Vikings vs Birdies

I'm not much for betting on any games...the over/under, the Las Vegas bet, any of that crap...my opinion is they still have to play the game.

I watched a little of the Falcons Bucs game on Sunday. Atlanta's defense against the Bucs looked like a completely different group from last year, and it almost is, with several new starters. 

Penix looked good too, but this is a more traditional offense that our front seven should show well against. Penix proved he can run in Tampa but he rarely does. RT Kaleb McGary is out for the season and his replacement is a well-below league-average player on his 5th team who gave up 5 pressures against the Bucs. Jake Matthews on the other side is typically solid, but didn't play well last week. Should see big days for Greenard and co. 

Fun fact: Atlanta shocked everyone by taking Penix in the '24 draft. They could've easily taken McCarthy out from under us and Penix would be the one playing in purple. These two QBs are going to be compared for the rest of their careers. 

Being at home will make a difference for the Vikings. 2nd year QB against Flores and a deafening crowd? Not easy. Vikings 24 Falcons 12.

MaroonBells wrote:
I watched a little of the Falcons Bucs game on Sunday. Atlanta's defense against the Bucs looked like a completely different group from last year, and it almost is, with several new starters. 

Penix looked good too, but this is a more traditional offense that our front seven should show well against. Penix proved he can run in Tampa but he rarely does. RT Kaleb McGary is out for the season and his replacement is a well-below league-average player on his 5th team who gave up 5 pressures against the Bucs. Jake Matthews on the other side is typically solid, but didn't play well last week. Should see big days for Greenard and co. 

Fun fact: Atlanta shocked everyone by taking Penix in the '24 draft. They could've easily taken McCarthy out from under us and Penix would be the one playing in purple. These two QBs are going to be compared for the rest of their careers. 

Being at home will make a difference for the Vikings. 2nd year QB against Flores and a deafening crowd? Not easy. Vikings 24 Falcons 12.

Honestly? I thought we were going to end-up with Penix at 11...I would have been ok with that except his injury history scared the bejeezus out of me. I liked everything else about the kid though. 

Daniels was my #1, Maye #2 and then either JJM or Penix. I cant recall watching a southpaw at QB since Kenny Stabler. Would have taken some getting used to and his throwing motion makes me queasy. 

Vikings cant take ATL lightly - they got some nice weapons. Getting Darrisaw back would be big.

MaroonBells wrote:
I watched a little of the Falcons Bucs game on Sunday. Atlanta's defense against the Bucs looked like a completely different group from last year, and it almost is, with several new starters. 

Penix looked good too, but this is a more traditional offense that our front seven should show well against. Penix proved he can run in Tampa but he rarely does. RT Kaleb McGary is out for the season and his replacement is a well-below league-average player on his 5th team who gave up 5 pressures against the Bucs. Jake Matthews on the other side is typically solid, but didn't play well last week. Should see big days for Greenard and co. 

Fun fact: Atlanta shocked everyone by taking Penix in the '24 draft. They could've easily taken McCarthy out from under us and Penix would be the one playing in purple. These two QBs are going to be compared for the rest of their careers. 

Being at home will make a difference for the Vikings. 2nd year QB against Flores and a deafening crowd? Not easy. Vikings 24 Falcons 12.

I always thought it would have been Nix.

There will be a lot of hype pregame on the Sunday Night broadcast about JJ's 4th quarter comeback. And the Penix-McCarthy battle, as the media likes to make it out that its the only battle going on in a game. Each game the O-line and D is going to become more cohesive and more effective in Minnesota. Fingers crossed Darrisaw starts, because the line rocked sans Skule.

I was relieved when Penix got selected. He's basically a hero up here (in WA state), but the injuries and some intangibles always made me leery.

I'm more than happy to have the QB that beat him on the a huge college FB stage, and who is hopefully aiming his own dogged determination to play 4 good quarters Sunday night.

After game one I would say the Vikings have two glaring weaknesses. One weakness will be resolved when Darrisaw returns. The other weakness is the defensive backfield. Lot of wide open receivers on Monday the QB couldn't hit. Penix should be more accurate. Hopefully the front seven will get enough pressure to help the back end out. Murphy is a good corner but not a great cover guy. Rodgers looked good. Okudah not so much. If he is out due to concussion, it may be addition by subtraction, unless they replace him with Moreau. I would rather see nudie get a chance.
If Darrisaw is back I would say the Vikings win 28 to 19. If not, they win 24 to 21.

I liked -1 a lot last week but -4.5 is probably enough points to scare me away. That's a big number based on 75% of the game film we just put out there.

EDIT- Line's already dropped to -3.5, sharps hammered the Falcons. -3 would have me thinkin...

