Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Brian Murphy says this is the biggest Vikings-Lions game of his life

Episode Date: October 15, 2024

Matthew Coller and Brian Murphy talk about the hype leading up to Vikings/Lions and Matthew answers Vikings fan questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here, and just because the Vikings didn't play yesterday doesn't mean there won't be a Monday Morning Murph. It's Brian Murphy, and listen, Brian, everybody knows the backstory. If they don't, you grew up in Detroit, you've been here a long time. Vikings-Lions, have you ever seen one like this? Not in my lifetime. Maybe the two best teams in the NFL?

In the best division in the NFL right now. I would say, yeah, I'd say arguably, I'd say the Lions, based on their performance yesterday in Dallas and how thorough they dismantled the Cowboys, and no bias here, I think they are the best team in the NFL. Now, that being said, they also lost arguably the best defensive end in the NFL, Aidan Hutchinson, to a gruesome injury that's going to have a huge impact not only on this week but going forward.

But, no, in my lifetime, I cannot remember a Lions-Vikings game with stakes this high. And what's fun about this is this game may not even be as big as what could happen week 17 at Ford Field. And hey, don't sleep on the Bears. Don't sleep on the Packers. This is going to be a great, great second half to the season in the NFC North. Well, I want to go through each team because as you mentioned, these aren't just four good teams in the division. These are the four best point differentials in the entire NFL, which is insane that they could all be in one division, but they haven't played each other a whole heck of a lot yet.

The Vikings have the win against the Packers, and now they will play the Detroit Lions. So let's stick with the Lions for a minute here in yesterday's game. The nation got to see one of the biggest embarrassments for the Dallas Cowboys, but also the Lions deserve full marks for their destruction of Dallas because it had looked a little bit like Dallas was getting back on track after they had beaten Pittsburgh and they played pretty good defense that night. So then they get a clutch performance from Dak Prescott. They go back home to Dallas to play Detroit

and kind of a, hey, prove that you're back game and just get run completely out of their own building. I think that Jared Goff right now is playing the best quarterback or some of the best quarterback in the entire NFL. Certainly Lamar Jackson made his case for that as well yesterday. But this offense and the way that Jared Goff operates it,

it's the greatest show on turf, Kurt Warner stuff. I mean, he is so in tune with his play caller, his playmakers. Guys are open. He's making great decisions. This offense versus Brian Flores' defense is Tyson Holyfield. I mean, put this on the marquee. I cannot wait to see how this offense for Detroit matches up with the Vikings defense. It's a fantastic matchup. It's a fantastic matchup, as you mentioned, between Ben Johnson and Brian Flores, and who's going to win that chess match.

Detroit right now is rolling on all cylinders offensively. And yes, they may have lost Hutchinson yesterday, but I mean, they're equipped to win every game 51 to 40. If they have to, it looks like that because they, there's really no holes on that team from tight end to their running game, their running game. There were, there were times when they, and Tom Brady was pointing this out, and by the way, I think Tom Brady had a great call yesterday, might have been his best call of the season, at least that's

what the media critics are saying out there. I mean, he was pointing out time after time when they handed the ball off to Montgomery, David Montgomery or Gibbs, that these guys weren't getting touched five yards into the run. This all goes back to the offensive line, and it's not sexy to talk about, but Detroit's offensive line is experienced. They're tough, and there's no way Jared Goff can make four decisions in the pocket without great pass protection, and that's what he's getting. Every trick play they pull seems to work. They were toying with Dallas yesterday. Granted, Dallas was way handicapped on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, Mike Zimmer is really shooting blanks right now because he just has no bullets, and it's just really sad to see. But this is a merciless league, and nobody's

feeling sorry for the Dallas Cowboys. And besides, they can't take care of business at home. They've gotten run out of the building the last four or five times they played at home so the lions found a weak opponent and they did what you do against a weak opponent you put it down and you keep going and you know granted they were coming off a buy but there was a lot of vengeance in that because they've had some some tough losses to dallas in the past um look i would argue that detroit might be be America's team only in that they might be America's sweetheart because it's been a forlorn franchise for 60 years. They're finally an elite team and perhaps the elite team in the NFL. And the Vikings had a week off to kind of look at that and get ready. And now they're playing at home for the first time in a month after, you know,

the road games and then the trip to Lambeau and, of course, the trip to London. 5-0 versus 4-1. Dominant defense against dominant offense. What else can you ask for? This is going to be a fun, fun matchup. Another part of it that is unusual is that, as you mentioned, the Detroit Lions came into this year as a Super Bowl favorite pick for just about everybody.

They start off the year okay, but nothing spectacular. And then the last couple of weeks, the gas pedal has just been pushed all the way down for Detroit. And we'll talk about Hutchinson, but on the offensive side especially, they demolished Seattle. They demolished the Cowboys. But those defenses are nowhere as close as the Vikings. And I think that the narratives for each team though, also are worth looking at because this is the first time ever the Detroit Lions have had expectations like this really since Barry Sanders. I mean, there were a few years where Stafford's teams, they were never that

side. Right. They were good. And you're hoping to make the playoffs, but never going into a season where you are a legit Superbowl favorite. And here's the Vikings, a team that was picked over under six and a half wins, which is so relevant to the conversation with them, how they've gone above and beyond what anybody expected from them. You and I had them as, hey, maybe this team can make the playoffs. I think we're better than Vegas thinks, but not of the 5-0 level variety. But what comes along with that is people will still think with the Detroit Lions, well, obviously, this is where they should be. They were in the NFC Championship last year.

And are the Vikings for real? And this is an opportunity for the sort of plucky Vikings to prove that they're more than that. I mean, five and O already proves that you're a legitimate team. And most of the time I did a look at this Murph. Most of the time teams win 11 or 12 games when they start five and O. So that's where we expect probably 12 or a little bit better for this team. But I think that this is an opportunity for the Vikings to say, put our names there as well for the top Superbowl contenders. If they can beat the Detroit lines. Yeah. You've asked me the last two or three weeks now after they were three and oh, four and oh,

you know, what, what's their year end record going to going to be? And I'm still like, let me see what they do October 20th against Detroit. And after Detroit's performance yesterday, it's even more incumbent upon them. I'm sorry to prove it. I mean, they can play the naysayer card all they want. As you mentioned, the Lions are expected to be here. I mean, they were, you know, one turnover, one bounce off a helmet of walking into the Super Bowl last year. So they should be four and one and feeling four and one and feeling pretty good about themselves. We knew the offensive talent that they had.

