Unpacking Minnesota Vikings biggest weaknesses entering postseason | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

[@thehorrordomain924]

No one better in the business then Paul Allen on Sundays! "BOOM!"

[@rheaverghoul]

Hes so underrated. I'm a packer fan but PA is the best in the biz

[@Tmacademia]

Facts. I love PA

[@JeffersonTorchesJaylon]

​@@rheaverghoulPA is a huge homer, but that is why people like him. He is for real and unpretentious.

[@thejanitor113]

PA straight 🔥

[@sethmaki1333]

AND HE'S LOOSE!

[@srobeck77]

Eternal Vikings Optimist meet eternal Viking Pessimist

[@Stevensnyd1]

I love Florio but good lord man enjoy the moment. This is off season talk. Whatever happens is fine because they have KOC

[@RyanatorMusic]

Yeah, thats why I dislike florio

[@srobeck77]

Hes an eternal vikings pessimist because he was hurt in the past. Probably he needs to sit on a couch in next to a therapist to move on

[@FloatingAlpacas]

@@srobeck77 He has to watch KOCs locker room speeches on replay to revive his faith a little bit

[@srobeck77]

@@FloatingAlpacas good starting point, but therapy and a couch is still needed : P

[@guitarsrcool4922]

It's so hard to find a solid starting QB so you have to keep Darnold. What if JJ doesn't work out and Darnold goes to another team and does really well? That would make the vikings look so bad. And then where would we be? Back to square one. We finally get a great QB and we let him go because we think McCarthy can be good? Let Darnold test the market but hopefully he sees he's better off sticking with KOC and what he knows will bring out the best in him. Hopefully McCarthy can stay and learn like Love did behind Roger's at Green Bay for a few years. And then you retain Daniel Jones too? What an awesome QB room that would be.

[@skoolynugenator1802]

Paul Allen is the best in the business

[@inohaveshirt]

Love paul allen. You tell em Paul!

[@MrHeycowboy]

Blake Cashman being hurt for those two losses really showed a weakness in the vikings D letting those "midfield" 15-20 yard passes get em.

[@MinnesotaEverything]

No TJ against Lions in the first game!

[@patrickharty9214]

Spot on! You could see 👀 a huge difference!

[@ronaldkulas5748]

I agree with you. IMO it is the defense that is the Vikings achilles heel, not the offense.

[@skolvikings354]

Dagger killed them in the middle and they know it. Fix it !!

[@brucehicks5817]

Preach

[@davebrace6272]

Good conversation with PA. He’s a true Vikings insider.

[@bizzwoofer]

Wow - the Vikings exceeding expectations! Lets SKOL VIKES!

[@ChloePrice4Ever]

It feels good to be right about Sam The Man Dartnold.

[@jaredpribyl]

I had high expectations for him too! Fans that watch this team every week since KOC took over, KNEW we could have success with Darnold. With that said, did I think he could get to this level at the end of the season, playing this insanely efficient with 16 tds and 1 interception the last 6 weeks 😳, no. I wouldn’t have predicted any QB to do that actually. That’s ELITE. We can win any game with this dude. Even with iffy Offensive line play bc he maneuvers the pocket so well

[@benzin8457]

It also feels good to be wrong about him :D

[@bretttaylor3787]

Who cares if you were right or wrong? LMAO He's doing great and that's all that matters. 😁

[@johnbekish7426]

Weakness is corner and interior oline

[@johnnycook1035]

Interior d-line as well. When this team becomes able to generate pressure up the middle consistently, the defense will be crazy dangerous

[@MrHim2121]

@@johnnycook1035we need to draft a DT if we have a pick😂😂😂but we should’ve traded Hock for Dexter Lawrence

[@jaredpribyl]

Darnold is winning MVP if they win out and he has 3-4 tds each game. That’d be 15-2 and around 40 td passes. And taking down two legit teams to take the one seed

[@Josh_Johnson_Jr]

no

[@snoworicehockey]

Totally agree … if he leads them to the #1 seed after competing in the toughest division, Sam should get the MVP.

