VikingsTerritory Breakdown - A Minnesota Vikings Radio Show

Things are getting down to the wire in the NFL Draft. We are two weeks out from the first day of the next era in Minnesota Vikings football, as they hold two draft picks in the first round of the upcoming draft. And we couldn’t be happier that it’s almost here.

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A couple weeks ago the Vikings made a trade with the Houston Texans to acquire the 23rd pick in the draft in 2024 draft to go along with their pick (11th overall), and all the subsequent speculation centers on them trading up in the first round to grab a QB of the future. That speculation carries some weight as the Vikings lost their QB of the present in free agency, so they definitely have to make moves to secure on going forward.

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Kwesi has been cookin,’ as all the kids like to say. After a banner week in free agency that saw the addition of several defensive performers, a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and the swiping of a fan-favorite running back from that rival team to the east, 

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Vikings GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah secured a trade of draft picks with the Houston Texans that appears to signal the Vikings’ desires to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft and grab their QB of the future.

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Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk all the Free Agency moves the Vikings made in day 1 of the legal tampering. The new NFL League year started this week with the “legal tampering” period on Monday and the Vikings made a huge splash—but it was kind of a belly flop.

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The NFL Combine ended last weekend and suddenly there is a little more NFL news to talk about. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell both spoke at the Combine and each made minor ripples in the vast waters of the offseason. (But we media types will create tsunamic speculation waves out of them.)

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The NFL salary cap went up this week to $255.4 million for 2024 season, up record $30.6 million from 2023. What does it mean? How does it affect the free agency market? How does it affect the Vikings situation which has to figure out what to do with pricy free agents to be, including Kirk Cousins, DE Danielle Hunter and the best player on their team in wide receiver Justin Jefferson? The bottom line is that increased money helps the Purple, but by how much?

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Kwesi has to upgrade his track record in both areas this offseason for the Vikings to improve and the fan base to get off his back. And that improvement starts next weekend when he heads to Indianapolis for the Combine, followed by free agency and the new league year, which being on March 13.

So, the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will take a look back at Kwesi’s record in free agency. Perhaps it will give us a guide to his way forward. The Vikings have some cap space. How is Kwesi going to use it? Tune in and check out our thoughts. 

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The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions—rinse, repeat. Taylor Swift was in the house to see it. Airplanes are fast. The San Francisco 49ers did just about everything they needed to do to win the game (save for not muffing an important punt), but they came up one score short (they will be back in the conversation next season, if they don’t try to sign Kirk Cousins, that is). The season is over; let the offseason begin.

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Speaking of the Vikings, anything can happen during the offseason, as well, and we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will get you prepared for it. The Vikings have a number of free agents on their roster, so expect a lot of change this offseason. We will break that down. Tune in and let the speculation begin.

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So, we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are on hand to investigate that. As always, it starts with the quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and after seeing Brock Purdy bring the Niners back from oblivion, chances are slimmer than ever that Kirk is heading to San Fran for a coach-and-QB reunion. So, let’s talk about it. Tune in to the VT Breakdown podcast and check it out.

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The Vikings and their fans watched week two of the NFL Playoffs from the sidelines, as their NFC North counterparts,

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Free agency is long off, and the NFL Draft even longer, but the discussion begins now. And the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory and purplePTSD and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to hammer it all out. Tune into the podcast and check it out.

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Thus begins the offseason of questions—tough questions to be answered in Year 3 of the Kwesi-KOC regime. Will the team draft a QB in the first round? Will they resign Kirk Cousins and Hunter? How much will they pay Jefferson? Will Brian Flores return? How many CBs will the team need to draft? 

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The Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers for a New Year’s Eve party at U.S. Bank Stadium and the fireworks were all green and yellow. The Packers whipped up on the Vikings 33-10 and basically eliminated the Purple from the playoffs (they still have a 3 percent chance to make them). The Vikings trotted out first-year quarterback Jaren Hall to face the Packers in a (near) elimination game and the rookie proved not to be ready for prime-time play.

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The Vikings lost another one-score game (30-24 versus the visiting Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium). They lost it once again at the goal line in the final minute. And they lost it one more time due to shaky quarterback play and multiple turnovers. The loss was a disappointing one in a season of them. But somehow the hapless Minnesota Vikings remain alive (but on life support) for their post-season prospects.

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In what might be the worst loss of the season, the Vikings lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in overtime. After building a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, the Vikings stalwart defense (which hadn’t given up a touchdown since the last series of the Denver Broncos game) gave up three consecutive scores in the fourth quarter and ultimately the game-winning field goal in OT for a dispiriting, debilitating and very disappointing 27-24 loss.

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Coming off the bye, the Vikings heads to Las Vegas where fortunes are gained (but more often lost in the casinos) and there are so many questions pestering the Purple personnel department: Who will start at QB? How much will JJ play and contribute? How much money should they give Kirk Cousins this offseason. Will any amount of money be enough for Brian Flores to return? Why can’t we have nice things?

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During their bye week, the Vikings nearly said bye-bye to their playoff chances. They held onto their 6th seed position in the NFC playoff picture, but the red-hot Green Bay Packers tied them at 6-6 and crept into the seventh spot. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also 6-6, so the Vikings playoff chances dropped to 41 percent and their margin for error plummeted to about zilch with five regular season games to go. It’s crunch time in Minnesota.

