November 21, 2025 • 22 mins
Tatum Everett from VEN is back for the MVP!
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome into the Minnesota Vikings Podcast, as we like to
call it MVP. I'm your host Tatum Everett from the
Vikings Entertainment Network and Minnesota returns to action this Sunday.
They dip back into divisional plays. They try to snap
a two game skin and work their way back into
playoff position. Sunday marks the one hundred and twenty seventh
regular season Border Battle. Head coach Kevin O'Connell is four
(00:30):
and two against the Pack and swept them last season. However,
Green Bay is six three and one this year and
currently sitting at second in the division. We'll hear from
the Packers side of things. We welcome in the head
Cheese Dave Sinnekon onto the show. But first, our dear
friend of the program, Eric Nordquist, joins us to give
us a pulse of the purple. Let's give a big
(00:52):
warm Welcome to Eric nord Quiz Preserve nine to noon.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Oh yeah, is it weird to clap for yourself?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
No, that wasn't That wasn't you. That was all the
live audience who.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Are learning from theater of the mind.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I love that, I love theater. Well, I actually want
to ask you about your mind, inside of it, in
your eyes, bigger rival. Bears are Packers for the Vikings.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Oh it's it's Packers, absolutely, And it is for me.
I mean divided household, my my father, grandfather, grandfather is
an owner as a matter of fact. Yes, Oh tough,
t fun fact, tough to mixed company. Father, lifelong Packers fan,
and and me. I I'm just all in on the purple.
So uh yeah, I think it's the Packers by ten miles.
(01:35):
I think in this division though, Packers, Bears and Lions.
There's a different kind of vitriol attached to each of
those teams for different reasons, But with the Packers, certainly
from a rivalry standpoint, stand up public enemy number one
for US Vikings fans.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah, how much does that change as you see the
team's jockey for NFC North divisional standings over the years.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, well it's that's a great question because if you
like in the now times now, I don't want the
Lions to win any game that includes us, and most
games that don't include us, but the Lions, you have
a hard time being mad at him because over the
last quarter century they've been so dreadful, empathetic and its
fans with the with the grocery.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Bags over their heads and all of that went.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Entire winless seasons that they've endured, and then it's kind
of a cool team, like you can't you know, you
can't hate Jared gar the whole.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Jamier Gibbs kind of a really cool player.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
That I wish we had the head coach is you know,
he's got the he's got the Copenhagen stains on the
bottom row. But but he's kind of he's a coach
you can understand why people play for.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
He gets the best out of this guy.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
So you know, on its face as a franchise, I
can't hate the Lions. I just despise the idea of
losing to them, which is why that win at ford
Field was so cool.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
That was really cool. Hoping for some of that magic
at lambeau Field on Sunday. So this is going to
be the first of two games against the Packers this season,
obviously by Vikings end the year against the Packers at home,
which will be super fun. Hopefully by the by the
end of it all, and hope it means something. That's
always the case and in order for it to mean something, Norto.
(03:12):
The Vikings need this win on the road. Both teams
kind of struggling to score recently. There's been a lot
of ups and downs right now in the last five weeks.
The Packers are averaging about twenty one point eight points,
but they had some two very low scoring numbers and
knocked that thing down, and then the VI game. Yeah,
the Vikings are averaging nineteen points a game.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, we could have used twenty one and change this
last Sunday.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
To use that. Yes, indeed, so so do you foresee
a low scoring game?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
You know?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
How does the elements play into it? All?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Well, I haven't looked at the weather rapport yet.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
It's like forty four and clear sky, so okay, so
kind of have a nice atmosphere on his probably pretty
nice day, Thank goodness. I don't think I could take
some snow there at all.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Well, I it's tough for me to predict high scoring
endeavors by our favorite team until we continue to see
maybe a little more consistency out of JJ McCarthy. This
does feel, though, similar to that ford Field game as
a reference the win over the Lions. This does feel
kind of like it's going to be a twenty seven
(04:19):
to twenty four as that game was, or twenty four
to twenty one.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
It does feel kind of in that range.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Where you know they're the Packers are sweating the health
of Josh Jacobs ye, and we are sweating the consistency
of our young QB from a health standpoint. The Vikings
might actually believe it or not. Don't tell anybody. There's
a chance this will be the first game of the
season where we actually see all the players that we
were excited about the scene in the season. So I
(04:45):
hope that takes place where we're sweating the consistency of
the of the kid in charge number nine. So this
does look like it's a game where it's a slog
at times. You're going to see, I mean, just the Packers'
ability to find explosive plays, the up and down nature
of Jordan Love. They experienced good times bad times with him,
but he finds his way and it is really impressive
(05:09):
at six three and one. Just some of the things
that they've been challenged with this year. I find it
this is going to be a game of who gets
that bigger explosive near.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
The end of the game.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
That might find their way into the winners circle.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah, I mean it's been a mix of outcomes for
the Packers QB against Brian Flores. Obviously, this Vikings team
blitz is the most in the NFL. Jordan Love has
had success against the Blitz over his career. However, last
year Vikings swept the Packers and actually Brian Flores is
undefeated at lambeau Field with the Vikings, so he kind
(05:46):
of seems like he's inside his head. Do we should
we expect that much from Brian Flores to be able
to outscheme what Jordan Love is capable of.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Well, if Josh Jacobs doesn't play. Part of the reason
I bring that up, that's kind of the a time
for them. Lafleur wants to run the ball forty times
a game, and he wants Jordan Love to be seventeen
to twenty one for two hundred yards, a couple of
touchdowns and a nice passer rating. So he wants efficiency
a couple of those explosives. And you know, whether that's
Matthew Golden. Christian Watson has emerged from obscurity. People forgot
(06:19):
about Christian Watson. Now he's scoring two tds. I think
in that most recent game they had with the Giants.