[@jaredpribyl]

@ I really think he is going to snatch it if he has 6-8 tds and they take down their last two very difficult opponents. Tall task, but they “can” beat anybody.

[@richardtherichard26]

He would need 10 tds each game to win mvp. That award is Josh Allen’s this season and it’s not close

[@jaredpribyl]

@ wrong

[@colinfraser7150]

Dude, the playoff call-back with Gary, that's low.

[@cjd3879]

That's typical Florio He is nothing more than an arrogant mouthpiece.

[@jaredpribyl]

This is the best QB situation we have ever been in as a Franchise. We struggled for so long to find our franchise guy, now I believe we have 2…and can potentially get 2 first round picks for the other one if we move off of one at some point

[@srobeck77]

Nah Tarkenton and Farve in '09

[@jaredpribyl]

@ definitely not Favre bc that was a one year prayer. I’m talking in terms of a Franchise QB that we can ride for many years. We’ve searched for that for a long time, and we may have 2 right now.

[@StillKeepOnLosing]

Found 2? Lmfao. 2? Lmao. Nah bruh. Your team is done'zo. Who has koc/kwesi drafted? Lmfao. Still riding Zimmer/Spielman's guys huh. Lulz. Sad

[@HewNandol]

@@StillKeepOnLosingget a life troll

[@StillKeepOnLosing]

@@HewNandol Shouldnt you? You're the sad one here telling someone else to. Projecting much? Lulz.

[@richardanderson247]

I've been knowing Paul Allen since before the Vikings job calling our horse races at Canterbury Park..he is the best in entertainment. But I believe the Vikings are gonna make it and win the Superbowl this year!

[@sanjayramprasad5324]

PA is a MN legend. SKOL!

[@Score1more]

The young guys will step up

[@martinolson761]

Love me some PA. I could listen to him all day.

[@wjbt3]

Everytime I watch live on national tv, I'm reminded of PA's calls. I wish Vikings could post his calls with the game. Shout out Skol Rant

[@Bloogly89]

I think it's great to have depth at QB. Injuries happen all the time, and if Sam got injured, we don't want that to end the season.

[@martymcfly7473]

Asking PA to talk badly about the Vikings is like asking Santa not to deliver presents. SKOL4LIFE

[@setsailatnoon]

Sam and Daniel are both only 27...JJ is just 22

[@robsirpless]

Rushing offense, pass defense, it’s been the same weakness for three years.

[@kevinmccarty5139]

Offense Line is an issue

[@nicholasburke2864]

Yeah, given up too many sacks but at least Darnold isn’t throwing crazy ints like the past

[@nathancollins69]

P.A. The 🐐🐐

[@SawyerAndGretch]

I like the franchise tag for Darnold...so if next year becomes a disaster, Vikes are not stuck with a five year deal like the Giants did with Jones.

[@jasonrobinson4924]

Love PA on the mic

[@jgberzerker]

The interior O-line is going to be a problem in the playoffs. Darnold is getting killed and he's starting to show the wear and tear.

[@jamesmerritt3267]

That is our Achilles heel. Your right about the wear and tear. He looks slower. Maybe banged up ankles? We have also proven through out the entire season we can't run the ball down by the goal line. We don't get a push.

[@Genniboi]

Im only watching this because of paul allen

[@nikkicovington6389]

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

[@SethWilliams-h5b]

I’m sorry if I’m biased on the Vikings QB room by why was Mullens not brought up once in the convo?! Every chance the guy had to take a snap he made good of it. I know he wasn’t a 1st round pick like Jones or Darnold, but when we needed the guy he came in & did his thing.

