Tag: Minnesota Vikings

Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cam Bynum on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Reports: Colts sign former Vikings S Cam Bynum to $60M deal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Safety Cam Bynum will be dancing his way to Indianapolis after agreeing to a four-year contract worth $60 million, according to multiple sources Monday.

Bynum, who garnered attention with his in-game celebrations, is coming off his fourth season with the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him in the fourth round (125th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

He’s been a starter the past three seasons in Minnesota.

In 65 career games (54 starts) with the Vikings, Bynum has eight interceptions, four fumble recoveries and 342 tackles.

–Field Level Media

Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell shakes hands after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Vikings, Lions to settle No. 1 seed in ‘fairytale’ showdown

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell brings intensity to every game.

As for Sunday night’s matchup between the Lions and Minnesota Vikings, which will determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Campbell knows his adrenaline will be pumping.

“You couldn’t write a better scenario,” Campbell said. “This is fairytale stuff.”

The stakes are clear for the latest game in a longtime rivalry between NFC North foes Detroit (14-2) and visiting Minnesota (14-2).

The winning team will seize the top seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. The losing team will earn a wild-card berth and begin the postseason on the road against the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons.

The Lions and Vikings took much different paths to the regular-season finale.

Detroit reached the NFC championship game last season and led by 17 points at halftime against the San Francisco 49ers on the road. But the Lions faltered in the second half and lost 34-31 to the 49ers to miss out on a chance to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

This year, Detroit surged to a 12-1 record to start the season and has been one of the top teams in the NFL for months. Both Lions’ losses — a 20-16 setback against Tampa Bay and a 48-42 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills — came by single digits.

Campbell knows that a No. 1 playoff seed could help to prevent a repeat from last season’s heartbreaking road loss in the conference title game. The Lions also have been hit by recent injuries, and a bye could provide an important extra week for players to rest and heal.

“You come out of that game and feel like, what gives you the best odds to where the ultimate (goal) is, which is as we all know what the prize is, and that’s the Super Bowl,” Campbell said, reflecting on last year’s playoff loss at San Francisco. “You try to set yourself up the best you can, and that’s why you put those goals out there.

“So, yeah, it’s been there for a while. Certainly, this is something we want to do and we’ve had in our minds — division and one seed and all that, and it’s right there in our hands.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota entered the season as a longshot to win the division, let alone make a deep run in the playoffs. The Vikings went 7-10 a year ago and parted ways with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed as a free agent with Atlanta.

In Cousins’ place, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract as a possible reclamation project. They also drafted JJ McCarthy out of Michigan in the first round.

McCarthy sustained a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Darnold took full control of the offense and never looked back.

In 16 starts, Darnold has passed for 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Darnold deserves praise for his excellence this season.

“You can tell a guy what it’s going to be like and you can tell a guy a lot of things,” O’Connell said. “But only the player is responsible for getting himself to where Sam has gotten himself to.”

Darnold said he was excited to take the field with his teammates on Sunday night. The Vikings are riding a nine-game winning streak and have not lost since Oct. 24 against the Rams.

“I will say this: It’s fun,” Darnold said. “That’s really all it is. Just having a ton of fun playing football right now. Whatever happened last week and the week before that, it doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is this game and this opportunity, and that’s all I’m thinking about.”

Justin Jefferson is Darnold’s top target with 100 catches for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns. Aaron Jones leads the ground attack with 1,093 rushing yards and five scores.

For Detroit, Jared Goff has also shined at quarterback with 4,398 yards, 36 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown has 109 catches for 1,186 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Jahmyr Gibbs has rushed for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The showdown also features an intriguing head-to-head challenge between two of the more respected assistants in the NFL — Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

The teams last met in Week 7, when the Lions held on for a 31-29 win in Minneapolis. Goff threw for two touchdowns and Gibbs rushed for two more.

–Field Level Media

Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during warmups before a wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Reports: QB Daniel Jones joining Vikings’ practice squad

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is signing with the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.

The Giants granted Jones’ request for a release last week and he cleared waivers on Monday, leaving him free to sign with any team.

With the Vikings (9-2), Jones would join a contending team and compete with journeymen Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien to back up starter Sam Darnold. First-round pick J.J. McCarthy is out for the season with a knee injury.

New York was 2-8 with Jones as the starter this season (24-44-1 since 2019). He completed 63.3 percent of his pass attempts for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 starts. He also rushed for 265 yards and two scores.

Jones, 27, was the No. 6 pick by the Giants in the 2019 draft. He suffered a season-ending ACL tear last season but returned in time to start this season as the No. 1 quarterback. He was benched last week with a record of 3-13 over his past 16 starts and was replaced by Tommy DeVito.

Jones has 14,582 passing yards, 70 touchdown passes and 47 interceptions in 70 career games (69 starts). He has 2,179 rushing yards with 15 TDs.

The Vikings are likely to pay Jones $375,000 for the remainder of the season, the prorated portion of the minimum salary of $1.125 million. The Giants are still on the hook for about $11.8 million for the rest of the season.

–Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pressured by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Yasir Abdullah (56) during the second quarter an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Vikings kick their way past Jaguars

Posted on | by Field Level Media

John Parker Romo made four field goals in his NFL debut, and the Minnesota Vikings escaped with a 12-7 win over the host Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon.

