Vikings Nopedy Nopes: 3-14 in 2024, Mr. Jared Goff, 3rd Place Schedule
A weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we present to you: the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes: 3-14 in 2024, Mr. Jared Goff, 3rd Place Schedule
The nopedy nopes are weekly Minnesota Vikings-themed items that we’re not buying. It’s a spin-off of our rumor mill, and we hope you enjoy. Here is the 11th batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings will finish the 2024 season with a 3-14 record.
SI.com claimed this week Minnesota would finish this season with a putrid 3-14 record, by far the club’s worst since 2013.
SI.com’s Gilbert Manzano explained the awful prognostication, “The Vikings will open training camp with a quarterback competition between veteran newcomer Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy. If McCarthy isn’t ready to be the immediate starter, the Vikings’ offense could take a hit this season with Darnold, who struggled with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers early in his career.”
The schedule was released on Wednesday, and Manzano’s three wins for the Vikings were pegged against the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Green Bay Packers. And then that was it. Fourteen losses otherwise.
“But the Vikings added plenty of talent on the defensive side to possibly make up for the adjustment year the offense might have without Kirk Cousins. Jonathan Greenard and rookie Dallas Turner form the new passing-rushing duo in Minnesota,” Manzano concluded.
The Vikings may not be a playoff contender in 2024, but they won’t be the worst team in football. It just won’t happen.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: The Lions making Jared Goff the second highest-paid quarterback in football was wise roster-building.
Detroit handed Goff a contract for $212 million for four years. There’s $170 million guaranteed, which basically assures Goff will quarterback the Lions for three or four seasons.
We don’t really care how Detroit builds a roster, but affording Goff elite quarterback cash is strange. If someone plopped Goff on the Carolina Panthers’ roster, for example, would there be a reasonable expectation that he’d guide them to the postseason? If the answer is no, Goff isn’t worth $53 million.
The guy’s a good quarterback — but not in the Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Josh Allen tier, as his new deal suggests.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings have a third-place schedule in 2024, and therefore, it really isn’t that bad.
One of the perks of a 7-10 season in 2023 was an “easier” schedule the following year — which is now.
A third-place schedule generally provides relief. But not this time. This is Minnesota’s schedule:
Week 1 — at New York Giants
Week 2 — vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 3 — vs. Houston Texans
Week 4 — at Green Bay Packers
Week 5 — vs. New York Jets (London)
Week 6 — Bye
Week 7 — vs. Detroit Lions
Week 8 — at Los Angeles Rams (TNF)
Week 9 — vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week 10 — at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 11 — at Tennessee Titans
Week 12 — at Chicago Bears
Week 13 — vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 14 — vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 15 — vs. Chicago Bears (MNF)
Week 16 — at Seattle Seahawks
Week 17 — vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 18 — at Detroit Lions
Had the Vikings lost one more game — the 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, for instance — they would’ve played the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Commanders in 2024 instead of the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Giants.
It’s a third-place schedule in spirit but not per strength of schedule.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Every Juicy Storyline for the 2024 Vikings. 37 of Them.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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