Vikings Can Repeat the Shock on Sunday
This season has hardly gone as planned for the Minnesota Vikings. They didn’t spend a significant amount of money this offseason to not be competitive. Both Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell thought the roster was ready to challenge for a Super Bowl.
It would be a shock if the Minnesota Vikings knock off the Packers on Sunday in Lambeau Field, but it wouldn’t be the first time this season.
At 4-6, the team is not well-positioned to make that a reality. They may be just a single loss away from failing out of contention altogether. When J.J. McCarthy returned against the Detroit Lions, it seemed like a difficult spot for him to hit the ground running. Then they ripped off a 27-24 win and took down the division favorite on their own turf.
Vikings Seek Upset in CheeseVille
Now done licking their wounds after an unnecessary loss to an overachieving Chicago Bears team, it’s Green Bay Packers week. Minnesota is headed to Lambeau Field, and they’ll seek the chance to hand Matt LaFleur’s team their fourth loss of the season. That sort of win could turn the tide for the purple and put the division on notice again.
If the Vikings are going to beat Green Bay, they’ll need a substantially better version of J.J. McCarthy on Sunday. To put it nicely, he was hot garbage against his childhood team at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Packers won’t let him back into the game if that is replicated. Kevin O’Connell is ready for his quarterback to take the next step, and now is as good a time as any.
McCarthy doesn’t have to do it all on his own. He was a pedestrian 14-of-25 for 143 yards against Detroit. He threw for a pair of touchdowns, though, and ran another in. While some passes missed, he wasn’t constantly sailing wideouts, and he was making good decisions with the football. The defense kept Minnesota in control, and the quarterback didn’t do much to give it up.
Green Bay is right there with Detroit when it comes to perceived talent and expectations this season. Minnesota has already shown it can handle the latter, and getting a win against the former on the road would finish off a season trifecta against the NFC North.
The Vikings, like they were against Detroit, are not favorites. No one believes they have a chance to emerge victorious. Their season depends on it, though, and the development of their young quarterback could take a sizable step forward.
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