And again, they're going to have to adjust defensively without Hutchinson. But this is still a team that's already there. They've already arrived. The Vikings, they got to five and oh in tremendous fashion. This is their first big real test, I feel like. I mean, Green Bay was, you know, they're always on the schedule at Lambeau, and the Lions are usually, for years, have been the get-well team, you know, for the Vikings. No matter where they were at in the standings, where they're at injury-wise, if the Lions were on the schedule, this was a get-well week. It's not anymore.

It's improvement week. And I feel like – I think the Vikings are going to be – they're going to be rested. They're definitely feeling confident. And it is – U.S. Bank Stadium, when it's roaring, is one of the most difficult places to play. That's not going to scare Jared Goff. That's not going to scare Dan Campbell.

I don't think it's going going to scare Jared Goff. That's not going to scare Dan Campbell. I don't think it's going to affect the Lions one bit. How are the Vikings going to approach this where they're expected to take care of business at home? Expectations are higher than they've ever been for them in a couple of years. And you need to show that you can handle an elite team at home if you want to be considered an elite team. I don't know where the point spread is as we speak here on Monday the 14th. You can fill me in as I'm rambling here, but I just feel like this is a – the Lions lose this game, they're not in bad shape. If the Vikings lose this game, they may not internally question how good they are, but externally they're going to have questions to answer. The schedule does soften up from here on

out, but you know, we're talking about this big matchup next Sunday. The way this is going, the way this season's trending, that week 17 game at Ford Field, the stakes may even be higher. So, you know, Judd Zalga and I, you know, the old man in town, he and I have always texted back and forth. We're kind of similar ages, similar upbringings, and we both agreed in our lifetimes we just cannot remember a Lions-Vikings matchup that had any kind of cachet that this one does, certainly in the middle of a season.

So it's going to be fantastic to watch how the Vikings respond to arguably their toughest test of the season. There are 18 weeks now, Murph. I don't know if you checked in on that. That's week 18, the Vikings play. 17th game. Sorry. Yes.

When did they switch to a 16-game season? Was that? You mean from 14? I actually don't know the year right offhand. But you asked about the point spread, and it's a one-and-a-half-point favorite for the Vikings, which might as well be, considering that they have home field, a complete toss-up.

So that's how I would view it as well. I look at these two teams as having tremendous culture, great energy, great vibes, tons of talent, but the Lions did take the biggest gut punch. You mentioned the Vikings are getting healthy. We don't know the status yet officially of TJ Hawkins, and I'm not sure that he's going to play this week. Aaron Jones is another one that is in question as well, whether he's going to play, but the lions will definitely not have Aiden Hutchinson. I was lucky enough to have turned the game off already and not

seen the injury, but very, very nasty for him. One of the league's great players. And you hope that he recovers to a hundred percent goes back to a defensive MVP level. But from a pure football perspective, we can't help but say what a break for the Vikings that he is not going to play. I mean, Brian O'Neill has been great this year, and I think he would have done battle with him, but this was the best defensive end in the NFL to this point this year. I think that changes the dynamic for Sam Darnold and his comfort, even though they still have other pass rushers like McNeil is really good in the interior.

But now they don't have that guy who every single drop back, you have to chip, you have to double, and oftentimes it doesn't really matter. And Sam Darnold, when he's kept clean this year, has been fantastic. It really is when he gets a little jittery in the pocket and is feeling the pressure a bit like he was against the Jets that he wasn't the same quarterback. But I think this is a major factor and makes me lean toward projecting more of a shootout between these two teams. And lest anyone forget too, Darnold's got some explaining to do after his past two starts. I don't think he's regressed to the point where he's, you know,

the scrap heap Darnold that we remember from the Jets in Carolina, but it was, you know, a little bit troubling to see some of the decisions he was making in London and certainly in Lambeau. But what the Vikings have been able to do, and I'm not sure they're going to be able to do this against Detroit right away is just pummel opponents in the first quarter and get out to such a large lead that all they have to do is lean on them for the remainder of the game. I think this, if it's truly going to be a shootout, which it looks, there's no reason to believe it won't be, it's going to be, you know, haymakers left and right.

I don't see a team, unless there's a turnover issue or some random special teams moment, I don't see a 14-0, 21-10 type lead for either club. I think it's probably going to be tit for tat all the way through. So how is Darnold going to be able to keep pace with Jared Goff? He hasn't really been asked to keep pace with Jared Goff? He hasn't really been asked to keep pace with anybody yet. He's been asked to be productive and stay out of the way and let the defense take care of it. I'm not saying the defense can't hold down Jared Goff, but you can't expect this defense, no matter how tenacious and playmaking they are to hold the Detroit Lions to 10 or 17 points. I mean, this feels like a 34-31, 41-35 type game.

Whoever has the ball last wins. And maybe it comes down to Will Reichert, Mr. Perfection, the kicker. It was funny looking at the Lions' new kicker last year. I think they mentioned yesterday he hadn't made a field goal past 35 yards until, I think, the second quarter in Dallas. So that's something to keep an eye on, too. Reichert's been money from 50-plus all season. There's just so many little things that are going to happen in this game. It's probably going to be a mistake and turnover-type game that makes the difference.

Who makes the fewest? Who makes the biggest plays at the right moment, which is about 95% of every game. But I'm really going to be interested to see how Darnold responds and how effective he's going to be early, because if he struggles early again and the defense gets on the field a lot, it's one thing to be on the field a lot for the New York Jets and holding your breath for a broken down Aaron Rodgers to see what he may or may not do. It's another thing to be on the field two-thirds of the time against Jared Goff and that offense because they could get exhausted pretty quickly and the Lions can exploit a good defense if it's tired at any moment. So the Vikings, even if they're not scoring a ton of points, they need first downs. They need to keep the chains moving.