So I think that that plays into kind of what
you're talking about, the ups and downs of Jordan Love
and so what does that run game look like? And
then if because if they have to play left handed, yeah,
and they don't have Josh Jacobs. I think that's a
(06:40):
legit issue that the Packers may not be able to overcome.
Flores some of the issues he's had scheming against Ben Johnson.
He definitely does not have those in most other cases,
including this one. So I would anticipate and I trust
Flores to pitch another nice one at Lambeau on Sunday.
Whether or not he remains undefeated at Lambeau, Well, that's
(07:04):
dependent upon mister McCarthy.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Yes, yes, it is. It is, and that actually let's
talk about the protection for JJ McCarthy in this one.
I think obviously you're watching the blitz against Jordan Love,
but I think the other eye, the other storyline to
keep your eye on would be the Packers pass rush,
which is ranking top five in the league against this
o line, which you brought up a great point. Will
Ryan call I be back, We're unsure if not. It
(07:27):
is a group that's been together for a little bit
more than one.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Game, sixteen or seventeen.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Crazy, but you know, it looked like it was a
promising trend last week with the pre snap penalties. So
now you're going into a hostile, loud, Lambeau.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Crowd from eight fallse starts to just one.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
There we go there.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Week to week improvement, a.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Huge week to week improvement. So you but but now
you go into lambo, right, and you're up against this
pass rush in the what can you what can we
anticipate from that match up? That storyline?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Well, that's it's it's the same way we would talk
about when our front seven is cooking, how that might
help the situation on the back end.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
It's the same conversation with the Packers.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
The combination of Parsons and Edger and Cooper's really good
and you know.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
They what they do up front is special.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And Halfley's defense deserves some praise for very for very
valid reasons. Uh, the protection upfront is going to meet
a lot we've seen, you know, of all the negatives
talking about the quarterback and just inconsistency, lack of accuracy,
et cetera. Uh, the last two games, one sack I
believe in the Ravens game, wasn't not sacked in the
Bears game, and so the commitment or not commitment wrong seaword.
(08:45):
The right sea word is continuity. In terms of the
offensive line, we have seen improvement there. Now the improvement
has to happen with the kid behind him, but pass protection,
specifically with a healthy Aaron Jones picking up an extra runner,
picking up or assisting maybe potentially on the left side
if Parsons is coming in Edgar and Cooper. Again, I
(09:06):
mentioned these two names because they are absolute game wreckers
for the Green and Gold. And as we you know,
the many things we want the kid QB to improve on,
all of that becomes moot and the conversation is dead
if we can't give him even that two two and
a half seconds to process as he gets better at that,
(09:26):
to find the right read as he needs to get
better at that, and to play pitch and catch as
the coach says, that needs to get better. And it's
not going to get better if if McCarthy's laying on
his back and old number one's doing the sack dance
at his at his at his loss.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So you had a coach O'Connell on nine to Noon
this week for x's and o's what were what were
his main sentiments when it goes into you know, evolving
quarterback play for a young guy going into his only
sixth start of the year.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I cat, you know, I can only pick up because
they Kevin O'Connell. They are good conversations that he has
with us nine to noon, But it's not like he's
opening a vein and it's just the book is wide
open and we can read all the thoughts and all
the things that go into it.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
So my vibe with it, what I.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Take from it is the combination of managing what's around
JJ McCarthy while simultaneously on the fly raising JJ McCarthy
that this is the biggest adversity and the biggest challenge
of his coaching career, and the sentiments around it. I
still feel that optimism, which I believe there should be.
