One Vikings Reunion Paid Off More Than the Other
About two weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings fired off a somewhat expensive trade for Adam Thielen with the Carolina Panthers, a man who played for the purple team from 2013 to 2022.
The Vikings featured two prominent reunions at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football, and one man stood off the page more than the other.
Five months prior, Minnesota also scripted a different reunion with linebacker Eric Wilson via free agency. Then, with the stakes high in Week 1, Wilson stood off the page more than Thielen, surprising fans to the utmost.
Thielen, Wilson Back in the Mix for Vikings after Different Ventures
Wilson somehow outplayed Thielen.
Eric Wilson Utterly Shines in Vikings Reunion
Wilson had a game — a big one.
He logged 5 tackles, one for a loss, and flew all over on special teams, including a blocked punt.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about Wilson on Monday night: “You’re always looking for that veteran presence. He is a player that … I don’t know if we win the football game unless you have Eric Wilson. Not only the blocked punt, but just the way he goes in and he’s green dottin’ and calling it.”
“You want to see the prototype of a veteran guy who helps your football team win by any means necessary? It’s Eric Wilson. So, fired up that we have him. Fired up that we were able to bring him back here, and he’s clearly already had a monumental impact.”
From the horse’s mouth, Minnesota may not have produced the dub without Wilson, who felt like an ancillary acquisition back in March.
Adam Thielen = 0 Receptions on Stat Sheet
Thielen caught a momentous two-point conversion during Minnesota’s comeback, which was vital to the eventual win.
But beyond that two-pointer, Thielen was completely shut out. He caught no passes, he accrued no yards. Minnesota traded for Thielen in August to take the pressure off J.J. McCarthy as the new QB1 and Justin Jefferson as the WR2, but that did not directly translate to production in Week 1.
Thielen will hope that home cooking does the body good on Sunday night.
Extended Run for Wilson in Week 2 and Beyond
Meanwhile, Vikings starting linebacker Blake Cashman is slated to miss time after injuring his hamstring in Monday’s win. Cashman’s exact timetable to return is unknown, but it probably won’t be soon.
And after Wilson’s Week 1 performance, he’s on deck to play in place of Cashman, assuming general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t sign an extra free agent or defensive coordinator Brian Flores doesn’t promote rookie linebacker Kobe King.
If Week 1 was a reasonable sample, Wilson should fill Cashman’s shoes admirably.
Bounce Back from Thielen?
Thielen won’t stay quiet and totally shut out for long.
The man likely needs time to get acclimated to the swing of his old offense, especially one executed by a brand new quarterback in McCarthy. WR2 Jordan Addison won’t return for 17 days, so Thielen has two more games to make a dent in the WR2 job before relinquishing it.
The man is a prime candidate for a bounceback game. The secondary for the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota’s next opponent, ranked 17th per passing defense DVOA in Week 1.
More on Thielen, Wilson
FantasyPro‘s Leo Sells noted on Thielen’s performance in Week 1, “Minnesota struggled to get much of a passing attack going at all on Monday night. Thielen felt the effects of that, as he saw just one target and failed to reel it in, leaving him with no other stats over the course of the game.
“Fantasy managers shouldn’t have high hopes for him at this point, especially with [Jordan] Addison set to return from his suspension after a couple more weeks.”
And our Janik Eckardt on Wilson: “The next guy is an old friend, Eric Wilson. He played for the Vikings during the Mike Zimmer era and returned in free agency. The linebacker casually blocked a punt in his return, and he replaced linebacker Blake Cashman in the lineup, who suffered a hamstring injury. On defense, he was also flying around to make plays.”
The Falcons enter U.S. Bank Stadium as 3.5-point underdogs in Week 2. Atlanta narrowly lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to begin the season.
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