They need to keep Detroit sort of backpedaling a bit. So if this does become a possession type game, I don't know if they're going to be able to keep pace with the Lions. What are the other things on your mind coming out of the bye regarding the Vikings? Because I am thinking a lot about the running back situation. I was certainly thinking about which Jaguars players the Vikings could potentially poach. Travis Etienne got hurt. I don't want to say that it was one of those we're down by a lot hamstring injuries, but maybe he was these week to week with the Jaguars. The Vikings could potentially use another running back. Also the Titans lost again. Tony Pollard has been on my running back. Also the Titans lost again. Tony Pollard has been on my mind. The Carolina Panthers lost again, several players to potentially poach

from that roster, their top corner, Miles Sanders, their backup running back who barely plays. I'm looking around, uh, thinking about how to add. Yeah. Cleveland, if they were going to trade Delvin Tomlinson back to Minnesota, maybe, but I don't know if they can start trading off parts when they're still playing their abomination at quarterback. That's what's been on my mind a lot, Murph, is what can you do with this? And now when I look at the NFC North and they're all the best teams in the league by point differential, you're going to need a bigger sort. You're going to need as much as you can possibly get to battle because the Packers are certainly not going away.

They're going to be fighting you all the way to the end. I mean, we sort of left them for dead a little early in the season when Love got hurt. They're four and two. And so they're not a million miles back of the Vikings. And with Detroit playing the way they're playing and even Chicago is going to be tough matchups. I just keep thinking about make roster moves anywhere you can to improve this thing because it will have to be the absolute best version of itself to beat these guys. Well, the first thing I want to hear is Kevin O'Connell's update on Aaron Jones.

Yeah. Whether that's today, tomorrow, Wednesday, whenever you guys are meeting, I think that's the biggest key. Is his hip injury as casual as it sort of seemed to be in London because he was on the sideline in uniform for the entire game and Kevin O'Connell seemed to, you know, week to week. I mean, week to week, you know, there's, what, 10, 12 weeks left? I mean, that could – and week to week means nothing. It's a very vague, we'll get back to you know, there's what, 10, 12 weeks left. I mean, that could constant and week to week means nothing. It's a very vague, we'll get to, we'll get back to you later kind of diagnosis. They're going to have to be more specific this week. So how,

how has he healed over the by how effective would he even be if he's limited that could dictate whether they need more depth, well, depth everywhere, but more depth at running back, but you can have no shortage of depth in this league. And I think we were talking about it last week. I think on the defense, as solid as this unit is, as dynamic, as sharing in the mission as they are, there's still one play from losing somebody key.

I don't think there's any shortage of depth. I don't think there's any move Kwesi shouldn't consider, including dealing away limited draft capital, as we discussed last week. I mean, they've already hit their home run with J.J. McCarthy. I mean, if you're looking at this as one of those once-in-a-decade type teams that can run deep into the playoffs that the Vikings seem to put together every year, then I think you're doing yourself a disservice if you're managing for 2025, 2026, especially when you've got a 5-0 team in a division full of alpha males that you're going to have to face between now and the end of week 18 in January.

Because, yeah, other than the Packers test, I mean, they still got two against the Bears. They've still got Green Bay at home. And then they've got to go to Detroit to finish the season. I don't think you should leave any chip on the table right now. And if you can identify spaces where there's a little bit of softness, if, you know, you've got injuries, you've still got a couple weeks before the trade deadline. I think you're going to see a lot of desperate NFL teams.

You've ticked them all off right now in this new world NFL where the trade deadline has become an opportunity for teams in midseason to prepare for the future and also augment their current rosters. It's becoming more of a thing. I can't imagine the Vikings playing the Twins game, which is let's be conservative and not lean into the moment because, you know, we just gotta be careful. Yeah. The, uh, Vikings are going to make their revenue no matter what, uh, when they have, well, there's no sports issues in the NFL, right? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Uh, and every team has the same kind of salary cap, but, uh, when it comes to the defense, this is also very much on my mind because some of the competition in the division, all the quarterbacks are playing extremely well.

We saw Caleb Williams play excellent football yesterday against the Jaguars in a blowout win. Jordan Love looked spectacular. And you could say, yeah, it's against Arizona, but Arizona is not a joke. Arizona beat Detroit this year. They've played some close games. They played a close game against Buffalo. They beat the San Francisco 49ers. I think that that Green Bay win was really a telling for where Jordan Love stands. And what I keep kind of thinking about with the Vikings defense is that they've gotten

such great performances from every single player that they signed from the top player, all the way down to the just depth signing. Everybody has been good. Everybody has contributed, but I do wonder about how much they've asked from everybody. They've asked a lot of snaps from Jonathan Grenard, who I don't believe has ever played 700 snaps in a season. They've asked a ton of snaps from Jonathan Grenard, who I don't believe has ever played 700 snaps in a season. They've asked a ton from Stephon Gilmore, who is, is he turned 35, 34, 35 years old? They've asked a ton from Harrison Smith so far. I think that they do have to at certain parts of the schedule, and I don't mean today for sure because they're playing the Lions,

so you don't want to be managing anybody's health at that point, but it's only mid October, right? There's a lot, there's a long way to go with this defense and keeping it fresh as fresh as they possibly can is a factor. I think when you have a lot of players who are older, a lot of players who have had injury histories, and And I'm curious to see also how they continue to stop the run as they play a team like Detroit. That is so great, uh, at running the football. They have just haven't been really tested there. So how this defense performs when they don't get a 17 point lead early and they go back and forth. Uh, and then the long term of this defense, because Brian Flores has pretty much, when it comes to snap counts,

put the gas pedal down with all of his great players. I think those are also things to watch when it comes to the second half of the season, or whatever you want to call it, second 66% of the season. And that's incumbent upon the Vikings' offense, as we were talking about. You can't afford three and outs, even if you're getting big leads. I mean, they got a big lead in London basically because of Van Ginkle's pick six, and they still weren't really doing much offensively. And you can't afford too many three and outs. You can't afford any careless turnovers, which the Vikings have been very careless with the football and have gotten away with it.