(10:35):
Through five starts, you can play player comparisons and hey,
look what Josh Allen did early in his career, right,
and then somebody will say, well he didn't have Jefferson
and Addison. Well, then I will say, well, actually they
had one of the better defenses in the NFL. They
were a playoff team the year before they got him,
by the way. But all the same, you can play
those comparison games and I think you lose a lot
in that where we're not at any point just talking
(10:58):
about just being patient, and Kevin O'Connell actually has been
really honest over the course of time where it's I'm
not shortening the playbook, I'm actually not making it easier
on him. I'm going to construct this thing to accentuate
the things he does best. But that doesn't mean it's
necessarily going to be easy, and we're going to do
things and in frame not just you know, challenge him
(11:20):
to improve, but put our team in the best place
to win. Balancing that clearly has been a mountainous journey,
but I still see the sentiments of optimism and from
a week to week basis finding new things that yeah,
this is better than a week before. Yes, this shows
that he gets it. Processing is improving here there. And
(11:43):
in the end, I think, what's kind of weird because
Vikings fans will get this just in terms of wanting
a franchise QB.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
We loved Kirk, we loved Farvin.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
O nine, These fleeting moments we want to raise somebody
that becomes a star. We found a kid after all
these years. He's actually really really good in the clutch moments,
which is very very historically on Viking's life. But now
he just doesn't do the other things. So in the
fourth quarter, fourth down, you need to have it, he
(12:14):
absolutely offers a dart and the dagger and gets into
the end zone. But in the second quarter, when it's
second and eight, he throws it ten feet over a
guy's head.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
So harness that clutch gene throughout right. So from clutch, yeah,
to touch? Can we get we got the clutch? Can
we get some touch on the fastball? I love that
your mind always thinks in like rhyme rap form, because
I know you do your montages and.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
The fans very high rhyme and alliteration. These are two
pillars of the fan.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yes, Well, one more fun question before we get going.
I would I wanted to know we're week eleven, it's
time to like, really the team's really takes take in shape.
You kind of like find who's having great seasons by now?
Who is one player that you are just so pleased
with and excited for in this offense or in this
(13:09):
in this on this roster. Okay that you just like
didn't think he'd like so much, but now you're like, man,
this guy's the best.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Well.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Eric Wilson has taken Ivan Pace's spot and he's not
giving it back. He's been a revelation week to week
and I love that. The other one, and we've talked
about him before, Jalen Redmond has again taken a spot,
taken advantage of it, and it's not necessarily just about
earning a roster. I mean the base level here in
a roster spot dig that. But now it's like you
(13:39):
can't take him off the field. He has to be
an integral part, not just to stopping the run, but
you're finding him in the backfield and he's affecting the
QBS as well.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And then you look at his backstory.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
There's there's blood clots, there's health, there's you know, just
tragic there there's.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Death in this kid's life.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And now you know he's he's making plays every single
Sunday and he's all effort, he's all energy, and it
just feels like nobody's happier to be on that field.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Thank you Nordo so much, really appreciate your time, your insight.
As always. You can hear him on nine to noon
on kfaan and listen to the breakdown of the game
on Vikings Famine on kfan afterwards. I personally love listening
to it on my drive home. We do have to
take a short break here on MVP though. On the
other side, we'll dive deeper into this matchup with kfan
(14:29):
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(15:11):
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luxury of Spolan Montage. Welcome back into the Minnesota Vikings podcast.
I'm your host, Tatum Everett and the Vikings look to
break a two game losing streak when they make the
trip out to lambeau Field for Border Battle, part one
(15:31):
of the twenty twenty five season. To get us primed
and ready for this matchup, we've got the tc head Cheese.
You know him from his thirty year run with Packers.
Preview on KFN, Dave sinecon joins us. Hello, Dave Hatum,
how you doing doing wonderful? Actually really excited to officially
meet you. Thanks for providing some time for us.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
My pleasure. It's Border Battle week. It's what we all
wait for every season, so I can't wait to get
into it.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
I bet are you headed to the game?
Speaker 4 (15:57):
I am not. I have three kids coming home from
college over the weekend. They're all going to hunker down
and hang out and watch the game together. Two of
my kids are Packer fans, Jackson's a misguided Viking fan.
But it's always fun to watch all together, to watch these.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Games, well, Dave. Your latest article on Zone Coverage, you wrote,
after the Giants win, it wasn't a giant leap, but
they take a step forward. What did you mean by that?
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Well, after two consecutive losses at Lambeau, something that Matt
Lafleur has never had happen in back to back weeks,
it's hard to know what to expect from Green Bay.
They seemed to have played down to their competition, so
I wasn't expecting this robust performance to break out of
the fog. And it looked like the team that we
thought the Packers were after a couple of weeks. But
I saw just a few encouraging signs. The fact that
the offense got untracked and put points on the board.
(16:39):
I'll get against a mediocre Giants defense. Yeah, I was
worried about the you know, facing a team right after
they fired their coach, and here comes Jamis Winston to
rally the troops, and it was hard to really know, like,
are you catching the Giants at a really bad time
because they're gonna be fired up. So I kind of
had these expectations that were just let's get in there
and get a win, because the last time Green Bay
went there two years ago a backup quarter Tommy DeVito,
(17:01):
sprung the upset on Green Bay. They've kind of been
a house of horror. So I just wanted to see progress,
and I thought the offense showed progress. The defense, while
not great, made big plays at key moments, as they've
done all seasons. So encouraging that they got off the
two loss snide. But I'm not ready to jump up
and down and wave my cheese head just yet.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I mean they faced a lot of adversity in
that game. Albeit Jordan Love missing some time but getting
back into the game. What do you think the status
for his I know it's early in the week as
we record this, so not too much out there, just
as a forewarning for those listening, But do you think
this is something he'll just be able to battle back
from for Sunday?
