Questions Answered: Monday Night Flex for Vikings, Win or Loss in Chicago, Dallas Turner
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the November 18th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Monday Night Flex for Vikings, Win or Loss in Chicago, Dallas Turner
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: Will Vikings-Cardinals be flexed into Monday Night Football in two weeks?
Answer: This one is really tricky. It feels like a coin flip. If we had to guess, we’d say no because the league already used a Flex on the Vikings.
These are the sensible flex candidates:
- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Atlanta Falcons
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens
And one of these games could — probably will — replace Browns at Broncos.
Star Tribune confirmed the possibility of a Vikings flex last weekend. Ben Goessling wrote, “The Vikings’ Dec. 1 game against the Cardinals could be a candidate to move to Monday night as part of the NFL’s flexible scheduling process. The league has flexible scheduling rights for Monday night games after Week 12, and it seems plausible the Browns-Broncos game, a matchup of middling teams currently scheduled for Dec. 2, could be moved to Sunday.”
Give us Falcons-Chargers as the MNF flex prediction.
Q: Do you expect the Vikings to beat the Bears this weekend?
Answer: No.
Chicago desperately needs a win right now, Minnesota does not, and the Vikings never play particularly well at Soldier Field.
Minnesota hasn’t lost at Soldier Field in five years, and it’s probably due to drop one. We don’t believe the Bears are a gangbusters team, but Sunday feels like a game when they’ll show up and attempt to salvage a bizarre season.
We’ll say the Bears by three. Unfortunately.
Q: Dallas Turner only had a dozen snaps again. What gives?
Answer: Easy — his teammates are playing too well.
Jonathan Greenard ranks near the top of the NFL in quarterback pressures. Andrew Van Ginkel had 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss on Sunday at the Titans.
Greenard and Van Ginkel cannot be benched. It would be malpractice.
Then, Turner’s main “competition” for snaps, Patrick Jones II, had 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss like Van Ginkel. We will reiterate: this is a very good problem. Minnesota has too many productive EDGE rushers. Turner’s time will come.
The guy is 21.
49ers Release Former Viking
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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