Again, you've had some curious decisions by Sam Darnold at various times that have really put the defense in bad situations when they're exhausted at the end of a game. And if they're exhausted at the end of games in early to mid-October, where are they going to be in December and January when you really need them? It's a war of attrition. We all know that. So this is incumbent upon their running game, which is again, why Aaron Jones is such a key because he's so versatile and he's contributed in so many different ways. If he is limited this week or unable to go this week, it's going to be really incumbent on the Vikings to, again, be smart with the football, be selectively aggressive, but you need to keep your defense off the field. So if that means settling for a field position game early on, settling for three points instead of going for broke,

as O'Connell likes to do to prove to his guys that he's aggressive, there are moments to be managing. You're managing for four quarters, and you're managing for 17 games while you're managing in real time. And I think that's where this is. Darnold needs to step up and at least level set, as it were, in the corporate speak, to not keep backsliding and putting the defense in really tough situations.

So that'll be interesting to watch who's going to be taking the majority of snaps are they going to be able to keep their defense off the field and is Darnold going to be limiting the mistakes that he's been making the last couple of weeks that do raise some red flags for the long-term viability of, of the defense. Yeah. How Kevin O'Connell navigates Sam Darnold through the rest of this season, all the way through week 18 Murph will be fascinating to watch because this first five weeks has been essentially a masterclass by O'Connell. We can nitpick the Jets game. And I certainly did last week, but the Jets also have an elite defense.

It's one of the best defenses in the NFL, and it was in London. This is just a tough situation. It was raining and all that. But the entire season and rocky moments that are going to come about, bad turnovers that are going to come about, how does he kind of usher him through that? And I also think that TJ Hawkinson will be really big for ushering him through some of the tougher defenses that they're going to play. But I also can't help but think, Murph, once you get past these next two tough games, then you get to the wide open lands of the AFC South and you go from the toughest of the tough opponents. When you look at the power rankings and things like that, you're going to see a bunch of teams that have been on the Vikings schedule so far this year. And to even be 5-1 if it doesn't work out this week is an incredible feat, considering that you have the Indianapolis, the Jacksonville, the Tennessee that are on the way.

And all these teams kind of look like a mess, and the Vikings are in a totally different spot. So navigating him through these next couple of weeks, getting into that lighter part of the schedule where they can get on a roll will be really fascinating to watch. I did want to get your thoughts on just the rest of the day where Jordan Love plays great, the Packers look phenomenal at Lambeau and also Chicago. You woke up, if you woke up early to watch that game,

you were disappointed because it just stunk. But Caleb Williams didn't and Chicago didn't. And they look like they're sort of coming together. Just your other thoughts from a Sunday of watching football. Yeah, I mean, Caleb Williams seems to have arrived. You know, I think over his last four games, he's had a passer rating over 109. Granted, they haven't faced the stiffest of competitions,

but it was a bit of a slow start with him. They're feeling pretty confident at four and two and who they are and who they're becoming. Green Bay, I think their slow start was probably a little bit of an aberration. And if you look back at their last couple of games and going back to that second half against the Vikings, I mean, Jordan loves playing with more confidence than he ever has at this point. I'm curious to see, you know, where the rest of the NFC is going to shake out beyond the North. You seem to see San Francisco's, they got themselves better again on Thursday night,

but I still think there's a lot of question marks about them. The Rams, who, by the way, the Vikings face right away on Thursday night after this Lions game, you can almost put those two games together as a 1A and 1B test. I don't know where they're at. They seem to be backpedaling, but they're very dangerous. But where's the rest of the NFC kind of setting up? I mean, Philadelphia seems to be really, really inconsistent. Dallas, you know, as of what, 9.30 in the morning, I'm not sure if Mike McCarthy's still employed or should he be.

Washington seems to be the class of that division right now with a rookie quarterback. The rookie quarterbacks have played really well this season and have been really fun to watch. So I'm curious where the NFC kind of shakes out because the teams that we thought were going to be elite are still kind of hanging around with the potential to be elite. And I still feel like San Francisco and Philadelphia will probably be there at the end. But I'm down on Dallas. I'm down on the Rams. And Washington is suddenly a formidable force.

So beyond the NFC North, how is the NFC going to shake out? Is Seattle for real still? I'm going to be curious where those power rankings come out. And look, if the Vikings survive the NFC North and do manage to win this division, I mean, is their competition and their path to the Super Bowl potentially still going to go through the NFC North in the postseason? Or is somebody going to emerge in the NFC? Is it going to be the old school teams that we thought that were going to be great? 49ers, Philadelphia, maybe the Rams put together something and get well in the second half, or is Washington for real? That's kind of

what I'm looking at. Yeah, it's a great storyline of who else is even good in the nfc outside of the north uh atlanta had a win against carolina but carolina is the worst team in football uh the tampa bay bucks putting your boy cousins is putting up his numbers he hey he played well again yesterday and he seems to be back uh doing his thing but also it was against carolina um now when it comes to Tampa Bay, they had an impressive win over the Saints. Saints were playing a backup quarterback, but 51 points is 51 points for Tampa Bay. You mentioned the Eagles. Their head coach is yelling at the fans in Cleveland after the win, but it was not an impressive win.

What, 20-16 over a pretty awful, messy messy Cleveland team and that's the wrong fan base to antagonize yeah yeah uh the fan base that they once had to move John Elway to the other side of the field as he was playing against the Browns because they kept throwing dog bones at him while he was in the end zone but Philadelphia just doesn't look all that strong. It might. I thought of this yesterday. See if you agree, Murph, the hardest game for the Vikings, the whole rest of the season that isn't in the North, I think is Kirk and Atlanta on their schedule. I don't think that there is another game on their schedule,

non-division, that's going to be tougher than that, which really tells you about the non-division schedule, I think. Yeah, and boy, what a day that's going to be, or day, or I assume they may even flex it, December 8th, the mood in the building that day. Cousins and his milquetoast attitude, he's going to want blood. He's going to want vengeance. I think the crowd is going to be ready to move on totally from Kirk. I mean, I think that game will literally put the final marking on the Kirk Cousins experiment. That is going to be as fun of a narrative-type game

as there's going to be the rest of the season. But you're right. I mean, he's putting up 300, 400, 500 yards against Patsy's. What does it all mean? By December 8th, I think we're going to understand who the Falcons are I just I you know it I just want to see how the Vikings react to being 5-0 coming into the cauldron of chaos as we call it at US Bank Stadium I mean it's going to be a supercharged atmosphere Sunday afternoon and this isn't going to define their season, but it's really going to, I think, let the rest of the country know where they're at. And they're going to have to be wearing that prove it label for a while.