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Considering the full gamut of odd, bad, strange, embarrassing and downright maddening losses to the Chicago Bears, the Vikings sunk to a new low. It’s always weird when these two teams play in Chicago, or even worse, if it is Halloween Night. But on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings succumbed to the glare of full moon fever and were taken down by Chicago 12-10—in a game in which the Bears were the first team this season to win without scoring a touchdown.

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We've seen this before: the Vikings lose to a beatable team due to turnovers (including another one on their first drive). Even head coach agreed and said we had already learned this lesson before. But we were thinking that the Josh Dobbs Affect would erase that kind of thing. But the turnovers reared their ugly head and may have cost the Vikings a chance to win the NFC North Division in back-to-back seasons.

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The Vikings hosted the NFC South Division-leading New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, and we all know what happens when these two teams get together—stranger things. In this one, the Vikings teed up a blowout in the first half and then coasted (nervously) to their fifth win in a row. 

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The Vikings entered the game in position for postseason play (if the season ended then) despite
losing their QB1 last week, and this win certainly doesn’t change that prospect. With two
backup quarterbacks who showed poise, efficiency and promise in a season that was formerly
totally off the rails, suddenly the 5-4 Vikings have something going for them. And we here at
the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and
purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and
startribune.com) are here to talk about it all.

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Last Monday night the Vikings outplayed a very good San Francisco 49ers team to save their season. Check. This week, they went to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Packers with a chance to get to.500 on the year and vault back into playoff contention. Check again.

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It went well for the Vikings for a while—that Niner fumble was followed by a Niner missed field goal and the Vikings had a 10-0 lead. But the Niners scored before the half and then Jordan Addison got his redemption by stealing a pick from Charvarius Ward, the defending who stole reception from Addison on the third play of the game.

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We won’t bail them out at theVikings Territory Breakdown podcast (we being, Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory and purplePTSD and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune). We will hold the offense’s feet to the fire (even though wideout Justin Jefferson was on the sidelines on Sunday) and implore them to improve quickly.

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The Vikings are officially in trouble because after a season of close games, good luck and fortunate bounces of the football going their way, the opposite it is happening and the Vikings aren’t good enough to overcome those bounces. And we (Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startibrune.com) are here to discuss it all on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

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Kirk Cousins had one of his worst games as a Viking, yet still threw for two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson. The defense struggled to put much pressure on the rookie QB Bryce young early, but a number of Brian Flores blitzes, several great plays by Smith and a couple of Marcus Davenport sightings perhaps will stave off the trade Cousins and tank for Williams talk for at least a week.

We will have something to say also--(Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startibrune.com—on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. There is plenty to unpack in this first win and plenty to fear in this next game coming down the pipe—so tunie in and check it out!

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There is always a new way to win a football game—or if you happen to be affiliated with the Minnesota Vikings (a player, coach or fan), a new way to lose one. Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk about how the Vikings 0-3 start.

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They outplayed the Eagles for parts of the game but once again fumbled, stumbled and bumbled away a winnable game. That makes it seven turnovers in the first seven quarters of the season. Mark Craig and Joe Oberle talk Vikings 0-2 start.

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Well, there will be no beer sold the rest of the season at U.S. Bank Stadium . . . because the Vikings lost the opener. (Okay, that’s an old joke and is likely stale, but not as stale as the taste of this loss.) The Vikings were beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 on the home turf and it already puts them behind the eight-ball in the NFC North. 

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At long last, here we are—the start of the 2023 NFL Regular Season and the Vikings’ opening game of the year at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s a Bucs team that is not defending a Super Bowl title and does not have The G.O.A.T., seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady behind center. Unless he somehow un-retires this week.

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Stuff is starting to get real. The Vikings made their roster cuts this week and have been busy ever since that time backfilling holes in the roster for depth. GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah has frantically signed several players as head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores have put in requests for more players. Stuff is getting real with one week to go before the start of the 2023 NFL Regular Season.

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It was a spaghetti western for the Vikings in their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday—the good, the bad and the ugly. The good was some of what we’ve come to expect this offseason: Ivan Pace with another good game, Lewis Cine with a flash defensive play, Najee Thompson killing it on special teams. We saw that in week one and saw it again against the Titans on Saturday night.

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The Vikings are a third of the way through their preseason games and one half of the way through their two joint practices with the Tennessee Titans, so what do we know so far?

Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk 1st preseason game and what to expect for game 2. 

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The Vikings are making moves as they were well into their second week of training camp at TCO Performance Center. The injury bug has jumped up and bit them and forced several moves to fill out their training camp roster. 

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The deal is done. DE and edge rusher Danielle Hunter has signed a contract. The Purple faithful let out the collective breath they’ve been holding. Hunter signed a one-year deal for 17 mill and three mill in incentives. 

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Jeff Diamond is the perfect guest as training camp gets underway as the front office of current GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah works hard to get all his players happy with their compensation and on the field prepping for the season.

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There is plenty of fodder to talk over—including the number of hits he received last season (the most), how much the game means to Cousins on and off the course and his relationship with his new head coach Kevin O’Connell. Joe Oberle, senior writer for vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com, joins Mark Craig, Vikings writer and NFL Insider from the Star Tribune and startribune.com to hash it all over on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

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Kevin O’Connell finished his first season as an NFL head coach with a record of 13-4, an NFC North Division title for the Minnesota Vikings and a first-round exit in the playoffs. 