[@robr5786]

If the Vikes get a lead there not to good at running the ball

[@delusionalvikingsfan18]

Jones has actually strung together a couple really solid games

[@dewainejohnson2305]

Happy Holidays, Let’s enjoy this season. No one predicted this team would be this good

[@brianshorrorcorner9890]

Interior O Line, Secondary, Interior D Line

[@noahedwards8865]

Having a franchise QB is important but it’s more important to have a well rounded team look at the chiefs and bengals burrow is out playing mahomes this year and it’s not even close yet look at their records having a running game O-line and Defense is just as important as a franchise QB it’s about have your QB at the right price which is more often than not gonna be on their rookie deal

[@brucehicks5817]

You're not wrong at all. We just don't know if JJ will produce at this level. We haven't relied on Aaron Jones all year and a lot of that is due to qb play.

[@jacktheman1989]

Good team without good qb - browns. Colts, bears, jets etc

[@noahedwards8865]

@@jacktheman1989 bears and jets don’t have offensive lines and playbooks and i wouldn’t call browns and colts good teams outside of QB neither have that good of WR’s outside of the WR1 but with KOC and our weapons we’d can build a team closer to the eagles and niners were a mediocre QB makes us a contender when we are healthy

[@krish4610]

For the love of God I wish Kwesi and KOc signed a 2 year deal with Darnold to just stop this media ga ga on what Vikings should do with him, proving to be annoying at this point, Darnold is asked this every week he is sick of saying he is taking one game at a time, leave him alone to focus

[@srobeck77]

If I could have just bought bitcoin 10 years ago too....... if only people had that psychic ability

[@JEAARCHITX]

Amen to that, these guys talk themselves into stupid.

[@setsailatnoon]

Rookie cost is minimal, sit JJ and then see how next year goes. Tag Darnold.

[@MsJohnson8483]

Can't name many if any teams that are better spot for a QB than Minnesota. Head Coach is a QB whisperer, you have the best WR1/WR2 combo in league, Top tier TE, and 2 Stud Tackles.

[@bradfordoconnell7324]

Tackles are definitely not stud

[@cadenjohnson9512]

@@bradfordoconnell7324darrisaw and O’Neil aren’t top tier?

[@ethandale8066]

I think the Vikes struggle most in the middle of games. They need to keep the momentum on their side throughout the game seldom for a few moments.

[@lisalane6924]

As far as calling the games, no one does it better than PA.

[@gifi11]

Daniel Jones certainly doesn't have the arm talent as Sammy. I love Paul but that was insane.

[@jamesmerritt3267]

He missed that badly. Sammy has a cannon Jones has a pop gun. Those deeper outs Darnold has shown he can throw Jones can't even attempt those.

[@mgee1723]

Darnold should be in mvp talks

[@jacksonmillikan749]

The Seattle game ends the first argument, first time the short out pass was used instead of running the ball ala 1976. Blitz pickup on the O is a weakness. D....Gotta stop the run better in the first half. Otherwise we're good.

[@TheOsfania]

2:26 spot on

[@mrsrevan1]

Our biggest weakness is our soft defensive backfield. You won't win many playoff games when you play basically a prevent defense most of the game.

[@MrHim2121]

I’m fine with JJ McCarthy sitting for another 2 years, he needs that

[@lroyyjenkinz1944]

Corners and center with a slight run the ball issue

[@heinzbucksandcastle2053]

Vikes weakness is age in the secondary, they can struggle vs good receivers.

[@garthTurningCranks]

K O'C is a quarterback whisperer.

[@MrSota1]

Best move is to trade JJ to the Raiders or Titans. We better keep Donald!! It will be even better next yr which is insane!! SKOL!

[@johnsmall5051]

If McCarthy puts up Sam's level of numbers in his final year of his 4 year deal, it would be a no brainer to extend him. If we had Sam last year, performing at this level, we would not have drafted McCarthy.

[@thoughtfulstargazer]

Pass defense, pass defense, pass defense.

