Veteran Defender Hints Vikings Can Win It All
In mid-August, the Minnesota Vikings seemed sunk after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus in a preseason game.
Veteran Defender Hints Vikings Can Win It All
Sportsbooks forecasted the Vikings for six or seven wins tops while bridge quarterback Sam Darnold would be trusted with the enterprise after five seasons of underwhelming performance with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers (although Darnold was not a starter in San Francisco).
Fast-forward to mid-December, and Minnesota is a frisky Super Bowl contender per oddsmakers, and one notable veteran Viking claimed this week that his team could “do something special,” which appeared to hint at winning a Lombardi trophy.
He’s Stephon Gilmore, and he told Fox News Digital about Darnold and his club’s outlook: “He’s been doing a great job. He always had great talent. He’s definitely leading our team to places that we want to go. Hopefully, he can keep it up and keep getting better. I’m excited. We can do something special this year.”
The Vikings signed Gilmore late in the summer as the final piece — the chef’s kiss — for the defensive secondary. He has not disappointed.
“Coach tells us every week, ‘Nobody believes in us.’ Just gotta keep proving to everyone we’re a really good team. As long as we do that, everything will fall into place,” Gilmore added.
Incidentally, Gilmore tweaked his hamstring last weekend during a win over the Arizona Cardinals, and he may not play this Sunday when Minnesota hosts Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons. In fact, it might be a little weird if he does play because the Vikings will want to ensure his hamstring is in pristine shape for the postseason run.
The Vikings’ defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and second per EPA/Play through 13 weeks. The Detroit Lions lead Minnesota in EPA/Play and trail by a spot via DVOA.
Gilmore also did some Christmas charity work in the Twin Cities this week and mentioned about the event: “Everywhere I went, I always gave back. I tell people all the time. No matter where you come from, no matter how you grew up, if you ever get an opportunity to give back and help kids out and be there for kids, hopefully, they remember those moments, and they can do the same when they get older.”
Minnesota has a +1700 betting moneyline to win the Super Bowl in February, translating to Vegas’ opinion that the Vikings are the NFL’s seventh-best team at the moment. Head coach Kevin O’Connell’s team is sandwiched between the Green Bay Packers (+1400) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+2400) for Super Bowl odds.
And Gilmore believes his group can win the whole damn thing.
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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 Vikings 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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