Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Daniel Jones as a Viking, Monday Night Flex, Darnold in the MVP Race
A weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we present to you: the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Daniel Jones as a Viking, Monday Night Flex, Darnold in the MVP Race
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 36th batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
The Nopedy Nope: Daniel Jones could join the Vikings in 2025 as the QB1.
Minnesota might need another insurance policy quarterback in 2025, and Daniel Jones has entered the chat for the Vikings, at least in theory. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson swatted away Aaron Rodgers-themed rumors this week on SKOR North airwaves and opined, “No, I don’t see any scenario where Aaron Rodgers lands here in Minnesota one year from now. I will say this: if we’re talking about a New York quarterback landing here, let’s talk about Daniel Jones.”
New York released Jones on Friday, one day after Wolfson’s comments.
Jones as the Vikings’ clear-cut QB2 — not QB1 — would be fine for 2025. But pitting him in a quarterback competition against McCarthy all summer would be nauseating. No thanks. Nopedy nope.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Minnesota could have been — or still might — be flexed into Monday Night Football.
The Vikings were rumored as MNF flex candidates for Week 13, as the Denver Broncos versus the Cleveland Browns evidently isn’t a fancy matchup. But the NFL said “nope” to flexing that game, and the Vikings’ meeting with the Arizona Cardinals at noon on December 1st will remain intact.
Thereafter, the MNF game in Week 14 will showcase the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals, but the league can’t flex that one because it has already done all the work for a Simpsons alternate telecast.
Minnesota is likely out of the woods for any additional flexes this season. But folks thought it was a real possibility earlier this week.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Sam Darnold can still win MVP.
Through four weeks of NFL action — when the Vikings cruised through September and early October — Darnold possessed Top 3 MVP odds, and onlookers stood in awe of his budding reclamation story. His team is 8-2 through 11 weeks and still prospering, but his personal production has slowed.
ESPN sized up the MVP race this week and determined Darnold’s stock was down to win the award. “Yes, Darnold rebounded in a big way against the Titans on Sunday after throwing three interceptions and no touchdown passes versus Jacksonville in Week 10, but he has still cooled down after a hot start,” Brooke Pryor wrote.
Darnold has +3000 odds to win MVP, which ranks 12th in the business at the moment.
Pryor added, “Since Oct. 20, he has thrown eight touchdown passes to six interceptions. In the five games prior, he threw 11 touchdown passes and had four picks.”
She also determined (in order) that Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), and Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) are the frontrunners to snag the coveted award.
Darnold is authoring a fine reclamation season but won’t win the league’s most coveted award. That was a September talker.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Raiders Say Goodbye to Former Vikings Defender
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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