Vikings Happy Hour

Vikings vs Bears… Good morning Horners! Your Minnesota Vikings played their backups versus the Chicago Bears and almost pulled out a victory in a meaningless, or at least to the playoff seeding, game. Drew, Ted and Dave discuss the afternoon action and the state of the team. Ted after a bad weekend for his team is not that optimistic going into next week against the Saints or the Seahawks, and at the time of the recording we don’t know which. That will change by the end of the evening though as the Forty Niners and the Seahawks will figure that out for us. A 49’er win means a trip to New Orleans and a Seahawk win means a trip to Seattle. Which would you rather play in next weekend?

 There was some good play by some of the backups. Dave like the effort and attitude by Oli Udoh in for Brian O’Neill, even though he got some tick tack calls. Sean Mannion proved why he was just a backup and not a good one. Mike Boone had a much better game than last week with 160 yards of production and 148 of them on the ground. He even got a TD out of that. Alexander Hollins and Bisi Johnson were the two leading receivers but on the day, it was Dan Bailey that scored 13 of the Vikings 19 points. He also earned his $1,000,000 bonus for making more than 90% of his kicks this year… a good thing.

 Matt Nagy and the Bears racked up their second win of the season and 4th against Mike Zimmer even though this win was against the second stringers. Does that cause you concern like it does for Ted and Drew? Next comes Pete Carroll or Sean Payton, two other coaches that tend to beat Zimmer teams, but who knows, this could be our year in these playoffs.

 GMG wants to wish you all a safe and Happy New Year! We’ll be here to talk your Vikings all the way into and through the playoffs. Go Vikings!

 Like, subscribe, and rate us on your favorite podcast aggregator. Share with your Vikings and other friends too. Then shout SKOL! 

 

 As always, enjoy the watch and listen! GO VIKINGS!

You can follow GMG hosts Dave at @Luft_Krigare and Ted at @purplebuckeye. Unfortunately, Drew is behind the power curve and doesn’t have a Twitter handle… yet.

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Vikings vs Bears… Good morning Horners! In this preview show, Ted, Drew and Dave discuss whether or not resting Vikings starters going into the game against the Bears is the right choice. As reported on Daily Norseman, the team plans to rest a bunch of them including Kirk Cousins. Since the this game means nothing in seeding going into Wild Card weekend with the Vikes locked into the 6th seed win, lose or draw, what are the arguments for and against playing the game like a preseason game and getting the starters at least some time?

 Drew found some interesting numbers about the Bears over the last three games. As he says, it is more of an explanation more than anything, and it needs fixed if the Vikings hope to win in the future. The offensive line will have to be schemed properly if the team hopes to have success against good defensive front sevens, and guess what? That is exactly what they’ll be seeing in the playoffs. 

 Even though the Vikings are locked into the last spot in the NFC playoffs, the other teams will still have to play out on Sunday to see where the Vikes will be going to play. Enjoy your game day Sunday and always enjoy your friends, good food, beverage of choice, and this time of year. GO VIKINGS! Let’s win this game!

 Like, subscribe, and rate us on your favorite podcast aggregator. Share with your Vikings and other friends too. Then shout SKOL! 

 

 As always, enjoy the watch and listen! GO VIKINGS!

You can follow GMG hosts Dave at @Luft_Krigare and Ted at @purplebuckeye. Unfortunately, Drew is behind the power curve and doesn’t have a Twitter handle… yet.

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After brief recaps of our Christmas celebrations which included time with family and unicorn onesies, Yinka jumped in to discuss where things went wrong against Green Bay. This conversation led us down the road of all the ways the Vikings offensive staff have been masking the deficiencies of our offensive line and Kirk Cousins season to date.

Yinka mentioned that Dalvin Cook is the focal point of the Vikings offense which Jayson pushed back on give the importance of the QB position in relation to the RB position and using SIS Total Points season to date to make the argument about Kirk's value being so much higher than Cook's. Yinka clarified that even though Minnesota is built to be a passing offense, Zimmer seems to prefer an offense whose focus is on the ground game.

