#446: PUSHING BACK against Minnesota Vikings 'DIRTY VICTORY' vs. New York Jets

In this conversation, Minnesota Tim discusses the Minnesota Vikings' recent victory over the New York Jets, analyzing whether the game was as 'dirty' as perceived. He reflects on the performance of both teams, particularly Sam Darnold's struggles, and emphasizes the importance of the upcoming bye week for the Vikings to address their offensive issues while maintaining a perfect record.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
The Minnesota Vikings are five and zero, and they were
able to do that after winning a quote unquote dirty
football game against the New York Football Jets in a
twenty three seventeen victory. And I've just got a couple
of takeaways. I've got a couple of responses to that one.

(00:30):
My first response to the quote unquote dirty victory by
the Minnesota Vikings is was it actually as dirty as
we think it was? They were up seventeen to zero
in the first half. The Minnesota Vikings offense was not
as fluent as it has been through the first four

(00:51):
weeks of the season, but the New York Jets have
one of the top defenses in the NFL. It was
never gonna look as easy as it did versus the
New York Football Giants as it does against the Jets.
So I want to push back a little bit on
the dirtiness. Sam Darnold was not as crisp as he
was to the first four weeks of the season, but

(01:15):
he never was going to be that crisp all season long.
They were fourteen for thirty one. He had a passer
rating in the fifties. His QB hours like nineteen. It
wasn't great. Zero touchdowns, one pick, But how different would
be look how different would be looking at his performance
if C. J. Ham didn't run that into the end zone,

(01:39):
got stuffed at the one. Then the Minnesota Vikings do
a little play action fake he finds Josh Oliver or
Johnny Munt, some tight end or some fullback or some
receiver in the end zone. One touchdown, one pick, that
makes the statline look a lot better versus seven zero touchdowns.
One interception probably changes his passer rating a bunch, probably
changes his is QBR a bunch. So was this game

(02:04):
as dirty as we think it was? Aaron Jones gets hurt.
The Vikings offense isn't marching up and down the field,
but the Minnesota Vikings even stepped up when they needed to.
So I just don't know if it was as dirty
as we are saying that it was. But Luke Keickley

(02:25):
went on the k Adams Show, a former great linebacker
for the Carolina Panthers, That's who Luke Caikeley is, and
he had this to say about the Minnesota Vikings.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
I like what you're saying because I think it's important
that I think a lot of producers on a lot
of shows this morning, are crafting segments questions about the
Jets and what you're saying, which I find so incredible
and refreshing. What seemed to be saying is that this
win was much more about the Vikings than it is
about the Jets when.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
It shows, you know, this story line for the start
of the season is Sam Donald's lighting it up, blah
blah blah, and then yesterday he plays against a good defense,
he doesn't have his best game. The defense for the
Viking steps up and they can still find ways to win,
so they can win going away when Sam's plays great,
and then they can also win dirty games. And I
think that's just the mark of a good football team.

(03:20):
And I think a lot of credit needs to go
to Kevin O'Connell, Sam Donald, and Brian Flores for the
job that they've done this year.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Now I understand why the consensus is is that this
was a dirty football game for the Minnesota Vikings, especially
because they've been so lights out through the first four
weeks of the season. But they're still up seventeen to zero.
And when the Minnesota Vikings we're needing a score late

(03:49):
in that game, Sam Donald put together a drive and
they kick the field goal. You take away one bad
pass from Sam Donald on a third and fifth teen,
and the Minnesota Vikings probably blow out the Jets and
it's not even a discussion at this point. You get

(04:11):
rid of one bad pass from Sam Donald. So I
just don't know if it was as dirty as everyone
is saying it is. It wasn't pretty, but wasn't dirty,
I don't think so. They still went by six points
and the defense made plays when they needed to make plays.
Now I get why this is a consensus from people,

(04:37):
because the Minnesota Vikings weren't as smooth as they have
been throughout this regular season. I disagree with that premise,
but I get why people have it. And let me
respond to this premise that this was a dirty victory.
If this was and indeed a dirty victory by the
Minnesota Vikings, then they need to figure this out because

(05:03):
it is amazing and important that the Minnesota Vikings can
win with their C minus game, But it becomes a problem.
If you're needing to continue to win with your C
minus game, you're gonna have games where it's not an
a plus all around. And it certainly wasn't an a

(05:26):
plus offensively, but it wasn't an F it wasn't a
D minus. And when you have those games, it's good.
They can still win. But if it becomes a consistent
theme throughout the regular season where your offense is playing
at a C minus level, then it starts to become

(05:48):
a problem. So this bye week is very important for
the Minnesota Vikings, and it comes at a great time
in the regular season. You know, you're going into a
bye week, your five and zero, your offense is perfect.

Speaker 3 (05:59):
What do you work on?

Speaker 1 (06:01):
What's the problem? What needs to be fixed? While you're
five and zero, still you're often showed some rockiness versus
the New York Jets. Things could be improved upon, and
now you can enter the bye week looking at those
things and trying to fix those things, which is kind

(06:23):
of a good thing. You know, if you're five and
zero and you're torched the Jets forty to ten, what
is there to work on? What's the big thing that
needs to be fixed? So in all reality, it's kind
of a little backwards. It's a good thing that the
Minnesota Vikings had some struggles against the Jets, because now

(06:47):
that they are entering their bye week, they can work
and fix those things, versus struggling against the Lions and
then having a short week to prepare the following week.
So this is a big break for the Minnesota Vikings,
and even though it wasn't as dirty as I think
it was, it's good that they have a specific area

(07:11):
of focus entering this bye week that they can try
to fix. So that's my reaction. I continue to reaction
to the Vikings victory over the Jets