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Well, I think he'll be okay as long as he
doesn't get hit again. You know, if he lands on
that left shoulder again, who knows. I was very concerned
that maybe it was just the adrenaline of the game
once he came back, and then when he got out
and got tested, there might be some problems. It does
sound like he dodged anything serious. But it's a shoulder.
It's not as throwing shoulder, but this just in You know,
quarterbacks need their arms. So I think he'll be fine
(18:04):
as long as Green Bay protects him a little bit.
It is nice to know that if he's got to
go get some tests done, you can have a guy
like Malik Willis step in and actually he jumps started
the offense, put him on the scoreboard in the seven
plays he was out there. He actually got things going.
So it's nice to know they've got something if Jordan
can't go for a while. But yeah, I'm more concerned
about Josh Jacobs, who misspractice on Wednesday's day to day,
(18:28):
and you know they got two games now over the
next ten days. They obviously play Thanksgiving in Detroit, and
so I'm I'm a little nervous that they might decide
to just be safe with Jacobs and maybe if it's
a couple extra days, make sure he's out there for Detroit.
So that's the offensive injury I'm really keenly focused on
this week.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yeah, of course, how much does his availability affect the
Packers offense as.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
A whole, Well, he's what makes the offense go and
that the reason green Bay's offense has been really kind
of stuck in neutral a lot this season is that
the running game just hasn't got on track. It's not
necessarily Jacobs, it's the offensive line has not block run
like they did a year ago. It's just been really
slow to go with a new fangled interior. They're getting healthier,
they're getting better. We saw signs on Sunday. He was
(19:14):
only out there for a handful of carries, but he
averaged five and a half yards of carry. He does
make the offense go. Melafloor wants to be a run
first coach, like you know his mentor you know Kyle Shanahan.
That's how their offense starts is with the running game.
So if he can't go, Emmanuel Wilson gets the main job.
But you'll see a lot of Chris Brooks, the number
(19:34):
three guy who doesn't get a lot of run, but
he's a really good blitz pickup guy, pass protector. Green
Bay's play at the day last Sunday was a big time.
I'm sure you saw it. That third and ten bomb
to save on Williams. If Chris Brooks doesn't pick up
a blitz and hold this guy off for as long
as Love needed to that play doesn't happen. He's kind
of an unsung hero, and I think you'll see almost
(19:56):
a split between both Wilson and Brooks because we know
Brian Flores is gonna blitz early and off and against.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
What gives you that impression and blitzes. It's funny you
say that there's a split, though. I think Josh Jacobs
accounts for almost forty percent of the offense for the Packers,
and so without him, they definitely have some voids to
be full and Brian Flores is probably preparing for it
either way. What is it about what do you enjoy
the most? Rather about the chess match between Jordan Love
(20:26):
and Brian Flores's defensive front.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Yeah. Well, obviously, like most quarterbacks, Leve will struggle if
there's somebody in his face. I think that Love's quick
decision making has really improved, his confidence, has improved, a
trust that the Packers' offensive coaches have, and love to
dissect what might be coming, even though it's impossible to
know exactly who's common who's dropping with Brian Flores, but
I think they've really come to a point in the
(20:50):
relationship with Laflora Love where the trust is starting to
get there. The problem is a lot of his favorite
pass catching options just can't stay on the field so
to develop the chemistry, and when you just don't have
guys that are out there consistently practicing, some of that
isn't as crisp as you'd like it to be. But
I think that overall, you know, Jorda Love will throw
(21:11):
a couple of balls every week that make you just
close your eyes and pray, like that passed to Sabione
Williams last week. But when the chips are down, if
it's a close game late, he's proven this year. I
mean four Cup fourth quarter comebacks, three are wins, one
or a tie, all on the road. So he's really
when the chips are down, when things are getting tight,
he's proven that he's up to that challenge and can
(21:32):
take whatever that defense gives you, and obviously hasn't been successful.
If I can swept the Packers last year, we'll see
what Love has learned when they meet again on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, I mean he's on pace for career highs and
completion percentage, passing, touchdown interception ratio, and passer rating. Dave,
we really appreciate you spending some time with us today.
I would say best of luck, but I really think
the Purple need to get this one off their back.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
I get it. I get it. Great to chat with
to Jadam, thanks for likewise, look forward to doing it
again sometimes.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Thank you. Dave really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you. A
big thank you to Eric Nordquist and Dave Sinekin for
being a part of MVP this week. Vikings back in
action on Sunday from lambeau Field and Green Bay. Vikings
and Packers kick off at noon right here on KFN,
or you can watch it on Fox. I'm your host,
(22:22):
Tedum Everett, and thank you for listening. School Vikings. Minnesota
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up now at startribune dot com slash Strib Varsity
Welcome into the Minnesota Vikings Podcast, as we like to
call it MVP. I'm your host Tatum Everett from the
Vikings Entertainment Network and Minnesota returns to action this Sunday.