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Believe it or not, there are some things worth discussing about the Vikings. True, it is early July, but it is later than you think as we wind down the offseason toward training camp near the end of August.

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With the month of June nearly gone and training camp just around . . .  a couple corners, things are starting to heat up for the Vikings as they head toward 2023 season. Well, at least the temperature outside is heating up.

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If you want to have a discussion about the hot issues of the Vikings, the best place to start is with quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

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The Vikings are no longer “Cook-ing” with Dalvin. Last week, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finally pulled the trigger on the worst-kept secret personnel move of the offseason and released the seven-year running back. The Vikings and Cook reportedly could not reach an agreement on several things: a contract reduction, a restructuring so that they could trade him and, perhaps, even a reduced role in the wake of the re-signing of his backup Alexander Mattison for a cool seven million (starting running back money these days). 

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It ranked near the bottom last season, so any improvement the team makes on its 13-4 record with a first-round playoff exit is dependent upon the defense becoming much better in 2023. We all know that. The coaches know that. 

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In the 2023 season, the Vikings will go as the defense goes. With new defensive coordinator Brian Flores (B-Flo as he is known) in the house, the entirety of Purple Nation is hoping to see him take the Vikings' defense out of the basement and into relevance

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So, there’s no draft this past week. No schedule release. No football news?!! What ever will the league do to tackle our attention? How about making some changes, such as flexing games out of or into Thursday Night Football? That seemed to work as far as getting all of us rubes chirping on social media.

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There is indeed much planning to do around these games—and much analysis to do around the schedule (who’d have ever thunk it) and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune joins Joe Oberle from the vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com to do just that on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. Tune in and check it out. You must start planning where you will be watching the 2023 Vikings games.

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And so it begins. The Vikings will hold a rookie mini-camp this week that will include the six players they drafted in the 2023 NFL draft and the many undrafted free agents they picked up after its conclusion. It is an opportunity for them all to shine, begin to get acquainted with the game at the NFL level and for some, make a solid case for making the team.

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So let us continue the post-draft speculation on these picks right here (Hopefully we get it in under the wire before the much-too-early mocks for the 2024 NFL Draft start appearing—too late you say? Yeah, well, I suppose.) On the Vikings Territory Breakdown, Craig and Oberle will dissect the draft and see where the Vikings reached.

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Vikings have to do something, and we are to divine that for you at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. Mark Craig from the Star Tribune is publishing his mock draft and will reveal what is coming on Thursday night and who he thinks is heading to TCO Performance this summer. Expected the unexpected—not just from Kwesi, but from Joe Oberle’s reactions to anything Craig has to say.

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Former head coach Mike Zimmer said: “You can never have enough cornerbacks.” At least that’s what Joe Oberle, senior writer for Vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com believes. You will have to tune into the VT Breakdown podcast to find out where the Star Tribune NFL Insider/Vikings writerMark Craig comes down on the new acquisition.

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At three weeks out, the NFL Drafts draws near like a Viking ship approaching in the gloaming—silent and foreboding. So what happens when all the eyes of NFL fans are upon Roger Goodell as he trots out to the podium, pick in hand, and awaiting a bear hug from the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft? Is it a quarterback? (Likely.) Are the Panthers trading or picking? (Picking.) And is it the quarterback you expected to be throwing to Adam Thielen next season? (Remains to be seen.)

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The NFL owners and personnel all went south to play golf, have a couple of cocktails and discuss the league and see if there was any reason to change things in 2023. Well, it basically ended up being a trip south (good plan for Kwesi and KOC and the other northern team folks) for golf and drinks because they didn’t make many rules changes (at least not the ones I wanted). Good gig if you can get it.

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NFL free agency continues apace, and the Vikings are still engaged. They continued to make moves this past week, and it doesn’t appear they are quite done yet. Head coach Kevin O’Connell tapped a couple of his former players from the Los Angeles Rams in wide receiver Brandon Powell and linebacker Tony Reeder, and both moves should help fill a couple roster holes before the draft and give GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah a little more flexibility to choose the best player available—when he finally makes his first pick.

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The second week of free agency has begun and the Vikings have some work to do. They spent the first week moving and shaking up their roster in a frantic effort to get under the salary cap—actually succeeding in signing several new free agents despite their desperate cap number. (Once again, I will never understand the complex “Matrix” of the salary cap—thank goodness the Vikings have the One in executive VP of football operations Rob Brzezinsk.) There was significant bloodletting last week, but several tourniquets were applied.

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We will remember the “Old Trapper” on this week’s installment of the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, with stories of Bud and a look at his long and laudable legacy with the Vikings. We also examine the massive changes taking place on the current Vikings roster, as another Minnesotan, Adam Thielen, moves on from the Purple. Tune into VT Breakdown podcast for the latest.

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The dominos are falling. Longtime middle linebacker Eric Kendricks was released by the Vikings on Monday in a salary cap savings of $9.5 million. It is a difficult pill to swallow for all Vikings fans, as Kendricks has been one of the most productive players on the field during his eight-year career and one of the finest off the field as a former NFL Man of the year nominee. Kendricks has been an excellent member of the Vikings organization, and it is a huge loss for the team.