They may not like it. We may not like it, but it's kind of the reality they're in. Okay. We usually don't have you pick the next game on the Monday show, but do you think they win? Do you think they beat the Lions? I'm going to hedge a little bit. If Aaron Jones is playing and he's effective, I think they win. I think they win a really, you know, like a 34-31 kind of game

where they have to hold off Goff at the end, or it comes down to a Riker kick. If Aaron Jones is unable to go, I'm going to stay with the lions because they seem to be rolling too good right now. Well, I don't pick this thing until later in the week. So I'm just going to hold off on that, but a great,

a great Monday morning Murph. I appreciate your time as always. This, this is as good as it gets Murph. So I can't wait to break it down with you again next Monday. Thanks for your time, man. All right, thanks. So I'm going to hang around and answer questions for another half hour or so.

So I'll work my way down the feed here. And feel free to throw in any more questions that you have comments trade targets thoughts feelings emotions vikings are in the conversation for the best team in the nfl and if they win this week then it will be pretty much not debatable maybe the chiefs would be the only other team because you always have to give it to the chiefs even if their offense does not have the same type of numbers as the Vikings do. Is the faithful says I've had a feeling for a week now that Darnold is going to light it up against the lions and lions defense will give up huge plays for whatever reason. Aaron Glenn's defense against the Vikings has been a disaster.

I mean, I don't know that there's been a single game since Aaron Glenn has been the defensive coordinator of the Lions where the Vikings have struggled offensively. Somebody's going to have to correct me if there was one, but even last year, the final game of the season and Nick Mullins is out there throwing the ball all over the place. And he is one drive away from being right in that game. The home game against that defense, Nick Mullins went crazy and just threw some wild interceptions, but put up a ton of yards in that game. This is a mismatch. Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings receivers versus the Detroit Lions defense. I don't know if it's scheme. I don't know if it's

personnel has been at the center of it before, and they have been a better defense this year. There's no doubt about that, that they have played much better defensively, but they've also allowed a good amount of yards and Seattle put up some yardage against them and was able to move the football. I agree with you that it really comes down to whether the Lions can score, because I do think that the Vikings offense will be able to move the football against the lions. Their corners are better than they were before. Their secondary is better. Their pass rush is just okay without Aiden Hutchinson, if not mediocre. And schematically I have just felt since Glenn took over that they have not been one step ahead,

that they have been one step behind a lot of the other defenses in the NFL. What they might do this week without Hutchinson is just blitz constantly. And that would offer some new challenges. It would also offer some one-on-one matchups. I am definitely leaning toward the Vikings putting up yards in this one. Clifford says, what's the percentage of Vikings running left versus right? Seems to me they run left a lot more. I looked this up not too long ago. Surprisingly, it was pretty even. I didn't look it up this week,

but maybe two weeks ago, because I had the same theory. I wondered, oh, do they not run to the right? It's about even. It wasn't much different. The only thing is that if they change right guards then it might have to be different because you can't run behind Dalton Reisner all the time he's not a good run blocker but also I I didn't think it was so bad last year that you just couldn't play him it's not a strength like it is with Ingram but Ingram also isn't so good at run blocking that he's just plowing human bodies down the field. Uh, I think that rise there can survive in the run game and be a huge upgrade in the past game. Uh, blowfishes says, I just hate seeing our right guard standing still in the middle of a play looking lost. Yeah. All the time, three, four times a game. Uh, he disengages

too early at times that allows extended plays to get blown up a hundred percent I mean there's just there's too many lapses it is a game of concentration in the NFL and it is not easy to concentrate for that many minutes, hours on a Sunday. And the guys who are great at it are elite. And the guys who can't stay locked in for an entire game are average or below. And that is the biggest issue that he's had, where it's just those quick losses, blocking the wrong person, looking a little lost. Yeah, I mean, that's why they need to make a change to have a veteran player in Dalton Reisner. I think I just don't need any more evidence than what

we've gotten. I really don't, uh, for three years now or two and a half years of performance to draw from, uh, Wrigley, uh, is Marshawn Lattimore a realistic trade target at the deadline? Good question. I don't know. I like the idea of trading for a corner. The thing with Lattimore is if I get to have my cake and eat it too at the trade deadline, what I'm really looking for is somebody that they can trade for and keep. So not just a rent a player, but somebody that they could trade for and then sign to an extension or somebody that is expensive, that a team is looking to kind of get younger or fresher and move off from a big contract, but maybe the Vikings can take it because of the cap space. That's what I'm looking for a little more than Lattimore who's been banged up a lot. And is he really an upgrade? It would give them depth, but is he going to be better than

the guys that they have? Like, is this version of Marshawn Lattimore better than what they have with Shaq Griffin? I'm not convinced of that. I think JC Horn would be. And that's why the guy I keep going back to is JC Horn because he's on the Panthers. They're going to have to give him a hundred million dollars this off season. Do they want to do that? Or do they want to just make sure there's as flexible as possible into the future? Horn has been a little banged up in his career, but is a really good player that they could get an extent. That's more along the lines I'm looking for. If they were going to give up Lattimore for very cheap, then maybe, but only really is depth.

I don't know where he's at as far as a starting corner. Look at that defense from the saints is miserable. Mike says in the cart before the horse category, at what point does KO start talking about home field advantage in the playoffs? We lost that in 17 and had to go to Philly. So important to playoff success. Yeah, definitely way down the road from that. I mean, you're talking about very end of the season. So if you were already locked up into playoff position and playing for home field, then you go

all in and try to play for it. But it's not like in 2017, they could have really done anything different. Uh, just so happened that Philadelphia also won 13 games that year. It's not like in 2017 they could have really done anything different uh just so happened that Philadelphia also won 13 games that year it's not like they could have played differently than what they did in 2017 but you're right it is important I don't think it's quite as important as it used to be home field advantage in the playoffs but it would be a big deal if they could get there but that's yeah you're you're talking way down the road there, uh, for sure. Uh, blowfishes as I've seen KOC go for longer plays on third and short when Aaron Jones isn't on the field. Yeah.

