Minnesota Foul Play-by-play: Why the Vikings Needed that Whoopin’

The Minnesota Vikings started the new year terribly, taking a 41-17 beating from the Packers. We talk about what went wrong in Green Bay (more like, what didn’t go wrong) and try to find the silver lining in yet another embarrassment against a playoff team.

• Failure on first drive dictated the game
  • Didn’t score a touchdown despite getting the ball on the Packers’ one-yard line
    • Why shotgun snaps are stupid there
    • Run Alexander Mattison or even CJ Ham over Dalvin Cook
    • Where are the Kansas City play calls? Vikings have the weapons (Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor)
  • Allowed kickoff return touchdown
    • On Greg Joseph, who failed to kick it far enough and get in the way
  • Lost two offensive linemen in the first quarter, including Brian O’Neil, perhaps for the season: https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/2023/01/01/vikings-packers-injuries-brian-oneill-austin-schlottmann/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0okHMoxzb4qsjrn3NeC7q5KMKH6OKi9wWaxxdqqHmeqXL7L2eqAWOg9Xw&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
  • Fourth down and three: interception for a touchdown at midfield
    • This is where you call a RB/QB draw
  • Missed two field goals
    • Greg Joseph on grass and in the elements is not reliable
    • Why that could be a good thing
  • Couldn’t stop the Packers’ run game
    • Ed Donatell reverted back to his failed strategy of relying on four pass rushers
• Re-thinking their NFC rank; fifth?
• Why the Vikings needed that whoopin’
  • They likely end up the three-seed and host the Giants rather than Green Bay, but have to travel in second round
    • Which do you prefer? 
  • Got reps for backup offensive linemen
  • Learned to feed Justin Jefferson’s ego
    • Get him positive plays early or he loses his head vs. worthy adversaries 
    • Put him in motion more to get a better start off the line against press coverage, and call run plays where he can also throw it

• • Discovered the pace at which the ball must be out given backup o-linemen and playoff pass rush
  • Running Kirk Cousins is the ultimate trick play
    • Nobody accounting for him; two largest plays of the game were him running
  • They’ll have a sense of desperation earlier in games now that they realize games can be lost in the first quarter vs. playoff opponents
• The good news… 
  • Irv Smith, Jr. activated: https://www.vikings.com/news/ty-chandler-irv-smith-ir-injury-roster-moves
    • More two-tight end sets as a result, with TJ Hockenson blocking, which he’s been rather good at since leaving Detroit: https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/lists/vikings-film-room-tj-hockensn-blocker-kevin-oconnell/
  • Center Garrett Bradbury should return for Week 18 at Chicago after tweaking his back injury in a car accident: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/vikings-c-garrett-bradbury-tweaked-his-back-injury-in-a-car-accident/ar-AA15vyxI
  • Chicago is terrible and should provide a “get-right” game

Best Bets

FCS Championship Game: South Dakota State (-5) over North Dakota State on the moneyline