They dip back into divisional plays. They try to snap
a two game skin and work their way back into
playoff position. Sunday marks the one hundred and twenty seventh
regular season Border Battle. Head coach Kevin O'Connell is four
(00:30):
and two against the Pack and swept them last season. However,
Green Bay is six three and one this year and
currently sitting at second in the division. We'll hear from
the Packers side of things. We welcome in the head
Cheese Dave Sinnekon onto the show. But first, our dear
friend of the program, Eric Nordquist, joins us to give
us a pulse of the purple. Let's give a big
(00:52):
warm Welcome to Eric nord Quiz Preserve nine to noon.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Oh yeah, is it weird to clap for yourself?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
No, that wasn't That wasn't you. That was all the
live audience who.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Are learning from theater of the mind.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I love that, I love theater. Well, I actually want
to ask you about your mind, inside of it, in
your eyes, bigger rival. Bears are Packers for the Vikings.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Oh it's it's Packers, absolutely, And it is for me.
I mean divided household, my my father, grandfather, grandfather is
an owner as a matter of fact. Yes, Oh tough,
t fun fact, tough to mixed company. Father, lifelong Packers fan,
and and me. I I'm just all in on the purple.
So uh yeah, I think it's the Packers by ten miles.
(01:35):
I think in this division though, Packers, Bears and Lions.
There's a different kind of vitriol attached to each of
those teams for different reasons, But with the Packers, certainly
from a rivalry standpoint, stand up public enemy number one
for US Vikings fans.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah, how much does that change as you see the
team's jockey for NFC North divisional standings over the years.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, well it's that's a great question because if you
like in the now times now, I don't want the
Lions to win any game that includes us, and most
games that don't include us, but the Lions, you have
a hard time being mad at him because over the
last quarter century they've been so dreadful, empathetic and its
fans with the with the grocery.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Bags over their heads and all of that went.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Entire winless seasons that they've endured, and then it's kind
of a cool team, like you can't you know, you
can't hate Jared gar the whole.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Jamier Gibbs kind of a really cool player.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
That I wish we had the head coach is you know,
he's got the he's got the Copenhagen stains on the
bottom row. But but he's kind of he's a coach
you can understand why people play for.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
He gets the best out of this guy.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
So you know, on its face as a franchise, I
can't hate the Lions. I just despise the idea of
losing to them, which is why that win at ford
Field was so cool.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
That was really cool. Hoping for some of that magic
at lambeau Field on Sunday. So this is going to
be the first of two games against the Packers this season,
obviously by Vikings end the year against the Packers at home,
which will be super fun. Hopefully by the by the
end of it all, and hope it means something. That's
always the case and in order for it to mean something, Norto.
(03:12):
The Vikings need this win on the road. Both teams
kind of struggling to score recently. There's been a lot
of ups and downs right now in the last five weeks.
The Packers are averaging about twenty one point eight points,
but they had some two very low scoring numbers and
knocked that thing down, and then the VI game. Yeah,
the Vikings are averaging nineteen points a game.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, we could have used twenty one and change this
last Sunday.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
To use that. Yes, indeed, so so do you foresee
a low scoring game?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
You know?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
How does the elements play into it? All?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Well, I haven't looked at the weather rapport yet.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
It's like forty four and clear sky, so okay, so
kind of have a nice atmosphere on his probably pretty
nice day, Thank goodness. I don't think I could take
some snow there at all.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Well, I it's tough for me to predict high scoring
endeavors by our favorite team until we continue to see
maybe a little more consistency out of JJ McCarthy. This
does feel, though, similar to that ford Field game as
a reference the win over the Lions. This does feel
kind of like it's going to be a twenty seven
(04:19):
to twenty four as that game was, or twenty four
to twenty one.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
It does feel kind of in that range.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Where you know they're the Packers are sweating the health
of Josh Jacobs ye, and we are sweating the consistency
of our young QB from a health standpoint. The Vikings
might actually believe it or not. Don't tell anybody. There's
a chance this will be the first game of the
season where we actually see all the players that we
were excited about the scene in the season. So I
(04:45):
hope that takes place where we're sweating the consistency of
the of the kid in charge number nine. So this
does look like it's a game where it's a slog
at times. You're going to see, I mean, just the Packers'
ability to find explosive plays, the up and down nature
of Jordan Love. They experienced good times bad times with him,
but he finds his way and it is really impressive
(05:09):
at six three and one. Just some of the things
that they've been challenged with this year. I find it
this is going to be a game of who gets
that bigger explosive near.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
The end of the game.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
That might find their way into the winners circle.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah, I mean it's been a mix of outcomes for
the Packers QB against Brian Flores. Obviously, this Vikings team
blitz is the most in the NFL. Jordan Love has
had success against the Blitz over his career. However, last
year Vikings swept the Packers and actually Brian Flores is
undefeated at lambeau Field with the Vikings, so he kind
(05:46):
of seems like he's inside his head. Do we should
we expect that much from Brian Flores to be able
to outscheme what Jordan Love is capable of.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Well, if Josh Jacobs doesn't play. Part of the reason
I bring that up, that's kind of the a time
for them. Lafleur wants to run the ball forty times
a game, and he wants Jordan Love to be seventeen
to twenty one for two hundred yards, a couple of
touchdowns and a nice passer rating. So he wants efficiency
a couple of those explosives. And you know, whether that's
Matthew Golden. Christian Watson has emerged from obscurity. People forgot
(06:19):
about Christian Watson. Now he's scoring two tds. I think
in that most recent game they had with the Giants.