Jayson recapped Nick Olson's argument for Kirk to be in the MVP conversation before we discussed how the sentiment of the fanbase seems to have turned on Cousins. Yinka provided both pros and cons for extending Cousins before giving his thoughts on the Vikings should handle Week 17 and his ideal playoff slate for the Vikings.

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Vikings vs Packers… Good morning Horners! Let us make it good after the Vikings disappointed their fans yet another time when it counts. Hey, but that is the story of being a Vikings fan, right? Ted, Drew and Dave discussed the loss in an alcohol fueled and emotional way. The defense came out and generated turnovers but flat got worn out by being on the field almost 2/3rds of the game. Why, because the Vikings offense was pensive and played ‘scared’ only producing 7 total first downs, the lowest total at home since 1971.

 Drew and Ted get into the lack of perceived play calling adjustment, especially when the offensive line was getting beat with Riley Reiff looking the part of an old mediocre tackle and no help for Pat Elflein, or Garrett Bradbury who had bad games against a good defensive front, especially with Za'Darius Smith wreaking havoc from the LB position. Kirk Cousins with the narrative of 0-8 on Monday nights didn’t do himself any favors to dispel that stereotype looking unsure, immobile and tentative. Ted and Drew wondered, with the possibility of winning the division, not having the team ready and firing on all cylinders for big games like this, should this loss be put on the coaching staff and Mike Zimmer in particular because he is the boss? It is a valid question. Has Mike Zimmer reached his ceiling? Has Kirk Cousins reached his? Is the team as constructed, salary cap allocated, front office and coaching staff maxed out their potential with a squad that makes the playoffs 50% of the time but never wins the big one? That is the history of this regime and that of the Vikings. In 59 years, the Vikings have made the playoffs 30 times but have never won the big one. Who knows, maybe this team catches those perfect breaks, turns it around creating their own fortune, and road warriors it through the playoffs to ultimate glory, but do you believe that?

 With the Vikings loss, the first in US Bank stadium this year, they have locked themselves into the 6th seed of the playoffs. Week 17 against the Chicago Bears has no bearing on them. Do they continue to rest injured players like Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and then maybe sit more that look hurt or not 100% like Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs who took a shot to his quad, and Eric Kendricks who went out with a quad injury, plus any other starter that was bruised or banged up? Or… As Ted suggests, the team needs to go all out to get the victory and try to right themselves mentally before the Wild Card game? What do you think?

 As fans we tend to take losses like this hard, but remember it is the holidays and we celebrate with them family and friends. Take time away from the angst to do just that. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanza, and Happy Holidays from Ted, Drew and Dave.

 Like, subscribe, and rate us on your favorite podcast aggregator. Share with your Vikings and other friends too. Then shout SKOL! 

 

 As always, enjoy the watch and listen! GO VIKINGS!

You can follow GMG hosts Dave at @Luft_Krigare and Ted at @purplebuckeye. Unfortunately, Drew is behind the power curve and doesn’t have a Twitter handle… yet.

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Vikings vs Packers… Good morning Horners! As we go into the Monday Night Football game against probably our biggest rivals, the Green Bay Packers, your Minnesota Vikings have already clinched a spot in the playoffs. The question will be what seed it will be. If they fail it will be the 6th seed, but with winning it could be higher. First however, the Vikings need to do their part and win this game.

 Kirk Cousins will lead an almost healthy offense. Dalvin Cook has been ruled out for his shoulder and Alexander Mattison is questionable for his ankle, so Mike Boone will likely have the chance to expand on his very good performance from last week. Adam Thielen shook off the rust last week, and he, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and the rest of the targets are ready. Aaron Rodgers will have Davante Adams and Aaron Jones to work with but hopefully the Vikes’ defensive line, linebackers and secondary, along with the home crowd, will make it miserable for them, and like Alan Page and Jim Marshall did 40 years ago when battling for the division, rip the will to play from them and make them want to go home.

 Drew chose an interesting trivia challenge for this episode, decades of the Vikings that have scored against the Packers. There are some glorious memories in there from Fran Tarkenton, Randy Moss and his ‘Disgusting Act’, to Dalvin Cook running all over them. How will you do? 

 The holidays are upon us and we celebrate with family and friends, and also this Monday night with all the Vikings fans around the world. 

