Questions Answered: Bryce Young’s Availability, Early Team Grade, Are the Vikings for Real?
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the September 16th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Bryce Young’s Availability, Early Team Grade, Are the Vikings for Real?
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: Any chance the Vikings might swing a trade for Bryce Young after he was benched on Monday?
Answer: If J.J. McCarthy didn’t exist on the team’s roster — sure.
For better or worse, the Vikings just don’t need Young. He’s also probably not gettable via trade this soon; Carolina will likely return to him at QB1 when its season fully swirls down the toilet. Andy Dalton will start henceforth, though.
In theory, if Sam Darnold fell injured any time soon, maybe a Young trade could make sense. However, Minnesota would probably just roll with Nick Mullens, a gunslinging passer they really enjoy.
In an alternate universe, the idea of Kevin O’Connell “fixing” Bryce Young is quite fun. We like the idea. It’s just not practical in mid-September 2024.
Q: What would you grade the Vikings’ start to the season?
A: Well, it has to be an A, right?
Minnesota is 2-0 when many fans thought it reasonably could be 0-2. Neither win was utterly perfect, but no NFL squad has produced flawless wins out of the gate. The New Orleans Saints might beg to differ.
The easiest item that Kevin O’Connell and Co. can fix is the turnover conundrum. The Vikings are still turning the ball over a couple of times per game, but thankfully, the defense is forcing them right back.
On the whole, Minnesota deserves an A for the 2-0 start. If one must nit-pick, an A- at the worst.
Q: Do you fully buy into this Vikings team?
Answer: We are fully bought into the team as a playoff contender. A 2-0 start will do that — almost every time.
As a Super Bowl contender? No, not yet. The statistics claim they’re a Top 10 team — they rank fourth leaguewide in defense and sixth in the offense per EPA/Play — but sustainability will be key. Somehow, Minnesota defeated San Francisco by six points without a clean game, which wasn’t on anyone’s bingo board.
We’ll need to see about 10 more games to learn if Sam Darnold stays consistent. Then, in theory, Super Bowl whispers might make sense.
Vikings Clear Even More Cap Space
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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