More Roster Moves

The injuries must stop!. The Minnesota Vikings have played two games. Three players have been placed on injured reserve. Four players are dealing with concussions. And their starting quarterback could miss a few games. This is getting ridiculous. The good news is that none of the injuries are of the long-term variety. The Week 2 injuries forced the Vikings to make a couple of roster moves.

It’s best to start with the quarterback as it’s always about the quarterback in today’s NFL. J.J. McCarthy suffered an ankle injury when Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Ellis decided to bring out the jackass hip-drop tackle to bring down the quarterback. McCarthy finished the game but an already difficult performance became even more difficult. Adrenaline probably helped get him through. On Monday, it was clear that he was going to be out for a week or three. For however long he’s out, it’s Carson Wentz time. To supplement the healthy quarterback depth, the Vikings signed Desmond Ridder to the active roster. Ridder was originally drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He appeared in 19 games with 17 starts over two years with the team. During the 2024 offseason, the Falcons traded Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals for receiver Rondale Moore. Both players in that trade are now with the Vikings in some fashion. Ridder did not make the Cardinals roster out of training camp. He was signed to the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders. He appeared in six games for the Raiders with one start. This past offseason, Ridder signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He did not make the final roster and became a free agent. Now, he’s in Minnesota.

The Vikings healthy QB Room:

Carson Wentz

Max Brosmer

Desmond Ridder

None of the quarterbacks was on the Vikings roster in early April.

The most significant injury to come out of the Week 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons was the hamstring injury suffered by running back Aaron Jones. The injury was enough to add him to the growing injured reserve list. That means that he’ll be out at least four weeks. With a Week 6 bye, the earliest Jones can return is the Week 8 Thursday night game against the Los Angeles Chargers. To help replace Jones in the running back room, the Vikings brought back Cam Akers. He’s quite familiar with Minnesota and the team as this is the third consecutive season in which he’s been added to the roster. This is the first time that it didn’t cost a late-round draft pick. Akers was signed to the practice squad. 

The Vikings healthy RBs:

Jordan Mason

Zavier Scott

Cam Akers - practice squad

Xazavian Valladay - practice squad

While I understand the need to add a running back with extensive familiarity with the offense and the team, I think I’d prefer to see Xazavian Valladay get a chance if the Vikings had to access the bottom of the position’s depth. He showed some intriguing zip in the preseason.

The injuries must stop!

Minnesota Vikings Week 2 Superlatives

One way to look at the incredibly disappointing Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons is that there are no players deserving of special note. The offense was severely lacking. Going again without left tackle Christian Darrisaw and losing left center Ryan Kelly at the half were a significant setback. They are two of the four or five most important players on the roster. The Vikings offense will not be at their best without Darrisaw and Kelly. The offense against the Falcons was a problem. The defense against the Falcons was not a problem as they held the Falcons to field goals until a late touchdown. In a disappointing loss, here a some of the players that did what they could to keep the game from being worse than it was. 

Offensive Player of the Game

Justin Jefferson, WR

Justin Jefferson had three catches for 81 yards. He had a long of 50. That set up a field goal that closed the first half. Sadly, it was the Vikings last score. 
 

No one should ever look at the box score of a Vikings game and see Justin Jefferson with three catches. 

Defensive Player of the Game

Dallas Turner, OLB

Dallas Turner gets the nod simply for getting a sack during his first start. 

Special Teams Player of the Game

Will Reichard, K

Well, this one’s easy as Will Reichard is responsible for the entirety of his team’s scoring. With all due respect to Brandon Aubrey, there isn’t another kicker in the league that I’d want on the Vikings. 

Injuries Mounting

The Minnesota Vikings not only exited Sunday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with a very disappointing loss. More players joined the wounded list. It’s a wounded list that’s become quite concerning. The good news, if there is any, is that none should be long term.

