Morning Joes

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.

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.

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.  

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.

So do we here at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (well not as much as Kwesi and KOC). Joe Oberle from VikingsTerritory and purplePTSD and 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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 thei

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 VikingsTerritory and 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!

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

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.