Questions Answered: Benching One Vikings Player, Prediction for GB-MIN, Buyers at Trade Deadline?
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the September 26th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Benching One Vikings Player, Prediction for GB-MIN, Buyers at Trade Deadline?
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Is there any Vikings player that you’d even bench right now?
Answer: Not really — but we wouldn’t mind Dalton Risner over Ed Ingram when Risner returns to full health.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ingram has an utterly horrendous 27.2 pass-blocking grade through three games, his worst start to a season in his young career. Thankfully for his sake, Ingram is a pretty sweet run-blocker, and that’s likely why he has a starter’s job.
During the summer, Minnesota’s coaching staff hinted that Risner could take snaps at right guard, so when his back heals, inserting him in the starting lineup wouldn’t upset many.
But because the team is playing well, Ingram is really the only player we can think of who might render a bench assignment.
Q: Are you taking the Vikings to stay undefeated at Green Bay? It’s a big game.
A: Yes, we believe Minnesota will win 24-20 if Jordan Love plays and 24-17 if Malik Willis gets the nod.
The Vikings have terrible early-season luck at Lambeau Field, and in fact, they haven’t won a game at Green Bay in the season’s first seven weeks since 2003. It’s been over 20 years.
However, this Minnesota squad fundamentally feels different, with the defense flying all over the place and quarterback Sam Darnold playing so efficiently. We won’t be shocked one bit if Green Bay prevails, but it would almost feel slimy picking against Minnesota, considering how dominant they’ve been through three games.
Give us the Vikes.
Q: Do you think Minnesota will become a buyer or seller at the trade deadline?
Answer: A buyer.
The problem? Minnesota doesn’t have much trade capital via picks in the 2025 piggybank. They traded most of the non-1st-Round assets for Dallas Turner. The draft cupboard is bleak, at least for one offseason.
Still, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could dip into the 2026 basket if he hears a sweet defensive tackle is available. That spot on the roster is about the only place that could use improvement, though Jerry Tillery is playing decently.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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