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On the docket this week we will talk about Kirk Cousins contract. There are reports that the Vikings aren’t going to extend him for another one-season contract, which leaves two choices: play out the existing one or extend him for a few more years while they try to find the QB of the future. We will postulate what to expect next. And we shudder in anticipation of the coming Kirkistan battle over the haters. We will even dive into Cousins on the Netflix NFL QB series. Not for the faint of heart.

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The snow is piling up this week like salary cap dollars have for the Vikings the past few seasons,  and they need to plow some of that cash out of here. It remains to be seen whose cash is extended, whose gets dumped and whose goes dead. They have a lot of decisions to make as we head into the new NFL year.

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So do we here at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (well not as much as Kwesi and KOC). Joe Oberle from VikingsTerritoryand purplePTSDand Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startribue.com are here to analyze everything those other two guys do until the start of next season.

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The Vikings made news during Super Bowl week by signing Brian Flores to be their next defensive coordinator. As many of the potential DC choices for GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah were signed away by other teams, the situation grew a bit desperate and it appeared the Purple might have to settle for the in-house choice, Mike Pettine—not exactly a name to rile up the fanbase.

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According to Mark Craig, NFL insider and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com, the defensive line is exactly where the Vikings should begin to rebuild the defense in the offseason.

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Everything is fair game for this team, as they figure out how to compete at the next level. And we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown Podcast are here to discuss it. The Star Tribune’s Mark Craig joins VT and purplePTSD writer Joe Oberle as they try to figure out the Vikings' next move and talk about the divisional round games and the last three games of the NFL season. Stop by and check it out.

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In 1998, Vikings placekicker Gary Anderson didn’t miss a field all season—until the playoffs. And now in 2022, Kirk Cousins and the Vikings didn’t lose a one-score game all season—until the playoffs. A coincidence? Yes—one has nothing to do with the other unless you think of them in terms of being the way the Vikings' fortunes turn from season to season. If the Vikings are going to win by a certain sword, they will eventually lose by it--and they did so on Sunday in their 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the Wild Card game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

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But no matter. The Vikings finished the season 13-4 and are onto the playoffs, hosting the New York Football Giants in a Wild Card tilt next Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. We saw them a few weeks ago when the Vikings squeaked by the G-Men on a walk-off, 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph, so there is plenty to preview about this big game. We will have it all for you here on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast with Joe Oberle from VT and purplePTSD and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune. Tune in and see how everyone around here is pretty happy.

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All of that happened in the game against the Packers. So, they need to flush this one and get back to work before the trip to the Windy City. Meanwhile, we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast Joe Oberle and Mark Craig are back to work to break down this mess at Lambeau and look at what comes next for the Vikings. Tune in and check out what will be an exciting final week to an already amazing 2022 regular season.

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Another week, another dramatic finish for the Minnesota Vikings, who have won a team record 11 wins by one score this season. This time they did it against a team, the New York Giants, who have won the second-most games by one score this season. So it was fitting. It was exciting. And It was a great way to start Christmas weekend. With a 27-24 win, the Vikings are 12-3, still in possession of the second-best record in the NFC and the second seed for the postseason and riding high into the holiday. But don’t take my word for it. Ask Greg Joseph, the kicker who hit a franchise-record 61-yard game-winning field goal as time ran out, how it feels to have those pressure moments placed at his feet.

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Will and Jordan reminisce about the Vikings miraculous 33-point, NFL-record-setting comeback on Saturday against the Colts. They praise KJ Osborn, the improved defense, Kirk Cousins, and Dalvin Cook. Jordan brings up an interesting thing to keep an eye on with Kevin O’Connell moving forward.

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There is no explanation for this madness, although we will attempt to give one on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. Mark Craig from the Star Tribune joins Joe Oberle from Vikingsterritory and PurplePTSD, who will put forth their best good faith effort to understand and then explain this and the whole season, for that matter. The bottom line is that the Purple is 11-4, 2022 NFC Division champs (King of the North!) and headed back to the playoffs. They have three games remaining to ensure a couple of those games could take place at U.S. Bank Stadium. Expect even more bananas action to ensue.

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Thus, we have the bandwagon jumping. Well, the hosts of Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast did not jump off the bandwagon—Joe Oberle from Vikingsterritory and purplePTSD is still riding high, while Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startribune.com was never on it. But we both will be on hand to discuss it all on the VT Breakdown podcast.

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The Vikings started fast, built an early lead, fell asleep during the third quarter and then hung on late to preserve a one-score victory (27-22).

It was solid early and exciting late and it appears there are two ways to look at how the Vikings now have won nine of their 10 victories. You could either say they know how to win close ballgames and are good enough to get the job done in dramatic fashion each week or you could say they are lucky to have the second-best record in the NFL and are not ready to make a deep dive into the post-season. Or you could say it’s a little of both—and Joe Oberle (from vikingsterritory and purplePSTD) and Mark Craig (from the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will take up that discussion on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

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We all knew the Vikings would play better against the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving Night than they did against the Dallas Cowboys four days prior. They couldn’t have played worse. We feared they might only just compete and then finally lose a close, one-score game to an inferior team. They were due for that. We hoped for another last-minute Purple victory and didn’t care how we got it. In the end, the Vikings made another dramatic, fourth-quarter comeback, requiring all facets of their team to chip in to secure it. And we got it with an exciting 33-26 win.