That's a major issue is those third and short fourth and short. It's very frustrating, honestly, that because they throw so often when a simple run is probably for the best. Sometimes they're doing end of rounds, which yeah, it worked once, but then the second time they tried it, it didn't. You need to be able to just have an answer. Philadelphia having the tush push and don't have Brandon Powell as the tush pusher again, that's for sure. But the Philadelphia having an answer is such a big advantage to be able to convert and convert and convert. The Vikings need a ground game, a play, two different plays

that they can go to consistently to convert on those third and shorts because having to throw it every time is just difficult. The pressure is on. There's a lot of guys at the line of scrimmage and you think, oh, well, we're going to get opportunities down the field. But if there's a little bit of pressure,

if anything happens, you don't complete it. And throwing it any more than five yards in the air is kind of crazy to me. Unless you've drawn up something where someone could be wide open. Kyle says Sanders or Hubbard will do. Yeah, I think so. Fifth round pick for miles Sanders. of crazy to me unless you've drawn up something where someone could be wide open uh kyle says sanders or hubbard will do yeah i think so fifth round pick for miles sanders that makes sense to me uh joe says t higgins is a luxury item they don't need to spend their limited draft capital when there are immediate needs receiver room is very good tj coming back oh there's no question

about it i mean yeah i mean when you talk about luxury items, though, this is the time to get them, my friend. If you're ever trying to add bling to your house, now would be the time at five and up. If there's ever time where you're saying, can we get one more? Look, I like Jalen Naylor a lot. I really do. I think Jalen Naylor a lot. I really do.

I think Jalen Naylor is a terrific receiver. But if they had someone like T. Higgins and pushed Addison to wide receiver three, that is the best trio of receivers in the NFL in a very long time. And remember when the Cincinnati Bengals went to the Superbowl, they had one of the best trios of receivers in a very long time. T Higgins, Jamar chase, Tyler Boyd was actually good then not so much now, but he was actually good then. I mean, if Jordan Addison for a year is your wide receiver three, got to feel pretty good about that and Naylor can just come in and rotate T Higgins is an exceptional wide receiver it's a little it's crazy just a little

outside of the box there I wanted to think of something that was totally different from just saying defensive tackle running back I mean because I think that that's that's obvious you know in Blowfish's ads we have four good outside linebackers I know mean, cause I think that that's, that's obvious. Uh, you know, in blowfishes ads, we have four good outside linebackers. I know it's the same story though. It's the same story. I agree that running back cornerback depth defensive line. I agree that those are the obvious places to go. But if I told you that Khalil Mack could show up here, for example, I don't think they would trade them. Not where, uh, not Harbaugh, not where that team is, but just for example, if you were able to get a edge rusher that would allow Van Ginkle to move wherever he wants, could give Grenard a break, push Patrick Jones is into a

good role, Jihad Ward, but add just even more juice to that thing. I don't see a reason not to, if we're talking about add as much talent as you possibly can to this team. And if we're looking at the most valuable positions, then go for them and find ways to use those guys. I don't think Jalen Naylor is so good or Patrick Jones is so good that you couldn't have somebody else sort of supersede them. Jones has been good, but you know, he's gotten sacks, but as far as the actual pressures per snap, maybe a little bit of difficult to sustain over a season. And he's certainly not as good as someone who's, you know, excellent, excellent uh like a top draft pick like chase young so but you know it's just it's a thought thought experiment of like what what could you add to this to make it

even deeper and even better just because a position is filled doesn't mean you can't add a little more especially at the defensive line when your cup runneth over on the defensive line, that's just better for you. That means everybody is fresh all the time. Kerpluppi, do we have any temperature on if we're actually going to do a trade? When would you expect the hammer to drop? Thanks for the hard work, King. You're welcome. It's not hard work talking football with you, but sure thing. So the answer is my feeling. This is just my feeling. I'm not reporting. Okay. My feeling is that they would do a trade to add somebody who could help them potentially compete for a championship. And that feeling is largely based on what they did before, which is they got to this very point and they looked around and they said,

Hey, you know, we're, we're one of the best teams, the NFC. And even though in 2022, they were being talked about as frauds. And there was an element of that team that was unsustainable. We know that it was called the defense that was unsustainable, but it was still

one of those, Hey, you only get so many seasons where you are in line to win 13 games, go get as much talent as you can. And Oh, by the way, if you do it this way, you could keep the guy. And that was the deal with TJ Hawkinson. And that's why I'm looking at situations like that with a JC horn. And I'm sure there's others. And if you've got other ideas, send them my way. But I look at, this is kind of a, a hack to the draft. If you can use a trade on a player that you get to keep over multiple seasons and you have the cap space to do it, the 49ers did this. They acquired Christian McCaffrey and didn't they trade for Trent Williams too? They traded for guys who could make them significantly better in the short term, but over multiple seasons, not just,

Hey, it's a one-year deal. And then the guy hits free agency, or even if someone is an upcoming free agent, but they think, Hey, once you're in this building, we can give you a good offer. We can keep you here. That that's why I think the answer is yes. Also, I, this is a metrics team that looks at the numbers and evaluates how good you really are. And when you look at the Vikings on paper and it changes every week. Okay. So if they give up 58 points, this won't be true next week. But as of right now, as of when this decision gets to be made, the metrics point to the Vikings. The point differential is the simplest

one, but expected points added on both sides of the ball, success rate DVO way. They're the number one team in DVO way, which is the yardage statistic from Aaron shots. All the numbers are saying this team is good. Look at the competition. Look at the upcoming schedule. My temperature is out of a hundred potential degrees. I'm 90 degrees on that. They would make a trade if the opportunity comes around. I think that they will. I think that, and as far as when it could happen anytime, I wouldn't expect it maybe tomorrow, but where it would make the most sense is after the Rams game because they have an extended window there. Thursday night football. If you make the trade right before Thursday night football, the guy plays against Indianapolis, gets a whole week

to practice. That's where I would look for it if they're going to do it. Rob says, I think we should draft a running back, go for a two headed monster in the backfield. I like the ETN's name is being thrown around. ETN has not been the same, but I'm still interested because he was so good last year. That word draft is banned from the show currently. So I'm not going to talk about that.