From the 2023 QB draft class battle JJM plays Williams, Daniels, and Penix.
It's pretty amazing that his first two games are against his draft class.

FLVike wrote:
From the 2023 QB draft class battle JJM plays Williams, Daniels, and Penix. It's pretty amazing that his first two games are against his draft class.

I'm sure the NFL schedule makers realized that when they were putting it together.  Don't think it was coincidental.

McCarthy, Penix share the field again: The last time J.J. McCarthy played a game against Michael Penix Jr. was on Jan. 8, 2024, when Michigan defeated Washington 34-13 in the college football national championship game. That storyline will likely be referenced frequently on Sunday night, in a matchup NBC probably claimed for the early part of the season while both teams are still relevant. The Vikings spent time with Penix before last year’s draft, and took McCarthy two picks after the Falcons delivered the stunner of the night by selecting Penix eighth overall even though they’d just signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.

McCarthy looks to cap big week with home win: On Wednesday, McCarthy was named the NFC offensive player of the week for leading the Vikings’ comeback win in his hometown on Monday night. On Thursday, he left the Vikings’ facility following team meetings to be with his fiancée, Katya Kuropas, as she gave birth to the couple’s first child. It’s surely a week he’ll never forget, and he’ll finish it with his first start at U.S. Bank Stadium in prime time. The Falcons took Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker 15th overall to help a middling pass rush, and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (Atlanta’s third-round pick) had an impressive debut last week. But if the Vikings can give McCarthy time to throw, he could test the Falcons’ secondary.

Jefferson seeks a sharper outing: Though he caught McCarthy’s first NFL touchdown pass on Monday night, Justin Jefferson had an uncharacteristically sloppy start to the season, with two dropped passes and a few route-running errors. He took responsibility for McCarthy’s pick-six on Thursday, saying he needed to take two more steps in his route to time his break with McCarthy’s throw, and had several other routes he cut off short of the intended spot. “I’ve got to be better at detailing my route and getting to where I need to be,” he said.

Vikings get first look at Penix: Atlanta’s second-year quarterback was still the backup last December when the Falcons came to U.S. Bank Stadium. He took over the job from Cousins later that month, and threw for 298 yards and a touchdown while running for another score last week. Penix, who’s had two torn ACLs in his career, isn’t a frequent running threat (though the Vikings praised his mobility this week). He’s got the arm strength to push the ball downfield, and could look to Darnell Mooney to stretch the field if the receiver returns from injury this week. The Vikings could be without Andrew Van Ginkel because of a concussion this week; if they are, they’ll give Dallas Turner his first start as the second-year pass rusher tries to pressure Penix.

Robinson can ”ruin a game”: In the matchup between the teams last December, Bijan Robinson gained 92 yards on 22 carries, but the Vikings limited the eighth pick in the 2023 draft to two catches for 9 yards. That’s significant given the fact he caught 61 passes last year and posted 100 yards on six catches last week, including a swing pass he took 50 yards for a touchdown after Penix found the running back on a checkdown. “He’s as hard to tackle as there is in the National Football League,” Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “He’s got great vision. He can get to the perimeter. He’s certainly got the jump cut. He can put his foot in the ground if you overun it. It’s not just your normal swing routes to a running back. He can run slants and slant gos. He’s got the whole arsenal as far as route-running ability. I was telling our guys earlier, this guy can ruin a game.”

The Falcons‘ offensive weapons, especially with Robinson’s elusiveness and Drake London’s physicality, will test a Vikings defense that could be without at least two starters because of injury and had three defensive backs on the injury report this week. It will require the Vikings to get creative with their secondary, and they’ll need solid performances from players like cornerback Dwight McGlothern. But they’ll get a boost from a U.S. Bank Stadium crowd that should be electric on Sunday night, and their offense will have some favorable matchups against Atlanta’s defense. They’ll win their home opener in a close one. Vikings 23, Falcons 21

STRIB

purplefaithful wrote:
McCarthy, Penix share the field again: The last time J.J. McCarthy played a game against Michael Penix Jr. was on Jan. 8, 2024, when Michigan defeated Washington 34-13 in the college football national championship game. That storyline will likely be referenced frequently on Sunday night, in a matchup NBC probably claimed for the early part of the season while both teams are still relevant. The Vikings spent time with Penix before last year’s draft, and took McCarthy two picks after the Falcons delivered the stunner of the night by selecting Penix eighth overall even though they’d just signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.