Of course, this all must be discussed. Mark Craig from the Star Tribune joins Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com to do jus that on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. Who are these Vikings? They seem to exist on the edge of resilience in close games and egg-laying in the face of equal or better opponents. They benefit from good luck while having some bad calls go against them. They play great at times in ways that give their fan base hope and then flop so epically that the ghosts of failures past rise up like zombies through the turf. We will discuss it all and preview what’s next, as the New York Jets fly into town in a week. Tune in and check it out.

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The Minnesota Vikings, fresh off a thrilling win in the “best game of the season” laid such a big egg on Sunday it can easily be considered the worst game of the season.

Well, we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast are anxious to join them. Joe Oberle from the VikingsTerritoryand purplePTSD and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune will be on hand to stick a fork in the past game and grab a spoonful of Patriots preview. Tune-in and check it out. Here’s hoping that Vikings fans experience a great Turkey Day and Night!

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Insanity. The Vikings beat the Bills 33-30 in Buffalo. That statement alone strains credulity. But the way it happened was otherworldly insane.

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The Vikings are 7-1 and tied for the second-best record in the league. Let me say again . . . the Vikings are . . . oh, never mind, just read it again. It’s not a misprint. With a 20-17 win over the Commanders in Washington, the Vikings are on a 6-game streak and they’ve all been one-score games. Last year they lost eight of those games. This is quite amazing to all those Purple fans and observers, so let’s get used to it. We need to embrace these tight-knit, one score games, because they are very good at winning them, and who knows if they will abate anytime soon.

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The Minnesota Vikings are 6-1—how does that feel? Are you loving it yet or are oyu smiling with your favorite beverage held in the air and then heading to the fridge for one more glass of liquid courage because you still aren’t sure what to make of it? Yeah, probably the latter. We all know what it’s like to be a Vikings fan—to have our preseason holes realized, our expectations given to rise and then our dreams dashed on the jagged shoreline of some foreign country called a championship. That’s okay. It’s part of the deal. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it along the way.

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If there is a dream scenario for a bye-week team it is to have your squad get some well-earned downtime, stay out of trouble off the field and have your rival teams lose ground. Well, the Vikings almost had the triumvirate last week.

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Minnesota Vikings fans woke up on Monday morning, October 17, 2022, and realized again their favorite team was tied for the second-best record in the NFL. It was true, no matter how much we rubbed our eyes, and shook our heads like a disbelieving cartoon dog. Just win, baby! The Vikings aren’t very pretty, but they are 5-1 going into the bye week, so perhaps it’s time to just “Enjoy the season!”

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The Minnesota Vikings came home from London and played a very good half of football against the visiting Chicago Bears until (presumably) the jet lag kicked in—forcing them to hold on for a 29-22 victory. The win vaulted them to 4-1 and solo possession of first place in the NFC North. That is great news, no mistake, but there is plenty for us to be concerned about given the Vikings’ penchant for close, one-score football games.

So, we (myself, Joe Oberle from VikingsTerritory and purplePTSD, and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to break it down for you. The VT Breakdown podcast fellas will point a sharp-focused lens on the current Vikings situation. Tune in and check out where we think the Purple will go next.

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You have to win these kinds of games in the NFL, because the Vikings have certainly lost them. They need to get better quick, however, or the games will all be like this—two of them already have. So, what must do next? Joe Oberle from Vikings Territory and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig of the Star Tribune will be on hand to do just to discuss it. Tune into the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast and get the latest.

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Listen to the Star Tribune’s Mark Craig and VT's own Joe Oberle on this week’s Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast as they talk about another Vikings game on Sunday and another head-scratcher for the Purple faithful.

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The Vikings move to 1-1 and into a tie for first place with every other team in the NFC North Division, with the Detroit Lions coming to town next week. And the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast dudes (Joe Oberle from VT and purplePTSD.com and the Star Tribune’s Mark Craig) are on hand to break it all down. For those fans not having a breakdown of their own (or not) after this big-time letdown of a game can tune into the podcast. It’s only week 2 of this NFL season, so there is plenty of football to be played and dissected. We’re here to help figure out where the Purple is heading next. Stop by!

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There were a lot of purple-helmeted heroes in such a solid and dominating victory—but too many mention them all here. Joe Oberle, senior writer for vikingterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, Vikings writer and NFL Insider for the Star Tribune and startribune.com will be on the VT Breakdown Podcast, attempting to talk about them all. (One of those guys picked the Vikings to win and the other did not—so you will want to check that recap out.)

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Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.comand purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, Vikings writer and NFL Insider for the Star Tribune newspaper and startribune.com are ready for some football. They are here each week on the VT Breakdown podcast to preview the games, breakdown the action and then analyze the results. Don’t miss the preview of this big game on VT Breakdown this week. This one sets up the whole season for Minnesota and it will tell us a lot about them going forward. Tune in and check it out!

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On cutdown day in the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings made some moves (in fact they made “moves like Jagger” to quote a popular song). The Vikings were tasked with paring their roster down to the 53-man limit by 3 p.m. Tuesday, and general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah took that journey along a most circuitous path. Kwesi cut at least one starter, traded away a potential starter and acquired another with some fast and furious cutdown-day moves.

He waived defensive end Armon Watts, who had a decent season last year but might not be the right fit for the new 3-4 defensive scheme. Watts had reached incentives in 2021 which raised his base salary to a number that didn’t appear to be tenable for this cap-tight roster. The Vikings then traded a 6th-round pick to the Houston Texans for their former second-round draft pick Ross Blacklock (and a 7th rounder), saving them more cap money.

