago\u2019s defense is a mess, but believing Wentz can repeat that level of aptitude is a choice. Perhaps this is a vote of confidence in Brian Flores, whose truly psychotic blitz rate \u2014 on 78.3 percent of pass plays, per Next Gen Stats \u2014 won the day for Minnesota last week. And while Packers quarterback Jordan Love did an admirable job counterpunching, when a QB is pressured on 50 percent of his dropbacks, it\u2019s only a matter of time before things come apart.<\/p>\n The biggest question is how willing Flores is to repeat that onslaught against the Bears, who just became the fourth team this decade to put up 59 or more points in a game. Chicago also has Caleb Williams, who was among the league\u2019s best at avoiding sacks and extending plays last season, and has the arm strength to make any throw on the field out of structure. For all of Minnesota\u2019s success at pressure, the Vikings averaged 3.2 yards of separation on receivers, a fact that Williams and the Ben Johnson-led offense will surely exploit.<\/p>\n The Bears are also a far bigger threat on the ground than the Packers. Chicago has now run for 280 or more yards in a game three times under Johnson, tripling the number of times it happened in franchise history before he showed up \u2014 and 154 of those yards came rushing outside the tackles, where Minnesota is considerably more vulnerable, especially when it blitzes.<\/p>\n Do you, Mr. Graff, but Chicago isn\u2019t losing twice in two years at home to Minnesota.<\/p>\n Note: Vikings cant get no love<\/p>\n Justin Jefferson\u2019s Week 2 Role with Vikings Expected to be Enhanced Bears Get Strong Words From Cris Carter Before Vikings Game
https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/story\/_\/id\/49950232\/college-football-2027-nfl-draft-qb-prospects-trajectory-flips-fast<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/49964734\/nfl-minnesota-vikings-kevin-oconnell-kyler-murray-jj-mccarthy<\/a><\/p>\n
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With two significant complications removed — the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January and demoted 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to third-string QB this summer — will O\u2019Connell take the step this season from a good coach to a great one?
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The numbers on O\u2019Connell\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 are clear. His .638 winning percentage is the best in team history, and he is tied for the NFL\u2019s fifth-most wins since 2022 despite using nine different quarterbacks. The four coaches ranked ahead of O\u2019Connell benefited from using one primary quarterback over that period. One longtime AFC executive said: \u201cHe would have his pick of jobs if they ever fired him.\u201d
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ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said on \u201cNFL Live\u201d this summer that \u201cthe quarterback needs to let the star of the offense be Kevin O\u2019Connell,\u201d and further explained his point in a telephone conversation.<\/p>\n
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O\u2019Connell pushed hard to trade up from No. 11 to No. 3 to select Maye, but the New England Patriots turned down Adofo-Mensah\u2019s offer. Despite recent speculation that O\u2019Connell opposed drafting McCarthy with a trade up to No. 10, multiple sources said he supported it alongside a development plan that included credible veteran options in 2024 (Darnold) and perhaps beyond. They thought McCarthy, because of his age and perceived room for growth, could eventually be a difference-maker.
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Meanwhile, multiple sources said the Vikings were surprised by the degree of McCarthy\u2019s immaturity. O\u2019Connell has hinted publicly at it, noting last season that McCarthy\u2019s feedback during film sessions indicated he was veering wildly off script. O\u2019Connell also did not hide his displeasure with McCarthy\u2019s decision to celebrate a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys 5 yards before he crossed the line of scrimmage. McCarthy\u2019s admission that he did it in part because he had been told not to during practice did not sit well internally.
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O\u2019Connell has built and maintained his connection with players based in part on lessons he took from his own disappointing NFL quarterback career. He annually earns top grades in the NFL Players Association workplace survey. Players do not necessarily point to distinctive approaches or special team-building exercises but instead emphasize what feels to them as a deep level of personal connection and substance.<\/p>\n
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Observing O\u2019Connell from afar, Teasley said recently that he believed him to be highly intelligent and to be a \u201cbig-picture thinker\u201d as a head coach. After working with him for three months, Teasley said that long-range observation has proved true.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some of the adversity, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve coached very well,\u201d O\u2019Connell said, \u201ctrying to maybe worry about the stat sheet, trying to maybe worry about what it\u2019s going to look like when you pick up the paper and, statistically, are people going to think you\u2019re a good coach?\u201d<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.vikings.com\/news\/nfl-expert-picks-intriguing-week-2-matchup-bears<\/a><\/p>\n
Chicago\u2019s offense is full-throttle with second-year coach Ben Johnson. If Minnesota can\u2019t slow down a rushing attack that rolled up 291 yards in Week 1 behind D\u2019Andre Swift (18-124, 3 TDs) and Kyle Monangai (10-100, TD), then there will be trouble. It\u2019s a challenge for Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores. Minnesota has won six straight matchups at Chicago.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/justin-jeffersons-week-2-role-113025468.html<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/minnesota-vikings\/bears-strong-words-cris-carter-game\/<\/a><\/p>\n