[@srobeck77]

NFL has stacked too many rules against defenses. All defenses can do is hope to slow down offenses in this age

[@svenveader7755]

Garret BadBerry and weak corners

[@Oz4K567]

If I were Sam Darnold, the way i would look at things would be this way. I have been in the league for 7 years. During those years, i have played for three teams, and this is my 4th team. I would tell myself everything is working out really well, and I would take any pay they would want to give me. If I am a starter or a backup, whatever I can do. I just want to stay here. Personally I know Sam loves playing for the vikings. Skol

[@RyanatorMusic]

Mike florios vikings ptsd is hilarious

[@lisalane6924]

We all have it! 😂

[@sandyborzillo8595]

O-Line,Defense Line, Cornerbacks, THATS THE PROBLEM

[@MinnesotaEverything]

PA is right!! Sam is ballin BUT the TEAM is constructed like SF! We’re not 13-2 with a $30 million dollar QB.

[@robertaustin9879]

How about the middle of the O line. It sure needs help. Right guard specifically.

[@Cloquet33]

Paul said that he thought that the Vikings had a plan. I think they have 3 or 4 plans.

[@richardanderson247]

And the question on Sam darnold...we need to see how he plays in the playoffs...if we win two games then yes. Keep him and let JJ back him up a year n then trade Sam if needed...but we need to move on to the rookie next year for good or for bad. JJ is the future QB

[@cryptoOFkingz]

They wouldn't bring DJ in if they didn't plan on keeping Sam and letting JJ sit for another year

[@joesousa4570]

The D can be had and worn down by a good run game plus the D backs and offense needs to be able to run to put teams away at the end of the games.

[@delusionalvikingsfan18]

Hasn’t been all season but go off

[@newt6639]

The interior offensive line has been below average for 10 years. Look it up. Next up is interior defensive line. The best teams that win superbowl win in the trenches.

[@terryfuller7568]

Its time to play football and worry about the rest later.

[@srobeck77]

theres no football games on right now, so now is a good time as any

[@chiplaka]

I'm all for resigning Darnold, but under one circumstance. If the team was solid all around and all we need is a QB, then yes of course you resign him, but we have other holes that need attention. That defense needs some fixing. The O-line also. Instead of resigning him, you can use all that money to adress other needs. It ain't like you don't have a QB. You have McCarthy, and if Jones can be his backup, that's a good situation to be in. Jones can be turned into the next Darnold. I mean, Darnold has been playing lights out but if I'm the Vikings, I'm not resigning him.

[@hawkswinagain]

What would the cost be to the Vikings to make Jones the qb next year? Are the Giants still going to be paying him?

[@Leonidas1014]

PA!!!

[@seanogs]

They have no confidence in their oline to be consistent

[@dalelange845]

😒 Florio looks like he's constipated. 🥺

[@atmosrepair]

This will help McCarthy to compete against Sam.

[@ImAwesome-d2v]

Whoever that guy is on the left why would you bring up Gary Anderson

[@alexanderpeck8533]

Florio isn’t even a fan at this point

[@MrHim2121]

Offense we pass wayyyyyyy to much, Defense somehow 3rd and long we suck

[@dougwayne]

Stop trying to run the clock out running up the gut! Do like the old Patriots and ALWAYS play like you're behind.

[@goldenboy4262]

Ah....Purple Kool-Aid, SKOL

[@srobeck77]

You are contradicting yourself here with an insult, then the chant. You a confused individual?

[@chuckness5372]

Darnold is not nearly as old as Cunningham was. In 1998, Cunningham was already 35 and a 5 year contract would have taken him to his 40th year on life if they kept him. While Darnold is only 27., so the two do not equate for a logical argument. The only comparison you can make is Cousins and Cunningham, since Cousins was 35 in his last year with the Vikings. Unless you are Tom Brady, or maybe Rodgers, I am not a big fan of signing old QBs to big contracts, especially in Cousins case coming off a major injury. Wo old folks don' heal as fast as we used to, and Rodgers was also coming off an i jury last year. They should have cut him in the off season, since his career, like Cousins, is over!