McCarthy looks to cap big week with home win: On Wednesday, McCarthy was named the NFC offensive player of the week for leading the Vikings’ comeback win in his hometown on Monday night. On Thursday, he left the Vikings’ facility following team meetings to be with his fiancée, Katya Kuropas, as she gave birth to the couple’s first child. It’s surely a week he’ll never forget, and he’ll finish it with his first start at U.S. Bank Stadium in prime time. The Falcons took Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker 15th overall to help a middling pass rush, and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (Atlanta’s third-round pick) had an impressive debut last week. But if the Vikings can give McCarthy time to throw, he could test the Falcons’ secondary.

Jefferson seeks a sharper outing: Though he caught McCarthy’s first NFL touchdown pass on Monday night, Justin Jefferson had an uncharacteristically sloppy start to the season, with two dropped passes and a few route-running errors. He took responsibility for McCarthy’s pick-six on Thursday, saying he needed to take two more steps in his route to time his break with McCarthy’s throw, and had several other routes he cut off short of the intended spot. “I’ve got to be better at detailing my route and getting to where I need to be,” he said.

JJM should thank his god everyday for landing with KOC....Thats a good find Sticky.

I saw a little SKOL clap in there too lol!

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons' starting wide receiver corps has a clean bill of health for the first time in a month and a half.

Drake London and Darnell Mooney will not have any injury designation going into this weekend, which means both are expected to play in the Falcons' "Sunday Night Football" matchup at the Minnesota Vikings.

Both London and Mooney had been limited this week with shoulder injuries. London came out of last week's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an injury in the final minutes. Mooney, meanwhile, got hurt July 24, the first day of training camp, and just started practicing again two weeks ago.

London had 55 yards on eight receptions in Week 1. Last year, in his third season, London was fourth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,271), ninth in receptions (100) and tied for 11th in receiving touchdowns (9), all career highs for him.

Mooney had 992 yards on 64 catches and a career-high five touchdowns in 2024.

Falcons rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr. (groin) and rookie cornerback Billy Bowman (shoulder) are both considered questionable, though coach Raheem Morris said he felt good about both playing.

Reserve wide receiver Casey Washington (concussion) and return man Jamal Agnew have been ruled out. Cornerback Dee Alford will be the primary returner in Agnew's absence, Morris said.

ESPN

Vikings Position Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
Jeff Okudah CB Concussion DNP DNP                    Out
Andrew Van Ginkel OLB Concussion DNP DNP        Out
Christian Darrisaw T Knee FP LP                      Out
Harrison Smith S Illness LP LP                              Questionable
Josh Oliver TE Ankle DNP DNP -
Isaiah Rodgers CB Elbow - LP -
Ryan Kelly C Toe DNP DNP -
J.J. McCarthy QB Not Injury Related - Personal Matter - DNP -
Myles Price WR Knee LP LP -
Zavier Scott RB Ankle FP LP -
Jalen Nailor WR Hand FP FP -
Elijah Williams DL Hamstring FP FP -

This really sucks.

I imagine with the short week, the 2 in concussion protocol couldn't make it thru all the days per protocol.

Not having Darrisaw again and losing Gink this week will be tough.

Setback for Darrisaw or just caution? Let’s hope it’s the latter…

MAD GAINZ wrote:
Not having Darrisaw again and losing Gink this week will be tough.

Looks like Okudah too?

Turner and Skule are going to have to step-up at home.

hogjowlsjohnny wrote:
After game one I would say the Vikings have two glaring weaknesses. One weakness will be resolved when Darrisaw returns. The other weakness is the defensive backfield. Lot of wide open receivers on Monday the QB couldn't hit. Penix should be more accurate. Hopefully the front seven will get enough pressure to help the back end out. Murphy is a good corner but not a great cover guy. Rodgers looked good. Okudah not so much. If he is out due to concussion, it may be addition by subtraction, unless they replace him with Moreau. I would rather see nudie get a chance. If Darrisaw is back I would say the Vikings win 28 to 19. If not, they win 24 to 21.

Agreed, we cannot afford to have Bijan running loose at the boundaries like the bears backs did. Otherwise I thought the secondary was fine. Gonna be interesting to see what changes Bflo employs.  

I think it’s understandable that Caleb wiggled loose from our rush multiple times, he can be elusive in tight spaces.  I don’t think Penix is on that level. I think our rush thrives and gets home more this weekend

Losing Van Ginkel is huge, I think he is by far our most impactful defensive players, he was creating havoc all game last week. Also really hurts not to have Darrisaw back, so much for it was just about the turf last week.

This is why it is just crazy to have just 4 CBs on the roster. We have 3 now on the PS since we just picked up someone this week, but you really can't count on those guys not getting picked off the PS. Guessing Moreau will get the nod over Vaughn to be added for Sunday.

Time for Turner to show he was worth giving up half our draft for. I have a feeling someone like Richter or Murphy will make more of an impact.