Questions Answered: Lions-Vikings Score Prediction, Darnold or Jones, Top FA Target
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the January 3rd edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Lions-Vikings Score Prediction, Darnold or Jones, Top FA Target
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: What is your prediction for Lions-Vikings?
Answer: Regrettably, we predict the Lions will win 30-27.
This is, of course, “happy to be wrong” territory. However, the Lions’ offense has too many weapons, and we aren’t 100% sure Minnesota can win an honest-to-goodness shootout.
The good news, though, is that if we’re right, Minnesota will earn the NFC’s No. 5 seed and get an immediate crack at redemption in the Wildcard Round, probably at Tampa Bay, Atlanta, or Los Angeles.
Minnesota was never supposed to clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed, so this season should not be considered a disappointment — at all — if the team loses on Sunday night.
Q: Would you keep Sam Darnold for $40 million in 2025 or Daniel Jones for $5 million?
Answer: Well, Jones at $5 million — while starting J.J. McCarthy.
If the choice were left up to us — it’s not — we’d start J.J. McCarthy in 2025, assuming Sam Darnold’s asking price is north of $40 million.
In Jones, Minnesota would showcase a high-end backup and insurance for any would-be McCarthy re-injury. We absolutely love what Darnold has done and will continue to do so this season, but signing him to a megadeal plops the Vikings right back into the Kirk Cousins era of team-building.
And that’s trying to build a roster around a quarterback that may not always be elite.
Q: Who should the Vikings’ top free agent target be in March?
Answer: D.J. Reed, a cornerback from the New York Jets.
He’s an experienced corner who will hit the open market, and it appears the Jets will let him walk. On the 2025 ledger right now, Minnesota has only Mekhi Blackmon, Dwight McGlothern, and NaJee Thompson at cornerback.
The Vikings need a proven CB, and Reed is that.
If Minnesota does not re-sign Darnold, it will have over $70 million to sign on free agents. Adding Reed and perhaps drafting a corner will ensure the future is sweet at Reed’s position.
The draft has not worked lately for Minnesota at cornerback, so why not a proven commodity?
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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