Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the December 23rd edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to DustinBakerNFL@gmail.com.
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.
Answer: We would roll with McCarthy — one thousand percent — because we don’t have reservations about his translation to the NFL.
We don’t consider McCarthy a “maybe he will be good” commodity. We know he will patch over to the NFL, especially with Kevin O’Connell as his head coach.
Thankfully, keeping Darnold or letting it rip with the McCarthy era basically ensures that Minnesota is good hands. There is no bad answer.
We also expect the Vikings to keep McCarthy as the solution — if you want a prediction, too.
Answer: No, not really. They need to beat the Packers.
Otherwise, the purple team will need help. If Minnesota loses at home to Green Bay, it will require a Lions loss on Monday Night Football — next Monday, December 30th — to win the NFC North.
If:
Then:
The Eagles must lose one of these two contests for the Vikings to grab the No. 1 seed with a Week 18 win at Detroit:
Just beat Green Bay and then Detroit after that. That’s the path.
Answer: Yes, he’s on track to return.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis tweeted after Sunday’s win: “Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said Harrison Smith’s injury is very short term. They’re expecting to have him for GB. Also sounds like Ivan Pace Jr.’s return is looming.”
Harrison Smith and Pace Jr. should be good to go for Sunday.
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.