 Like, subscribe, and rate us on your favorite podcast aggregator. Share with your Vikings and other friends too. Then shout SKOL! 

 

 As always, enjoy the watch and listen! GO VIKINGS!

You can follow GMG hosts Dave at @Luft_Krigare and Ted at @purplebuckeye. Unfortunately, Drew is behind the power curve and doesn’t have a Twitter handle… yet.

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Quick Recap of Vikings at Chargers in Carson, CA. A 39-10 "home" game romp

Playoff seeding possibilities with two weeks left in the 2019 regular season

Which games matter most for Vikings fans and when they happen

The path to a healthy squad, with the defense looking healthier the offense right now

The X-factor for the last two games: Captain Kirk Cousins. At home and in late-season form

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BJ Reidell and Drew Mahowald break down the Minnesota Vikings' impending matchup with the Green Bay Packers and offer their picks for Week 16.

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This episode begins with Nick discussing how happy and spoiled the Vikings have made him over the past 2 weeks with their large margins of victory. Nick then takes a deeper dive into the Vikings' mollywhopping of the Chargers.

Eric previews the Packers matchup briefly before going "off script" to remind us how much better Kirk has been than Aaron Rodgers season to date. In this delightful tangent from Eric, he let us know that Kirk Cousins is the 5th ranked player in PFF's WAR this season which naturally prompted discussion about how much Kirk is being helped by his supporting cast and vice versa. Nick followed up Eric's praise of Kirk by making an argument as to why Kirk could be in the conversation for MVP (hint: his supporting cast isn't as great as you think Adam).

We bring things home in this episode discussing the Vikings odds to make the playoffs, which seeds are the most likely, and the odds the Vikings make the Superbowl. For context, Eric also provides the Superbowl odds for the top contenders in the AFC and NFC.

Follow Eric on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PFF_Eric

Follow Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickOlsonNFL

Follow Jayson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brownjayson

Listen to Eric on the Forecast: https://www.podcastone.com/the-pff-forecast

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BJ Reidell and Drew Mahowald recap the Minnesota Vikings' 39-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, check in on the Skol Scale and discuss a variety of other Minnesota sports.

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Vikings vs Chargers… Good morning Horners! Your Vikings did conquer the Chargers on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, outdoors and on grass by a score of 39-10.Ted, Drew and Dave met with some of you online afterwards to rejoice in the resounding win. The defense, especially in the second half led by stars all over the field from Danielle Hunter being in everyone’s face, especially Phillip River’s, to interceptions by Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, and Mike Hughes, and that wonderful big man return of a fumble for a touchdown by Ifeadi Odenigbo was a sight for sore eyes. Seven turnovers were generated by the defense, and whether it was the Bolts self destructing or the D causing the shorting out of the Bolts offensive efforts, it works and continues to build confidence moving into the most important time of year.

 Kirk Cousins looked decent, especially moving around the pocket. We saw him make a first down running when a lane opened up. This was good because it is rare for his pay. That shows improvement as well. The two dropped snaps in the first quarter need to stop and his interception on the screen does too, but all of the turnovers generated by the defense aided to get short fields that Kevin Stefanski took advantage of. Dalvin Cook went out of the game early in the third quarter and Mike Boone came in and didn’t miss a beat. He had 53 yards in less than a half and was fun to watch. Stefon Diggs was making great catches and even Adam Thielen had three that resulted in key first downs. Kyle Rudolph again looked good and Irv Smith Jr got in the action with Kirk’s only throwing touchdown. It was a good day.

 We now have a long victory week. The team is 10-4 and has somewhere near a 95% chance of making the playoffs. The next game is the Monday Nighter against our rivals in US Bank Stadium, but we’ll get more into the Packers later. For now, enjoy the victory and go Vikings!

 Like, subscribe, and rate us on your favorite podcast aggregator. Share with your Vikings and other friends too. Then shout SKOL! 

 

 As always, enjoy the watch and listen! GO VIKINGS! SKOL!

You can follow GMG hosts Dave at @Luft_Krigare and Ted at @purplebuckeye. Unfortunately, Drew is behind the power curve and doesn’t have a Twitter handle… yet

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