Later in the day, the Vikings traded Jesse Davis (the odds-on-favorite to start at right guard when he was signed as a free agent this spring) to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 7th-round pick. Davis had lost playing time in the preseason to rookie guard Ed Ingram and it now appears he has won the RG starting job for the Vikings offense this season.

Finally, on Wednesday, the Vikings acquired wide receiver Jalen Reagor from the Philadelphia Eagles (for a 7th-round pick and a conditional fourth). Reagor was selected a pick ahead of Justin Jefferson in the 2020 draft—which should make for an interesting wide receiver room. Kwesi and head coach Kevin O’Connor are clearly building the team they want to build. It’s like it’s been a second draft day for this new regime.

Tack on the waiving of backup quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond (made possible by the trade for former Las Vegas Raiders backup QB Nick Mullens last week) and you have a jam-packed busy day for the Vikings personnel staff and for the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcasters—VT’s senior writer Joe Oberle and Star Tribune NFL Insider Mark Craig. The lads will break down a load of Purple cuts and look at who remains, either on the 53-man roster or the practice squad. There is plenty to tune in to check out, so we hope to see you there.

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Wake me up when the season starts. After two weeks of second and third-stringers, it is time to either get the starters in the game to knockoff the rust or go watch the Twins. The Vikings' offense was under whelming against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. After a week of hearing about fireworks and some great plays (and fiery words from one Kirk Cousins), we didn’t get to see the starters and the Vikings lost 17-7.

Talk about a buzzkill.

Nick Mullens joins the Vikings so we can skip talking about the regression from second-year quarterback Kellen Mond, who had some flashes but then threw two bad picks. Sean Mannion was more of the same, some moments bracketed by less than stellar play. (Although a nice throw up the seam to Zach Davidson, who dropped it on his way to a huge gain, could have changed our impression of Mannion.) And rookie corner back Andrew Booth, Jr., left the game limping badly on an injured ankle.

The defense played well and several of them distinguished themselves: Ty McGill (1.5 more sacks); LB Brian Asamoah shined again and looks like the real deal; and Ty Chandler ran his way into our hearts once again with a decent performance. And Mark Craig from the Star Tribune will be on hand at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast to discuss all of the above with co-host Joe Oberle, senior writer from VT and purplePTSD.com. They certainty spice up the doldrums of more preseason football to come.

There are only three preseason games this year and still the regular season can’t come soon enough. There is one more exhibition game next week in Denver—hopefully the starters can take the field to get in the swing of things before the season opener against the Packers. But the VT Breakdown pod fellas are in mid-season (well, mid-preseason form, anyway) so tune in and check it out.

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The Vikings travelled to Las Vegas this past weekend, not to bet on themselves to win the Super Bowl (they can’t do that, the betting part, I mean), but to face the Raiders in their first preseason game of the 2022season. There was good, there and was bad and there was not so pretty, but the Vikings although losers on the scoreboard, were winners in that the team finished the tilt fairly healthy (let that be the first healthy mention of the show).

They also gave us plenty to talk about on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast with VT senior writer Joe Oberle and Star Tribune Vikings and NFL writer Mark Craig. Some of our early perceptions were realized(Lewis Cine is fast, active and a hard hitter) and some of them demand more consideration(Kellen Mond played well enough at times to make us think that maybe, just maybe, the new regime can salvage him from Zimmer’s scrap heap).

There is now a new running back battle going as Kene Nwangwu and rookie Ty Chandler both splashed, flashed and dashed against the(admittedly) second or third string Raiders defense. Nonetheless, their proficiency had Twitter all atwitter about putting Alexander Mattison on the trading block for a center or back up QB, perhaps (good luck), because the RB room is pretty deep. We will dive into this topic.

The illegal contract penalty reared its ugly head as it has become a point of emphasis for referees this season, and the Vikings had three in the first half. Notably, rookie corner back Andrew Booth, Jr., had one on his way to a slightly disappointing performance after all the attention he has received early in camp. Booth will turn it around, as he gets used to the league and the position, but many of us were probably hoping for more.

We did get more out of linebacker Brian Asamoah and less out of backup QB Sean Mannion, both of which will be discussed on the podcast. Tune into the VT Breakdown podcast and check out our assessment as the Vikings first preseason of the season and get ready for number two this week.

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Week 3 of Vikings training camp is underway and the story lines keeping popping like the pads of a running back running off tackle. Head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke about his center Garrett Bradbury saying that he has been good against the run but not as good in pass protection. His starting position for the Purple in 2022 is not guaranteed and that will continue to be a storyline to follow throughout camp.

Which we, Joe Oberle and the Star Tribune’s NFL Insider Mark Craig are most certainly following on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. As the line goes, so goes the offense and the a big question mark right in the center of that unit is growing by the day at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

Another big storyline is the tight end position, which became a problem shortly after we taped out podcast last week. Starting tight end Irv Smith, Jr. left practice with an injury and the next day had surgery on his thumb. He was projected to be available for the Vikings opening regular season game against the Green Bay Packers, but nothing is for certain. The Vikings have a number of other tight ends in camp, and Craig and Oberle will take a look at the potion depth and Oberle will wring his hands over his upcoming decision in Fantasy Football at the tight end position.