The most frustrating injury is quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s high ankle sprain. Thanks to the jackass tackling of Kaden Ellis, the Vikings quarterback could be out anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Ellis pulled out the hip-drop tackle to bring down McCarthy. It’s a tackle that’s designed to injure. For that reason, the league has made a pathetic attempt to legislate it out of the game. For some reason, they are supposedly penalizing players through fines rather than in-game penalties. Last season, the Vikings lost Jordan Addison for two games thanks to the jackass tackling technique. In the preseason, Rondale Moore was lost for the season thanks to the jackass tackling technique. On Sunday, McCarthy was lost for perhaps a handful of games thanks to Ellis’s jackass tackling technique. Again, the hip-drop is designed to injure. It’s designed to rip up ankles and knees. Something has to be done about it. The league has to be better. Will it take an injury to Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen before the league actually does something real to get this shit out of the game?

J.J. McCarthy needs game snaps. Hopefully, the games missed will be more of the 1-3 range. 

The Vikings lost outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and corner Jeff Okudah to concussions in Week 1. A shortened week may have helped keep them out of the Week 2 game. In Week 2, center Ryan Kelly and backup left tackle Justin Skule exited with concussions. All concussions are concerning. Kelly’s might be the most concerning as he’s missed several games in his career to the injury. Hopefully, all four will clear the protocols in time for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

In addition to the injuries to J.J. McCarthy, Ryan Kelly, and Justin Skule, running back Aaron Jones left the Falcons game with a hamstring injury. It isn’t considered to be serious but it’s serious enough to already be ruled out for Sunday’s Bengals game. 

Vikings Injuries:

Week 1:

Blake Cashman - hamstring

Ty Chandler - knee

Andrew Van Ginkel - concussion

Jeff Okudah - concussion

Week 2:

J.J. McCarthy - ankle

Aaron Jones - hamstring

Ryan Kelly - concussion

Justin Skule - concussion

Yea, these injuries can stop. They can stop immediately. 

Four concussions in two weeks! That can definitely stop!

In terms of severity and longevity, Blake Cashman’s and Ty Chandler’s injuries are the most concerning as they are the only players that were placed on injured reserve. So, they are the only players that are expected to miss as many as four weeks. Hopefully, that holds true. 

Moving forward, I’m hoping/expecting Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith to be on the field for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. If Ryan Kelly clears concussion protocols, the Vikings should finally have their five starting offensive linemen available. That will be a huge boost for backup quarterback Carson Wentz. J.J. McCartthy didn’t have that in the first two games and he was often running for his life. Justin Skule is a serviceable tackle but too often he allowed free runners at his quarterback. 

The hope is that all four concussed players return for Week 3. That would be great. Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith make their season debuts. That would be outstanding. The hope also is that J.J. McCarthy and Aaron Jones have short stays on the sideline. That would be amazing. 

Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler should return after the Week 6 bye.

And finally, it would be awesome if this run of injuries comes to an abrupt end. 

Vikings - Falcons

Well, that game sucked. The Minnesota Vikings did few things right in a very disappointing loss to the Atlanta Falcons. 22-6. Last year, the Vikings cruised past this Falcons team by a score of 42-21. They could’ve used some of those 42 points last night. Congratulations to the Falcons. It was their night. 

A bigger concern than the loss is the growing list of wounded Vikings players. Two players have been lost to concussions in each of the past two games. In Week 1, it was outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and corner Jeff Okudah. In Week 2, it was center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Justin Skule. With Christian Darrisaw still waiting for his return, the loss of Skule put Walter Rouse on the field. For most of the second half, J.J. McCarthy was left with a cluttered pocket because the offensive line was down to the third tackle and second center. The Vikings young quarterback needs his real line back. He desperately needs them back. The concussed players of Week 1 had a short week to return. Hopefully, a normal week will allow all four concussed players to return for Week 2. 

This Falcons game was so disappointing that there’s really no reason to discuss or dissect it. It’s on to Cincinnati. Where have I heard that before?

Flea Flicker Week 2 Predictions

It’s on to Week 2. Here are guesses at the game. 

Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings

Pick: Vikings

The Vikings must win their home opener.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: Jaguars

This pick is influenced more by the Bengals notorious early season struggles than the respective strength of the two teams. 

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

Pick: Cowboys

The Cowboys should roll.

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions

Pick: Lions

Both teams are reeling from stunning Week 1 losses against division foes. I have more faith in the Lions rebounding.

Los Angeles Rams @ Tennessee Titans

Pick: Rams

The Rams continue their tour of the AFC South.