So I think that that plays into kind of what
you're talking about, the ups and downs of Jordan Love
and so what does that run game look like? And
then if because if they have to play left handed, yeah,
and they don't have Josh Jacobs. I think that's a
(06:40):
legit issue that the Packers may not be able to overcome.
Flores some of the issues he's had scheming against Ben Johnson.
He definitely does not have those in most other cases,
including this one. So I would anticipate and I trust
Flores to pitch another nice one at Lambeau on Sunday.
Whether or not he remains undefeated at Lambeau, Well, that's
(07:04):
dependent upon mister McCarthy.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Yes, yes, it is. It is, and that actually let's
talk about the protection for JJ McCarthy in this one.
I think obviously you're watching the blitz against Jordan Love,
but I think the other eye, the other storyline to
keep your eye on would be the Packers pass rush,
which is ranking top five in the league against this
o line, which you brought up a great point. Will
Ryan call I be back, We're unsure if not. It
(07:27):
is a group that's been together for a little bit
more than one.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Game, sixteen or seventeen.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Crazy, but you know, it looked like it was a
promising trend last week with the pre snap penalties. So
now you're going into a hostile, loud, Lambeau.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Crowd from eight fallse starts to just one.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
There we go there.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Week to week improvement, a.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Huge week to week improvement. So you but but now
you go into lambo, right, and you're up against this
pass rush in the what can you what can we
anticipate from that match up? That storyline?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Well, that's it's it's the same way we would talk
about when our front seven is cooking, how that might
help the situation on the back end.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
It's the same conversation with the Packers.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
The combination of Parsons and Edger and Cooper's really good
and you know.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
They what they do up front is special.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And Halfley's defense deserves some praise for very for very
valid reasons. Uh, the protection upfront is going to meet
a lot we've seen, you know, of all the negatives
talking about the quarterback and just inconsistency, lack of accuracy,
et cetera. Uh, the last two games, one sack I
believe in the Ravens game, wasn't not sacked in the
Bears game, and so the commitment or not commitment wrong seaword.
(08:45):
The right sea word is continuity. In terms of the
offensive line, we have seen improvement there. Now the improvement
has to happen with the kid behind him, but pass protection,
specifically with a healthy Aaron Jones picking up an extra runner,
picking up or assisting maybe potentially on the left side
if Parsons is coming in Edgar and Cooper. Again, I
(09:06):
mentioned these two names because they are absolute game wreckers
for the Green and Gold. And as we you know,
the many things we want the kid QB to improve on,
all of that becomes moot and the conversation is dead
if we can't give him even that two two and
a half seconds to process as he gets better at that,
(09:26):
to find the right read as he needs to get
better at that, and to play pitch and catch as
the coach says, that needs to get better. And it's
not going to get better if if McCarthy's laying on
his back and old number one's doing the sack dance
at his at his at his loss.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So you had a coach O'Connell on nine to Noon
this week for x's and o's what were what were
his main sentiments when it goes into you know, evolving
quarterback play for a young guy going into his only
sixth start of the year.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I cat, you know, I can only pick up because
they Kevin O'Connell. They are good conversations that he has
with us nine to noon, But it's not like he's
opening a vein and it's just the book is wide
open and we can read all the thoughts and all
the things that go into it.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
So my vibe with it, what I.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Take from it is the combination of managing what's around
JJ McCarthy while simultaneously on the fly raising JJ McCarthy
that this is the biggest adversity and the biggest challenge
of his coaching career, and the sentiments around it. I
still feel that optimism, which I believe there should be.