But as far as ETN, we, in a week like this, we don't need to ever bring up next year's draft. Uh, but when it comes to the current running back situation, ETN was so good for the Jaguars last year, and it's maybe an odd situation or maybe is an injury they've got, they would have to know about that. But the two headed monster idea, I love it. I love the idea of, or really three headed monster, Aaron Jones running back that they trade for Ty Chandler is kind of the change of pace that they could bring in from time to time. I think that that type of option is, is a, is a really good one to solidify what they have in the backfield because right now it feels very thin.

It just feels very delicate in the backfield, and you saw it when Aaron Jones got hurt. It just doesn't look the same. Thoughts on Kyron Williams as a deadline trade? Does he play for the Rams? Isn't he for the Ramsams um if you're talking about the rams guy i don't know if i don't know what their deal is the rams strike me as a type of team that is much more along the lines of they're going to fight to the finish as opposed to trade away

their players that's how i look at it maybe they might but i don't know if they're trading away one of their best players at this point because they have Matthew Stafford. You really can't give up. Like you have to kind of fight and, and their division is not good. So you could always get on a run and get it on a playoff spot. Uh, Andrew says I'm still confused by not bringing back acres. I feel like, uh, a lot better with him in the RB room must. The only thing I could come up with there because Kevin O'Connell did not answer that question when he was asking about it. Oh, Mike, you were thinking of Raheem Mostert. I mean, Kyra Williams is a great player out there, but Mostert. Yeah. Yeah. I think he's banged up and old. So I'm not sure that that's the guy I would be looking at. I like the idea of Tony Pollard, Travis ETN a little bit less, but Tony Pollard is playing

great. He's on kind of a big contract, but the Vikings could afford that next year. And he could be their running back for next year. If Aaron Jones is done playing or, you know, I don't, I don't know what his situation is going to be. So, but that would give you the multi-year player is what I'm thinking with Tony Pollard as a potential option. As far as, you know, Cam Akers goes, I was, I really, really like Cam Akers a lot. I was so impressed with him and I think it must have come down to just the health situation.

He was coming off of two Achilles, and they probably gave him physical and checked him out physically and decided it wasn't a great idea. But I'm mostly with you. I thought he was coming back. Kyle says, Jeffrey Simmons trade after we destroy the Rams on primetime. Jeffrey Simmons would completely change this defense. He really would. He really would. If they could, I don't know how you get a player like that. I haven't seen anything that he's going to be traded. If you have, let me know

if there's an article or something like that. Let me know. But when it comes to Jeffrey Simmons, I've put him on my trade list just because I feel like they're in a position where you trade really expensive players and you start to tear it down and build from square one. But I don't see why they would do it because he's really good. And I don't think they expect to be down that long, but if he's miserable and he's trying to force his way out, which I think I would be if i was him could be he saw how nice it was here uh don't care bear says what's the real meaning behind the nfl flags behind you do you secretly wish for a vikings bills super bowl so for those listening on the audio version over my left shoulder is a vikings flag over my right shoulder is bills and then all the other teams have their own little

flags from the eighties or seventies, which were sent to me by a listener. So a listener found these flags in his garage and sent me an email and said, Hey, I found these awesome flags from like 40, 50 years ago, old NFL helmets. Do you want them? And I was working on decorating this studio here and I had bought the picture behind me. That's the U S bank stadium in downtown Minneapolis. And I pulled them out of the bag when I got them in the mail and I went, Oh my gosh, these are awesome. I love these. So I taped them up back there. But of course, the reason that I put the Bills and the Vikings as the two teams in the center are because I am from Buffalo and cover the Vikings. There wasn't too much thought about it.

Yep, that was it. And come on, if there was a Vikings and Bills Super Bowl, how great would that be? Two teams that have been so many times haven't won it of course of course that went into it yep uh but and i and i tried well it's so the there are some teams behind me that used to be in different conferences so there is that did i put them in the right divisions i don't think that i did did I put them no I didn't really think too much about the divisions I just kind of put them in random order other than that anyway so there's the story uh Blowfish is Latavius Murray still available I don't know if he wants to play I mean at this point he's like 34 years old and I know Latavius and he is a worldly gentleman.

It's a really smart guy. Uh, I know that he's got business stuff that he's into. I just don't know that he was always a, I can only make, I can only, or I can only play football forever. I don't think it was that kind of guy that would only play football forever, but maybe, maybe he's keeping himself in shape. He's probably like 35 also at this point. I'd rather trade for a younger running back than Murray,

but I mean, any opportunity to get Latavius back in the locker room would be good for all reporters. Mike says, crazy thought. Is there a special team signing that could make a difference? If you're a free agent now, you can't make a difference, most likely in the NFL. But I think with special teams are just worried about it too much. I mean, it was a bad game and I kind of in the Friday mailbag newsletter went off a little bit about this, but none of their numbers in terms of special teams are bad. It's just that they did some very stupid things against the Jets.

That's really all it was. Saw some of you calling for Matt Daniels to be fired, which is just, come on, guys. It was just a bad couple of plays that led to some penalties. You know, Jay Ward and Caleb Evansans who just probably shouldn't be playing the gunner position because that now naji thompson is gone there's just a couple of miscues maybe if there's a trade for i don't even know what a swap of fifths next year or in 2026 and you can bring in someone's good special teamer i really don't

know i think more than anything they've been totally fine on special teams outside of that one uh game where they had a few miscues and the one penalty was extremely questionable uh oh gosh says why don't we get Cordero Patterson back helps us in the running and return game. He's old as dirt, but worth a seventh. If they have a seventh, I think it's, is it just the first and two fifths or something? You guys know how sad draft season is going to be. That's why the word draft is banned for a really long time from the show, because what are you going to draft next year? Nothing with no picks is, I mean, I assume we'll do a draft show, but I'll just be talking about the other teams

at that point. And hopefully you all want to listen to that. Um, Cordero Patterson, always a yes for me. I don't know if he's got any bursts left though, uh, that he's had a lot of injuries. He's had a lot of time that he's missed. And I think that that train probably ran out when he was in Atlanta. He's just not the same type of player anymore. And once the burst goes away, it's just not the same guy. Um, as far as a return guy, I also think that it's Kevin O'Connell's plan to not return kicks and not allow the other team to return kicks. That just seems to be his approach. He just kick it out of the back of the end zone.