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

Pick: Patriots

The Dolphins feel like a mess. The Patriots feel like an ascending team. 

San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints

Pick: 49ers

If the 49ers can field a team, they should handle the Saints.

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

Pick: Bills

The Bills continue their roll.

Seattle Seahawks @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: Seahawks

Sam Darnold gets his first win with the Seahawks.

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

Pick: Ravens

No matter how many years pass, the Baltimore Ravens will always be the Cleveland Browns to me. The old Browns roll the new Browns.

Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Colts

The Colts stun the Broncos.

Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals 

Pick: Cardinals

The Saints threw a scare into the Cardinals last week. Could the Panthers do the same?

Philadelphia Eagles @ Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Chiefs

Super Bowl LIX rematch. The Chiefs get some revenge. Sort of. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans

Pick: Buccaneers

This is the first game of an idiotic Monday Night doubleheader. Based on Week 1 performances, the Buccaneers looked like the better team.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders

Pick: Chargers

Jamming a second game into Monday is so important to the league that this game starts at 10 pm on the east coast. Great. People will watch this game. People will always watch the NFL. But the greed of the NFL really has no bounds. 

Atlanta Falcons All - Time Team

The Minnesota Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow night. The Falcons have been more afterthought than contender for most of their 60 years. The past 30 years have been much better than the team’s first 30 years. Their highlights are two Super Bowl appearances. Neither ended well. The Falcons lucked into an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII and they watched a 28-3 second half lead evaporate in Super Bowl LI. On the eve of Sunday night’s big game, here are some of the best players in the franchise history of the Atlanta Falcons. 

Offense

Quarterback

Matt Ryan

Running Back

Gerald Riggs

Fullback

William Andrews

Wide Receivers

Julio Jones

Roddy White

Tight End

Tony Gonzalez

Offensive Tackles

Mike Kenn 

George Kunz 

Offensive Guards

R.C. Thielemann 

Bill Fralic

Center

Jeff Van Note

Defense

Defensive Ends

Claude Humphrey

John Abraham

Defensive Tackles

Grady Jarrett

Jonathan Babineaux

Linebackers

Jessie Tuggle

Tommy Nobis

Keith Brooking

Cornerbacks

Deion Sanders

Rolland Lawrence

Safeties

Tom Pridemore

Ray Brown

Special Teams

Kicker 

Matt Bryant

Punter

John James 

Returner

Deion Sanders

Vikings Roster Tweaks

Injuries forced the Minnesota Vikings to make some tweaks to the roster. Linebacker Blake Cashman left Monday night’s win over the Chicago Bears with a strained hamstring. Running back Ty Chandler suffered a knee injury. Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said that Chandler injured his knee on the opening kickoff. He famously took the final Bears kickoff out of the end zone to get the game clock on the right side of the two-minute warning. So, he played the entire game with a knee injury that will keep him off the field for a while. Cashman and Chandler are headed to injured reserve. Since players on injured reserve must miss at least four weeks, both will be sidelined until after the Week 6 bye. 

An injury sidelined Blake Cashman last season for three games. He was seriously missed as his versatility was impossible to replace. The Vikings lost two of those three games. Now faced with a similar situation this season, the free agent signing of Eric Wilson could prove to be one of the best additions of the offseason. He might not have the range of Cashman but he’s a smart, experienced, and talented linebacker. Last year, the Vikings had to greatly alter their defense to deal with the loss of Cashman. This year, it’s not an optimum deal but they should be able to carry on without much upheaval. Wilson was/is a huge addition to the Vikings defense. 

To fill the roster spots of Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler, the Vikings promoted receiver Tim Jones and tight end Nick Vannett from the practice squad. The team also signed linebacker Sione Takitaki and cornerback Tyrek Funderburk to fill out the practice squad. Takitaki has significant experience, some of it starting experience, with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was with the Browns when the team selected Takitaki in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. From 2019-23, he played in 72 games, with 36 starts, for the Browns. Last year, he played in 11 games, with four starts, with the Patriots. With rookies Kobe King and Austin Keys behind starters Ivan Pace Jr. and Eric Wilson, Takitaki will provide some experienced linebacker depth. 

Hopefully, that’s the end of the injuries for the Vikings. One game and two players go to IR is no way to start a season.