Please tune into the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast for answers to burning questions to the Vikings team as they work their way toward the season. They might not be the right answers, but they are bound to be-entertaining!

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It’s Week 2 of Vikings Training Camp at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, and it’s time to let the hitting begin. The Vikings put the pads on for the first time this season and it wasn’t a moment too soon for rookie corner back Andrew Booth, Jr., who had already been mixing it up with his new team’s wide receivers last week in camp.

Booth covered Justin Jefferson last week and made a couple nice plays (including a diving interception) and this week he angered wide out Bisi Johnson, who is battling to make the team, and the pair had to be separated, according to training camp reports. Mark Craig NFL Insider and longtime Vikings writer for the Stat Tribune, has already come out and declared Booth to be a standout at camp and the odds-on favorite to grab a starting corner position. It will be interesting to hear what Craig has to say about Booth after seeing him in pads for the first time. Craig will let us know (and what other players are getting a lot of first team reps and garnering a lot of steam on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast this week.

He will be joined by co-host Joe Oberle (from VT and purplePTSD.com) to discuss some of the other happenings from Week 2 at camp. We know Craig is anxious to talk about the new suggestion to fans and media from Vikings brass to not film any of the plays in practice at TCO as those videos in the hands of the Vikings competition just might put the hometown team at a competitive disadvantage (of course that doesn’t take into consideration that any team opponent’s scout could come to practice and make their own videos. Does this smack of some Zimmer-era clandestine ops (such as never talking about injuries) or is that just run of the mill paranoia from any new or old coach in the NFL. It should be fun to hear what Craig has to say on that.

We will also talk about the news that former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen will be put into the Vikings Ring of Honor at U.S. Bank Stadium this season. The former “skullet-wearing” quarterback roping’ sack master will be getting his due on October 30 (during the Vikings-Cardinals game) and the VT Breakdown lads will be giving him his due this week. Tune in for that all the latest news from Vikings training camp.

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The Vikings are here! The Vikings are here! Well, they’re at TCO Performance Center, anyway, for the 2022 Training Camp. It is finally time to start looking toward the coming season, and the Purple story lines are beginning to pop.

There have been some minor roster adjustments coming out of camp (WR Blake Proehl and LB Ryan Connelly were put on the physically-unable-to-perform list to open training camp and a camp body was signed at TE); LB Jordan Hicks was not at the first practice and Troy Dye took his reps; Kellen Mond was seen splitting second-team reps with backup QB Sean Mannion at the first practice—be still our collective heart; CB Nate Hairston’s missed for a non-covid, non-injury, oh and Justin Jefferson made some comments on Kevin O’Connell’s previous stud receiver Cooper Kupp--and more.

Mark Craig, NFL Insider and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune is at his weekly post on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast to offer the inside scoop. Craig has a press credential out at TCO and will breakdown what’s been happening the first week at practice. (He is also a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter and may have some insight as to why Jim Marshall, a member of the final 25 on the Senior Circuit didn’t make the cut to the list of12.)

Tune into the VT Breakdown podcast to keep up on all the latest as the Vikings, under new general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah (who apparently is now staying too much?) and head coach O’Connell, get the 2022 season underway. This is a huge training camp for the Vikings and you can always find the inside story here. Tune in and check it out.

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Mark Craig and Joe Oberle talk Vikings.

The rubber is about to meet the road (and in this heat will likely melt), but it is time for the 2022 Minnesota Vikings Training Camp at TCO Performance Center in Eagan and we are all here for it. The off-season of change and massive expectations and speculation is over. Camp beings and it is now time to shut up and put up.

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Mark Craig, NFL Insider and longtime Vikings writer for the Star Tribune newspaper and startribune.com is also a HOF elector and has a vote on whether or not Marshall should finally get the call. Craig will be with us on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast to discuss the  election process for HOF inductees and perhaps give us an inkling on how difficult it is to make it from the Senior Division. While Craig is sworn to secrecy about much of the process, he has been there before and knows plenty about what Marshall is up against.

Craig and I will discuss Marshall and even Vikings’ former star running back Chuck Foreman, who deserves consideration for the Hall, as well. Don’t miss Craig’s thoughts on that.

In addition, the current Vikings are closing in on the 2022 Training Camp when things start to get real. And with a new head coach and general manager on board the biggest questions for the new regime is are they ready? There are some potential free agents still out there, some who have been linked to the Vikings (Ndamukong Suh, for one), so we’ll take a look at if any of these rumors are more than just social media click bait.

Finally, check into the VT Breakdown podcast for another round of Random Questions with Craig about the Vikings. Craig has been around a while (although he never misses an opportunity to remind me he hasn’t been around as long as I have) and he may have some interesting responses. It’s getting down to the wire for the Purple and Jim Marshall. Tune in to check it out.

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July 4th is behind us. The fireworks are past (at least my dog hopes that is the case). And now it is just a matter of surviving a hotter than hell July and waiting for the Vikings training camp to start. TheVikings will start reporting to TCO Performance Center during the last week ofJuly, with the first practice open to the public taking place on July 30thin something called: Back Together Saturday. I am not sure if that kind of moniker is for the benefit of the players or the fans, but we are all looking forward to the Vikings getting back onto the field.