Now, as far as Patterson is a weapon, if Cordero looks like he did a few years ago, then yeah, I just don't know that that's what he's going to look like because he's had quite a few injuries along the way and it's just hard to expect him to be a significant weapon. And that that's kind of the issue. But I mean, he was one of the most popular Vikings. Maybe I just don't know what's there. I would have to see him play. And I haven't really seen him play this year. Has he been even in for Pittsburgh? Has he been playing? Cause I haven't really seen him play this year has he been even in for pittsburgh has he been playing because i i haven't caught any of him playing so far this year uh anyway so upcoming schedule on the show uh oh michael asks if i think uh they should bring patrick

peterson back yeah i talked about this a little earlier, Michael, I just, when we're talking about bringing back old Vikings, Thielen, Peterson, Patterson, Adrian Peterson got brought up the other night. I'm not sure that any of them are a good idea, even though everyone likes Patrick Peterson. Does he fit in what Brian Flores wants to do any better than anything else? Anyone else, right? Because we are talking about somebody who last year did drop off pretty significantly in his performance. He hasn't been playing at all.

How much can he really add to the cornerback group versus someone else that you could trade for if you needed cornerback depth or even just Fabian Morrow, who's played quite a bit in the NFL. I think, I mean, at this point in the game, maybe Fabian Morrow is in better shape to be a backup corner than Patrick Peterson is. Not that I would ever doubt Patrick, not that I would not be happy to have him back. He was our media good guy, one of the most pleasant people to deal with that I've had in my career. And I mean, when you're talking with him, you're like talking to royalty in the NFL. But I just when somebody hasn't played all season, how much are you getting there? I don't know. Maybe if they have an injury, I think the conversation changes a little bit.

Matt says coming in late here. Well, how dare you? Right. Any right guards on rookie deals the Vikings can trade for? Or is it just going to be Reisner? I was looking at this and I did not see anybody. And you'll you'll have to take a look, too. But oh, gosh, says I take back my

Cordero Patterson. He's a take. He's riding the pine. Yeah. I didn't think that I'd seen him at all. Um, so I just, it's probably over, but as far as the right guards, there's one guy at the right guard position that I think is worth trading for. That's Brandon Sheriff. We've talked about him a hundred times on the show over the years as someone they could potentially sign in free agency. And I saw somebody mentioned that he had talked about his two main targets for free agency had been the Vikings and the Jaguars came in with more money when he signed there. So maybe there's a potential option to swap for him at right guard. But if a team has a really good right guard on a rookie deal, they're probably not moving him because it's, there's just so few good right guards. I was looking up and down. If anyone's got a name,

let me know. I was looking up and down this league for a right guard who is both good and possibly tradable. And I that's Brandon Sheriff is the only one I could come up with. So I would do it, but he's the only one that I could come up with. And, uh, oh gosh, I would like to see a gadget guy in the Vikings offense. I agree, but I just, does he use them? Does he use that position? It just doesn't seem like he does. Kenny Wong could have been that never really did it. Even Jalen Naylor is ever so slightly this with a couple of reverses, but they don't

do stuff like that a lot. There isn't really somebody that has ever had that position with this team. Even Ty Chandler could be that like a little bit. Ryan Kelly, maybe, but are they making trades or are they kind of in a bad division fighting for potentially winning the division there? Ezra Cleveland.

Yeah. As some of the offensive line evaluation folks, you're never going to believe this has not been good for the vikings with the interior and trading ezra cleveland i just don't know i don't know what they didn't like about him i know that toughness was an element but all of his numbers have always been okay if not good i just don't really know why he needed to be shipped out that he his contract was coming up so they would have had to assign him to an extension but he was a developing player i thought as opposed to the right guard situation which has just been consistently bad

they may have made a bad choice there uh dividend lions says uh what's Lake and Tomlinson up to? I think that's his name. I is as Lake and Tomlinson every single year ever been connected to like, maybe the Vikings could trade for, I feel like he's always coming up and I don't know that he's ever actually been a good player, but he's big. I mean, at this point, Dalton Reisner, if you're looking outside the building, looking for trades and you saw a player with a very similar profile to Dalton Reisner, you would say, yeah, okay. That guy would be an upgrade. So, um, yeah, Matt says, Ezra Cleveland should have been a tackle. Yeah. I mean, the problem with drafting a guy

and moving him from tackle to guard is if he's not going to be able to do it right away and there's going to be a big learning curve there, then you're wasting his entire rookie contract. Developing him is at a position for somebody else, which is exactly what they did. They developed him for the Jaguars who stink and don't need him. Yeah, that's, that's the reality. Tight ends and guards and linemen in general are kind of like this. If you draft projects, you're often developing them for the next team. And because it takes quite a while to do anyway. Well, this has been another really fun show tomorrow night.

I will be live. Normally on Tuesday. Okay, that's funny. Andrew says, go get Taysom Hill. I think Hill's injured, isn't he? I think he got banged up. But tomorrow night, normally I run Tuesday morning Left Guard live on the show as a premiere on YouTube on Tuesday night. But Jeremiah has to record on Wednesday. Also, I am going to the Lynx game on Wednesday night, as opposed to going live, which means

that I will be going live tomorrow night. So we will see what develops. I'll hear from the coordinators tomorrow. All the coordinators talking tomorrow, that will be really good. And so we'll be talking to everybody tomorrow it'll be your night all questions nothing else all chat so look for that about seven o'clock tomorrow night on tuesday and uh we'll go from there that'll be really fun and the rest of the week searles uh hobie rt if you guys remember him from fox nine he's now in detroit i recorded a conversation with him earlier today really really fun discussion hobie's a great guy so look for that one and then everything else uh going forward that we usually have andrew kramer breaking down

the game all the usual suspects showing up and trevor sycamore as well from pff well i mean look you're not going to be short on content for the rest of the week. So thank you so much to everybody who joined. Great chat as always. Great questions. Always appreciate it. And we will talk to you guys tomorrow here live. So take care, everybody.

I forgot to say football. Football.