(10:35):
Through five starts, you can play player comparisons and hey,
look what Josh Allen did early in his career, right,
and then somebody will say, well he didn't have Jefferson
and Addison. Well, then I will say, well, actually they
had one of the better defenses in the NFL. They
were a playoff team the year before they got him,
by the way. But all the same, you can play
those comparison games and I think you lose a lot
in that where we're not at any point just talking
(10:58):
about just being patient, and Kevin O'Connell actually has been
really honest over the course of time where it's I'm
not shortening the playbook, I'm actually not making it easier
on him. I'm going to construct this thing to accentuate
the things he does best. But that doesn't mean it's
necessarily going to be easy, and we're going to do
things and in frame not just you know, challenge him
(11:20):
to improve, but put our team in the best place
to win. Balancing that clearly has been a mountainous journey,
but I still see the sentiments of optimism and from
a week to week basis finding new things that yeah,
this is better than a week before. Yes, this shows
that he gets it. Processing is improving here there. And
(11:43):
in the end, I think, what's kind of weird because
Vikings fans will get this just in terms of wanting
a franchise QB.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
We loved Kirk, we loved Farvin.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
O nine, These fleeting moments we want to raise somebody
that becomes a star. We found a kid after all
these years. He's actually really really good in the clutch moments,
which is very very historically on Viking's life. But now
he just doesn't do the other things. So in the
fourth quarter, fourth down, you need to have it, he
(12:14):
absolutely offers a dart and the dagger and gets into
the end zone. But in the second quarter, when it's
second and eight, he throws it ten feet over a
guy's head.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
So harness that clutch gene throughout right. So from clutch, yeah,
to touch? Can we get we got the clutch? Can
we get some touch on the fastball? I love that
your mind always thinks in like rhyme rap form, because
I know you do your montages and.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
The fans very high rhyme and alliteration. These are two
pillars of the fan.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yes, Well, one more fun question before we get going.
I would I wanted to know we're week eleven, it's
time to like, really the team's really takes take in shape.
You kind of like find who's having great seasons by now?
Who is one player that you are just so pleased
with and excited for in this offense or in this
(13:09):
in this on this roster. Okay that you just like
didn't think he'd like so much, but now you're like, man,
this guy's the best.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Well.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Eric Wilson has taken Ivan Pace's spot and he's not
giving it back. He's been a revelation week to week
and I love that. The other one, and we've talked
about him before, Jalen Redmond has again taken a spot,
taken advantage of it, and it's not necessarily just about
earning a roster. I mean the base level here in
a roster spot dig that. But now it's like you
(13:39):
can't take him off the field. He has to be
an integral part, not just to stopping the run, but
you're finding him in the backfield and he's affecting the
QBS as well.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And then you look at his backstory.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
There's there's blood clots, there's health, there's you know, just
tragic there there's.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Death in this kid's life.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And now you know he's he's making plays every single
Sunday and he's all effort, he's all energy, and it
just feels like nobody's happier to be on that field.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Thank you Nordo so much, really appreciate your time, your insight.
As always. You can hear him on nine to noon
on kfaan and listen to the breakdown of the game
on Vikings Famine on kfan afterwards. I personally love listening
to it on my drive home. We do have to
take a short break here on MVP though. On the
other side, we'll dive deeper into this matchup with kfan
(14:29):
to head Cheese Dave Synecon say hello to flawlessly smooth
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(14:50):
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(15:11):
online and get a twenty five dollars bonus card for you.
Shop now at spolon dot com and gift yourself the
luxury of Spolan Montage. Welcome back into the Minnesota Vikings podcast.
I'm your host, Tatum Everett and the Vikings look to
break a two game losing streak when they make the
trip out to lambeau Field for Border Battle, part one
(15:31):
of the twenty twenty five season. To get us primed
and ready for this matchup, we've got the tc head Cheese.
You know him from his thirty year run with Packers.
Preview on KFN, Dave sinecon joins us. Hello, Dave Hatum,
how you doing doing wonderful? Actually really excited to officially
meet you. Thanks for providing some time for us.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
My pleasure. It's Border Battle week. It's what we all
wait for every season, so I can't wait to get
into it.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
I bet are you headed to the game?
Speaker 4 (15:57):
I am not. I have three kids coming home from
college over the weekend. They're all going to hunker down
and hang out and watch the game together. Two of
my kids are Packer fans, Jackson's a misguided Viking fan.
But it's always fun to watch all together, to watch these.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Games, well, Dave. Your latest article on Zone Coverage, you wrote,
after the Giants win, it wasn't a giant leap, but
they take a step forward. What did you mean by that?
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Well, after two consecutive losses at Lambeau, something that Matt
Lafleur has never had happen in back to back weeks,
it's hard to know what to expect from Green Bay.
They seemed to have played down to their competition, so
I wasn't expecting this robust performance to break out of
the fog. And it looked like the team that we
thought the Packers were after a couple of weeks. But
I saw just a few encouraging signs. The fact that
the offense got untracked and put points on the board.
(16:39):
I'll get against a mediocre Giants defense. Yeah, I was
worried about the you know, facing a team right after
they fired their coach, and here comes Jamis Winston to
rally the troops, and it was hard to really know, like,
are you catching the Giants at a really bad time
because they're gonna be fired up. So I kind of
had these expectations that were just let's get in there
and get a win, because the last time Green Bay
went there two years ago a backup quarter Tommy DeVito,
(17:01):
sprung the upset on Green Bay. They've kind of been
a house of horror. So I just wanted to see progress,
and I thought the offense showed progress. The defense, while
not great, made big plays at key moments, as they've
done all seasons. So encouraging that they got off the
two loss snide. But I'm not ready to jump up
and down and wave my cheese head just yet.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I mean they faced a lot of adversity in
that game. Albeit Jordan Love missing some time but getting
back into the game. What do you think the status
for his I know it's early in the week as
we record this, so not too much out there, just
as a forewarning for those listening, But do you think
this is something he'll just be able to battle back
from for Sunday?
