Purple Rumor Mill: Akers’ Role, Swift at The Bank, Closer to Full Strength

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VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots articles on Saturday and Sunday for review. Today is the October 1st edition.

Purple Rumor Mill: Akers’ Role, Swift at The Bank, Closer to Full Strength

Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.

Here’s the second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.

Rumor: New Vikings RB Cam Akers could soon outfit a RB-by-committee

Swift at The Bank
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Alexander Mattison deserves a fair shot at the Vikings RB1 job; it’s not really his fault that the club basically didn’t run the ball at all in Week 1 and 2.

However, his budding fumble woes don’t help his case. And this week, head coach Kevin O’Connell said players with unfixed fumble problems would be benched, which felt like code for Mattison and Brandon Powell.

Insert Akers — maybe.

Fans should expect Akers to be interwoven in the offense in the next few weeks, and then, yes, the team will have more of a committee at RB than it’s had since 2005 or so.

Akers’ time is coming, possibly Sunday at Carolina.

Rumor: Taylor Swift will be at next weekend’s Vikings-Chiefs showdown in Minneapolis.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.

SwiftMania has gripped the NFL with her apparent relationship involving Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Some love it; others are annoyed.

Swift was at the Chiefs victory last week, as Kelce’s Chiefs shellacked the Chicago Bears like it was a form of discipline.

Then, Swift will reportedly be at the Chiefs game Sunday night versus the Jets in New York.

There’s no reason to think she won’t be in Minneapolis next weekend.

Rumor: Garrett Bradbury and Marcus Davenport are returning to health, meaning the Vikings are closer to full strength.

the Vikings Last 5
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports.

Bradbury and Davenport actually practiced this week, an encouraging development for a team that needs all the help it can get at 0-3.

Both men are vital to the Vikings success, especially Davenport, who evidently doesn’t have a productive backup. D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones have struggled to fill his shoes.

The pair has a questionable status heading into Week 4, and at the very least, Bradbury and Davenport should be ready for Week 5 if the Panthers game is a no-go.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.