[@srobeck77]

Plus in 1998, the NFL didnt stack the rules deck for the QB's taking hits, so Randell was definitely more beat up than todays QB's

[@chuckness5372]

@@srobeck77 and yet he did what he did in "98" when he was 35. He got robbed, because he should have been given the MVP that year. Without a doubt he was able to exploit defenses with his ability to hit Moss deep and scramble when needed,. When ever I wake up in sweat after dreaming of the ending of the "98" season, I am often reminded of Augustus's lament when the 9th Legion was decimated by the German barbarians the Battle of the Teutoberg Forest, He cried out his “Oh Varus, Various give me back my legions!”. So too I wake up asking, ""Oh Anderson, Oh Anderson, where is our TROPHY!"

[@srobeck77]

@@chuckness5372 o heck ya, but also '98 defense was pretty bad

[@Thinkaboutit1212]

What a stupid question. Why can the Vikings win it all?

[@Adam-qy8vz]

Paul Allen is in the movie American psycho

[@srobeck77]

He plays as your mom. Im not here to judge her, she has a good "personality".

[@haydowayne]

Much love for paul allen but why would you want to expose your teams biggest weakness to the nfl and nbc?????? Do you think the lions would do this and say how their practice squad defense is their biggest weakness no they wouldnt

[@niccanicface]

Nice job PA. Maybe Florio can actually watch a game instead of scrolling Twitter the whole time. Everything that comes out of his mouth is stale debate show talking point.

[@patrickharty9214]

Florio is a deep down Vikings hater! The man is negative as it comes. Just hateful 🤮

[@markkoep8031]

He has a working memory. We've lived it for decades.

[@toddmaki8156]

It's also a bit. The more he hates, the better the Vikings do.

[@markkoep8031]

@@toddmaki8156 Hope he continues to hate then :)

[@shamustrump]

Why are we doing what Minnesotans do and talk about the half empty glass. It’s all about manifestation, you’ve gotta believe. SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

[@richardanderson247]

Darnold wouldn't win the MVP even if he throws 5 tds vs GB n Detroit it's a popularity contest n josh Allen is balling out. It's Allen or Barkley I believe

[@IceAndCola]

This guy dyes his eyebrows😂

[@rapmn]

Only way we resign daronld is if he is the reason we win the super bowl

[@Supermanng13]

Y would he take away half his game

[@mikemike3675]

Pass blocking

[@willisread]

0-2 incoming for Vikes. Sorry Viking fans!

[@AllenRice-x8l]

Florio is a clown. He's never liked the Vikings 😅

[@Score1more]

Hey no body excepted this season so no hard feelings.

[@JohnKan-uo7ne]

Will Vikings be second New York Jets to let Sam Donald walk afrer this season of 2024?

[@Tr4v3ler]

I have the same ugly sweater

[@travdaddy777]

Where u score that?

[@lisalane6924]

I love Mike Florio. Class act, and very intelligent.

[@StillKeepOnLosing]

Ya barely scrape by bottom feeders. That's the problem lulz. Say bye bye to humpty dumpty. Twas a good Season.

[@dylanmiller8456]

Yes you CAN let Sam out of the building, and it's the right move. I don't care how you try to slice it. You don't draft JJ and then pay Sam so much money that you hamstring your team's ability to afford & attract top free agency talent. You have a short 4-5 year window with drafted QBs in which to win a super bowl before you have to pay him big. This is the plan with JJ. This was always the plan. This needs to still BE the plan. I love what Sam has done for this team and I'm grateful for his time here. But at the end of the season, you shake his hand and wish him the best. This is JJ's team. And if you really think KOC can make a top 5 QB out of Darnold's skill set but not JJ's, you're not thinking clearly.

[@michaelehlert9]

JJ was never rated as highly as Darnold. Keep Darnold, see what you have in JJ.