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Well, I think he'll be okay as long as he
doesn't get hit again. You know, if he lands on
that left shoulder again, who knows. I was very concerned
that maybe it was just the adrenaline of the game
once he came back, and then when he got out
and got tested, there might be some problems. It does
sound like he dodged anything serious. But it's a shoulder.
It's not as throwing shoulder, but this just in You know,
quarterbacks need their arms. So I think he'll be fine
(18:04):
as long as Green Bay protects him a little bit.
It is nice to know that if he's got to
go get some tests done, you can have a guy
like Malik Willis step in and actually he jumps started
the offense, put him on the scoreboard in the seven
plays he was out there. He actually got things going.
So it's nice to know they've got something if Jordan
can't go for a while. But yeah, I'm more concerned
about Josh Jacobs, who misspractice on Wednesday's day to day,
(18:28):
and you know they got two games now over the
next ten days. They obviously play Thanksgiving in Detroit, and
so I'm I'm a little nervous that they might decide
to just be safe with Jacobs and maybe if it's
a couple extra days, make sure he's out there for Detroit.
So that's the offensive injury I'm really keenly focused on
this week.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yeah, of course, how much does his availability affect the
Packers offense as.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
A whole, Well, he's what makes the offense go and
that the reason green Bay's offense has been really kind
of stuck in neutral a lot this season is that
the running game just hasn't got on track. It's not
necessarily Jacobs, it's the offensive line has not block run
like they did a year ago. It's just been really
slow to go with a new fangled interior. They're getting healthier,
they're getting better. We saw signs on Sunday. He was
(19:14):
only out there for a handful of carries, but he
averaged five and a half yards of carry. He does
make the offense go. Melafloor wants to be a run
first coach, like you know his mentor you know Kyle Shanahan.
That's how their offense starts is with the running game.
So if he can't go, Emmanuel Wilson gets the main job.
But you'll see a lot of Chris Brooks, the number
(19:34):
three guy who doesn't get a lot of run, but
he's a really good blitz pickup guy, pass protector. Green
Bay's play at the day last Sunday was a big time.
I'm sure you saw it. That third and ten bomb
to save on Williams. If Chris Brooks doesn't pick up
a blitz and hold this guy off for as long
as Love needed to that play doesn't happen. He's kind
of an unsung hero, and I think you'll see almost
(19:56):
a split between both Wilson and Brooks because we know
Brian Flores is gonna blitz early and off and against.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
What gives you that impression and blitzes. It's funny you
say that there's a split, though. I think Josh Jacobs
accounts for almost forty percent of the offense for the Packers,
and so without him, they definitely have some voids to
be full and Brian Flores is probably preparing for it
either way. What is it about what do you enjoy
the most? Rather about the chess match between Jordan Love
(20:26):
and Brian Flores's defensive front.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Yeah. Well, obviously, like most quarterbacks, Leve will struggle if
there's somebody in his face. I think that Love's quick
decision making has really improved, his confidence, has improved, a
trust that the Packers' offensive coaches have, and love to
dissect what might be coming, even though it's impossible to
know exactly who's common who's dropping with Brian Flores, but
I think they've really come to a point in the
(20:50):
relationship with Laflora Love where the trust is starting to
get there. The problem is a lot of his favorite
pass catching options just can't stay on the field so
to develop the chemistry, and when you just don't have
guys that are out there consistently practicing, some of that
isn't as crisp as you'd like it to be. But
I think that overall, you know, Jorda Love will throw
(21:11):
a couple of balls every week that make you just
close your eyes and pray, like that passed to Sabione
Williams last week. But when the chips are down, if
it's a close game late, he's proven this year. I
mean four Cup fourth quarter comebacks, three are wins, one
or a tie, all on the road. So he's really
when the chips are down, when things are getting tight,
he's proven that he's up to that challenge and can
(21:32):
take whatever that defense gives you, and obviously hasn't been successful.
If I can swept the Packers last year, we'll see
what Love has learned when they meet again on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, I mean he's on pace for career highs and
completion percentage, passing, touchdown interception ratio, and passer rating. Dave,
we really appreciate you spending some time with us today.
I would say best of luck, but I really think
the Purple need to get this one off their back.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
I get it. I get it. Great to chat with
to Jadam, thanks for likewise, look forward to doing it
again sometimes.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Thank you. Dave really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you. A
big thank you to Eric Nordquist and Dave Sinekin for
being a part of MVP this week. Vikings back in
action on Sunday from lambeau Field and Green Bay. Vikings
and Packers kick off at noon right here on KFN,
or you can watch it on Fox. I'm your host,
(22:22):
Tedum Everett, and thank you for listening. School Vikings. Minnesota
needed a go to source for everything high school sports.
That's why the Minnesota Star Tribune created Strib Varsity. Sign
up now at startribune dot com slash Strib Varsity
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