There are so many questions to be answered by the team this season, which will be the first under new general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensahand head coach Kevin O’Connell. If you have been following along here at theVikings Territory Breakdown podcast, we haven’t always embraced the touchy, feely kumbaya approach of Kwesi and KOC, but hey, if it works, how are you going to knock it?

We just won’t know for a while if it works. One would presume that the new regime came from successful programs (SF and LA, respectively,with a stop along the way in Cleveland for Kwesi) and that they would bring along some things that work with them. So, very soon, we can start determining how it is working.

But until then, we have some questions. At least I, JoeOberle, senior writer at VT.com and purplePTSD.com have some. And we hope that MarkCraig from the Star Tribune and startribune.com has some answers. This week we will fire some of the following questions at him:

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So, with Cousins being the card, we decided to rank him here on Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startribune.com joins Joe Oberle from Vikings Territory.com and purplePTSD.com and weigh in on where we think he should be ranked and what other think.

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Actually, we are a bit early. Camp, which begins on July 25 (players report) is still more than a month away—it’s only the summer temps that are a tad bit early. So we will have to wait, and speculate. And there is much to speculate on. Last week on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, Joe Oberle, senior writer for VikingsTerritoryand purplePTSD and Mark Craig, NFL Insider and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune newspaper and Startribune.com speculate on the depth of the Vikings defense. There were a lot of changes to the defense this off-season, so depth could become an issue.

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Mark Craig of the Star Tribune isn't a big kumbaya kind of guy, so he will be on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast to douse the grill and shank a seven-iron out of bounds. Craig will also address the acquisition of new linebacker Andre Mintzie, who the Vikings picked up from Denver. Another Ed Dontell disciple in the house. The linebacker unit is going to change this season for Minnesota, and Craig joins VT senior writer Joe Oberle to discuss if it will be better than in the past.

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They say Kirk Cousins is a smart dude—just look at the contracts he has secured in Minnesota. Well, if reports we’re getting out of TCO Performance Center are valid, perhaps the Vikings need a refund. The Star Tribune’s NFL Insider Mark Craig has been at Vikings minicamp this week and so far he reports that Kirk is confused by Ed Donatell’s defensive scheme. (Please tell me Kellen Mond is picking it up . . . ).

Craig says the defense is ahead of the offense at this point, and the result has been a confused Cousins. Craig has seen several plays in 11 on 11 in which Kirk was throwing the ball away or holding on to it long after he would have been sacked. It’s early. No need to panic, Purple Nation. Maybe Kirk is still seeing Zimmer-disguised blitz ghosts and needs to clear his head.

And then maybe the defense is always ahead of the offense—particularly when the unit is learning a new offense—because a lot of the D’s job is to react and the offense needs time to get things tight. Or is it the other way around? Well, we’ll let Mark Craig, with his co-host Joe Oberle (who is as confused as Cousins), sort that out on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

There is news from Craig on the offensive line—particularly at the muddled right guard position. Craig will have some clarity for us. And QB 3 Kellen Mond was getting time with the second team during minicamp. Does that mean he is QB 2? Or does it mean Zimmer, I mean KOC, knows what he has in Sean Mannion? More intrigue to sort out—or to speculate on anyway.

Finally, we will take a deeper dive into the Donatell Defense. Are there any break-out performances? Will Lewis Cine make the scene as a starter? Are D and Za’D giving Kirk fits? The Vikings have had their last practice until Training Camp in late July (but there is an all-team cookout/picnic on the schedule that Kumbaya Craig is just geeked about), so stop by to get the latest until we get more. VT Breakdown podcast—check it out!

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins spoke last week and once again proved to be a master of allocution when faced with the media's questions. He demonstrated his agility behind a microphone, avoiding the rush of media inquiries and a deft touch in saying much without ever giving away any team secrets or providing a stark inspection of what lies behind his winning smile. It's great if you're a young fan wanting to hear from the star quarterback, but it's frustrating for members of the media trying to get the story and inside the QB’s head.

Kirk is adept at providing plenty of verbiage without really revealing much (not unlike this article), yet Joe Oberle, senior writer for Vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and Startribune.com will be here to break it down and mine it for every essential morsel. In fact, Kirk offered a glimpse of his duties under new head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, comparing to his time with flashcards “trying to memorize plays and terms and formations and protections and just the rules around all those things so it becomes instinctual” to an eighth-grader cramming for a quiz. A very Kirkian response in my opinion.

But he is primed to do the work. As is Adam Thielen, who said the following of KOC’s playbook on the Pat McAfee show: "It's wild, it's the most learning I've ever had to do." Well, they better get cramming on the new offense or the defense, newly liberated from Mike Zimmer’s clutches, will surpass them in effectiveness this season (not to be confused with ineffectiveness). To be sure, both units have a lot of classwork to do before training camp this season, so they must get the head spinning over with during OTAs.

Mark Craig has been out at TCO for OTAs and will be on hand at the VT Breakdown podcast to give us a report. The lads will also talk about the latest Vikings news, including wideout Dede Westrbrook coming in for a workout, the signing of wide receiver Albert Wilson to a one-year contract, Kellon Mond’s dad comments on his son in Zim’s doghouse (captured by the Pioneer Press’s Chris Tomasson) and the untimely and tragic death of former Vikings CB Jeff Gladney.

Tune in to the podcast for all the latest Purple Updates and we promise to answer each other’s questions with the same finesse and panache as our favorite Purple QB, Kirk Cousins.

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