NFL
By Steve Rogers
Take two. The Minnesota Vikings are at home for a second week in a row. This time they are welcoming the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. After an abysmal performance in last week’s home opener the Vikings are hoping to show their fan base at least a better effort.
The biggest storyline of this game will be the tale of the backup quarterback. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy got injured last week and will miss more than this game. In Burrows’ case, he will now miss the remainder of the year due to turf toe that requires surgery and a 3-month recovery period. On the other side, McCarthy has a sprained ankle and will only miss a couple of weeks.
So who is taking their places? For the Bengals, it will be Jake Browning who was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings. He has also come in during a game and helped lead the Bengals to a victory over the Vikings once before. For the Vikings, they will be starting former second overall pick Carson Wentz.
Wentz came into the league with the Eagles and had early success to the point of leading the team to a playoff-winning record and being in the MVP conversation till injury ended his season. Nick Foles wound up taking the Eagles the rest of the way to a Super Bowl win. Wentz hasn’t been able to keep a starting job or really a backup role either. When he takes the field on Sunday for the first time in a Vikings uniform it will be the sixth team in as many years that he has played for.
Maybe just maybe we see a glimpse of the Wentz of old. First of all, this is his childhood favorite team he grew up cheering for. He has always wanted to come play here. Plus the head coach Kevin O’Connell is known as the “Quarterback Whisperer”. He has helped get the best/ most out of the likes of Kirk Cousins Sam Darnold Josh Dobbs to some extent Matthew Stafford and just look at how well Daniel Jones is now doing back as a starter after spending half a season in the quarterback room of the Vikings and O’Connell’s tutelage.
Injuries Injuries and more Injuries
Now to address the elephant in the room… The injuries. It’s not just the number of injuries although it is climbing rapidly it’s the key players and positions they play that are causing such chaos. The Vikings still have yet to have their starting five offensive linemen take a single snap of regular-season action together as a unit. Christian Darrisaw the Vikings’ left tackle has yet to return to the lineup as he continues to recover from a major knee injury that occurred last year. Darrisaw was listed as a DNP at practice on Thursday. He likely won’t play this Sunday either. Also, MIA so far has been 14-year veteran safety Harrison Smith who is dealing with some sort of undisclosed illness. Did he eat at the same sushi restaurant that got Mookie Betts sick?
Before last week’s game starting linebacker Blake Cashman was put on IR due to a hamstring injury. Starting linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel missed last week with a concussion and is questionable this week. The backup LT Justin Skule left last week’s game with a concussion. Newly acquired center Ryan Kelly was also taken out of last week’s game for concussion protocol. Cornerback Jeff Okudah also missed the last game due to a concussion. Starting running back Aaron Jones was put on IR with a hamstring issue. Backup running back Ty Chandler has been put on IR due to a knee injury. The list goes on and on.
Bottom line is the Vikings first need to survive this game against the Bengals. Maybe if they’re lucky they can manage to do so while escaping with a much-needed win in so many ways. The Vikings need a couple of lucky bounces to go their way this Sunday against the Bengals. Here’s to hoping for a tight contest with a Vikings win 20-17. Won’t be surprised if the Bengals come in and steamroll the Vikings either like 38-13!?!
