Questions Answered: Teddy Bridgewater’s Return, Jared Allen in the HOF, Prediction for CHI-MIN
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the November 20th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Teddy Bridgewater’s Return, Jared Allen in the HOF, Prediction for CHI-MIN
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 Teddy Bridgewater make good on his tweet about returning to the NFL?
Answer: This is a good one. Probably not?
Bridgewater currently head coaches his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern, a squad currently thriving under his tutelage. But per a Bridgewater tweet, he has the NFL itch. He wrote Tuesday, “So many QB jobs available for me after we make this state title run. I can’t wait to return back to the NFL 🙏🏾💯.”
The Detroit Lions, for example, Bridgewater’s most recent NFL employer, could make sense if QB1 Jared Goff encountered an injury. Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers if Brocky Purdy tore something, and Joshua Dobbs didn’t move the needle.
But Bridgewater’s post was likely just nostalgia. He’s doing a wonderful job as a high school head coach.
Q: Will Jared Allen finally make it into the Hall of Fame?
Answer: Yes.
Allen ranks 16th in NFL history in sacks with 136 — more than Carl Eller, Rickey Jackson, Charley Haley, Andre Tippett, etc. All of those men are in the Hall of Fame. Allen has more sacks than them. What gives? Too, during Allen’s playing career, 2004 to 2015, he led the NFL in sacks during that 12-season span. Plain and simple. In those twelve seasons, no man sacked the quarterback more. This stat alone — yes, there is more nuance to defense than sacks alone — should be the rubberstamp.
It shouldn’t be fringe theory or a Vikings-driven thing to get Allen into the Hall of Fame. His recent snubs are weird. Put him in.
Q: What’s the score prediction for Bears-Vikings this Sunday?
Answer: 20-14 Bears.
We’ve got a bad feeling in our bones about this one — probably because the Bears are overdue to beat the Vikings at Soldier Field. Chicago has lost every game at their building to Minnesota since 2019.
The Bears are desperate, and it just seems like a divisional rival like Minnesota is prime to “play down” to their level.
We hope we’re wrong, but give us Chicago in a classic sloppy Soldier Field showdown.
Vikings Playmaker Is Back
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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