For a short period, all was right for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings had just survived a bizarre game with the Chicago Bears and had improved to 2-4 on the season. Winning with Justin Jefferson on the sidelines, the Vikings looked ahead to an important matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Beyond that, they had a schedule that didn’t seem all that daunting.
Crawling out of the NFC North’s cellar, the Vikings could see the light after losing four of their first five games. But like a lyric that Dan Campbell shouts on a daily basis, that light could be part of a well-laid trap planned by the football gods.
It starts with the situation the Vikings were walking into this past weekend. While Kevin O’Connell and the rest of the team were eager to focus on the Bears game, many media members focused on how the team would handle the trade deadline.
Danielle Hunter’s future seemed more interesting than how the Vikings would contain Justin Fields. Players who Minnesota could use as trade chips were more interesting than a Bears team that had just blown out the Washington Commanders. Kirk Cousins was even asked straight up if he would waive his trade clause, triggering a steely response from a quarterback who just wanted to walk out of Chicago with a win.
But the front office’s focus seemed to be in two different places on Saturday night. Rivals.com writer Charleston Bowes and ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported that Vikings general manager Kwesi-Adofo Mensah was in South Bend to scout USC’s Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported that they sent director of college scouting Mike Shoilton and college scout Sean Gustus to Chapel Hill to watch North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Minnesota’s heavy presence at two games with franchise-caliber quarterbacks seemed to signal their view on the future. But in a cruel twist, the football gods put a seed of doubt into their minds.
Williams had one of the worst games of his career, tossing three first-half interceptions in a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame. A nervous wreck while struggling against the blitz, Williams didn’t look anywhere near the prospect that has nearly everyone falling over themselves to select him with the No. 1-overall pick in next year’s draft.
Maye had a better overall stat line with 273 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-31 win over Miami, but three of those touchdowns went to Tar Heels phenom Tez Walker, and Maye only completed 51.5% of his passes.
It’s easy to write both of their performances as an off night. However, it’s concerning that it happened right in front of the Vikings’ brass. It’s possible that Adofo-Mensah and the contingent in Chapel Hill walked out of their respective stadiums wondering if Williams or Maye were as good as they were projected to be. Perhaps sticking with a reliable, veteran option like Cousins was best for the long-term future of the franchise.
Eventually, the sun came up and the Vikings were ready for their kickoff in Chicago. The game was about as gruesome as a Friday the 13th movie. Neither team looked like they had their mind set on winning the game.
Cousins was ultra-conservative while averaging 5.8 yards per attempt. Alexander Mattison had 22 touches while grinding out 72 total yards. The offense managed only two first downs in the second half. But it was Brian Flores’ defense that saved the day, buoyed by a 42-yard fumble return by Jordan Hicks to secure the win.
O’Connell went through his usual postgame speech and handed a game ball to his entire defense like he was Santa Claus warming up for the holiday season. But the Vikings’ victory led to another beacon of hope that was shining bright in the beautiful city of Cleveland.
The San Francisco 49ers battled the Cleveland Browns on the banks of Lake Erie, looking to remain in the unbeaten ranks. Injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel derailed one of the NFL’s juggernauts, and a missed field goal in the final seconds made Kyle Shanahan’s team look human in a 19-17 loss.
With McCaffrey and Samuel’s status uncertain for next week’s game against the Vikings, it could be the launch point of a stretch that could vault Minnesota back into contention.
If the Vikings can defeat the 49ers, they’ll be 3-4 ahead of their trip to face the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love does not look like Green Bay’s third-straight Hall of Fame quarterback, and the Packers are the type of average team that the Vikings have been throughout much of their existence.
A trip to Atlanta, where Arthur Smith hasn’t realized that giving the ball to Bijan Robinson is a good idea, also has the vibes of a Vikings win. While a visit from the New Orleans Saints isn’t quite as daunting when Sean Payton and Drew Brees were at the helm.
Going to face Payton’s current team, the Denver Broncos, also seems easier since it will likely be flexed out of primetime. A visit from the Bears, followed by a post-bye trip to Las Vegas, could lead the Vikings to either an eight-game winning streak that could put them back into contention in the NFC.
At that point, going for the NFC North title would be back on the table because three of their last four games are against the Packers and Detroit Lions. Even if the Vikings dropped a game in Cincinnati, they could go into a Christmas Eve matchup with the Lions with a 9-5 record.
If the Vikings win their final three games, it could be enough to make the playoffs or even win the division and host a home playoff game. A win in that game, combined with the Vikings’ observations of the quarterback class, could lead to another iron-clad extension for Cousins.
For some fans, this sounds like a dream scenario. They want to be “in the hunt” at the end of the year. They like the security that Cousins brings to the team. Even if they lose in the playoffs, a game in mid-January sounds like a more pleasant experience than watching it from the sidelines.
But this is where the football gods have laid the trap. The Vikings have won division titles and they’ve been bounced from the first round of the playoffs. Cousins and Minnesota’s performance didn’t indicate it was a game where the team was going to take off. Instead, it’s one where they got by against Tyson Bagent, who may have been sitting in section 403 when the game began.
The Vikings still aren’t securing the ball or successfully executing play calls at the line of scrimmage. They let Fields run around for most of the game before he suffered a hand injury. And they let Bagent drive into Vikings territory before chucking up a “mystery box” ball into Byron Murphy‘s hands.
Even Murphy’s fumble could have been a trap, convincing the Vikings that things are finally going their way with the first fumble recovery of the season. There’s a positive aura to all of this, but the front office has to ignore it.
The Vikings need a change. While they have tried it just about everywhere, Minnesota hasn’t tried it at quarterback in an effort to build a roster that could be a true contender. If they remain with the status quo, the Vikings will never get out of it. Getting stuck in the football god’s trap could be damaging for the franchise’s long-term future.