Romo, a 27-year-old rookie who signed with the Vikings this week after rookie kicker Will Reichard went down with an injury, provided all of the scoring for Minnesota (7-2). The Vikings’ defense had three takeaways in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Mac Jones scored on a 1-yard run to mark the only scoring for Jacksonville (2-8). Jones completed 14 of 22 passes for 111 yards and two interceptions as a replacement starter for Trevor Lawrence, who missed the game because of a shoulder injury.

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 24 of 38 passes for 241 yards but threw three interceptions. Minnesota running back Aaron Jones finished with 101 total yards (88 rushing, 13 receiving).

Romo put the Vikings on top 9-7 with 7:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. His 34-yard field goal sneaked inside the right upright for the go-ahead score.

On the next possession, the Jaguars committed their first turnover on a botched snap. Jones could not handle the ball, and Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips pounced on the fumble at the Jacksonville 25-yard line.

Five plays later, the Vikings settled for another field goal to take a 12-7 lead. Romo connected from 29 yards for his fourth field goal.

Jones followed with another turnover on the next drive. He underthrew a pass toward receiver Gabe Davis, and Byron Murphy Jr. stepped in front of it for an interception.

The play marked Murphy’s fourth interception of the season and his third in the past three games.

Jacksonville’s final drive ended in a third consecutive turnover. Camryn Bynum intercepted a deep pass at the Vikings’ 1-yard line with 1:52 remaining.

The Vikings opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. Romo made a 45-yard field goal to finish a 12-play, 53-yard drive.

Jacksonville took a 7-3 lead with 3:44 to go in the first quarter. Jones scored on a quarterback keeper from the 1-yard line for his second career rushing touchdown.

Romo cut the deficit to 7-6 with a 33-yard field goal with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is injured against the Houston Texans in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Reports: Vikings await MRI on QB Sam Darnold (knee)

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold will have an MRI on his left knee Monday, according to multiple reports.

Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s 34-7 win against the Houston Texans, former Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter was flagged for roughing the passer after wrapping up Darnold’s legs.

Darnold left the field under his own power and appeared to be in pain on the sidelines before returning to the game after sitting out just one snap, briefly replaced by Nick Mullens.

“It’s good, and that’s as much as I’m gonna say about that,” Darnold told Pro Football Talk about the status of his knee on Sunday night.

Darnold, 27, finished with 181 yards and four touchdown passes as the Vikings improved to 3-0 with the victory in Minneapolis.

In his first season with Minnesota, the former No. 3 overall draft pick has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 657 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Vikings play the NFC North rival Packers (2-1) in Green Bay on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) carries the ball against New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams (obscured right) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With Christian McCaffrey’s status uncertain, 49ers battle Vikings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Christian McCaffrey is optimistic that he will make his season debut when the San Francisco 49ers play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Then again, McCaffrey suggested the same things a week ago before he sat out the 49ers’ season opener because of a calf injury and Achilles tendinitis.

“My mindset is I’m going to play no matter what I’m going through on Wednesday or Thursday in practice,” McCaffrey said. “And on the game day, you’ve got to make a decision. … My mentality is I’m playing this week.”

San Francisco (1-0) has a backup plan just in case. The 49ers turned to second-string running back Jordan Mason on Monday, and he had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown to lead the team to a 32-19 win over the visiting New York Jets.

Meanwhile, Minnesota (1-0) is looking to play the role of spoiler in its home opener. The Vikings are coming off a decisive 28-6 win over the New York Giants in Week 1 that marked the team debut for Sam Darnold at quarterback.

Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception to register a 113.2 passer rating. He now will go up against the 49ers, with whom he played last season as a backup to starter Brock Purdy.

A season on the sidelines was a blessing in disguise, Darnold said.

“Being able to prepare and be ready like I was the starter, but just sit back and watch everything that was going on in the organization, how things were run there, (really helped),” Darnold said. “I really did learn a ton from Brock and the way he prepared, his quiet confidence that he had every single day.

“He’s not the rah-rah guy, not going to lead the team in breakdowns at the end of the year, but he’s just as steady as they come.”

Purdy proved steady last week as he completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards. He also had one rush for 11 yards in the victory.

Both teams’ defenses will look to repeat impressive performances in Week 2.

San Francisco held the Jets to 266 total yards and spoiled the opener for Aaron Rodgers, who passed for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Leonard Floyd recorded a sack for San Francisco.

The Vikings also shined in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system. Free-agent acquisition Andrew Van Ginkel had an interception return for a touchdown, and veteran safety Harrison Smith baited Daniel Jones into another interception.

Minnesota racked up five sacks, including a pair from linebacker Patrick Jones II. Van Ginkel also notched a sack, as did rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner.

San Francisco wideout Brandon Aiyuk is hoping for better production in his second game back from a long delay over a contract dispute. Aiyuk caught two passes for 28 yards in Week 1 but said he felt like he was in good game shape.

“It felt good,” Aiyuk said. “(I felt) a little sore. (I was) solid though.”

Vikings wideout Jordan Addison did not take part in practice to start the week because of an ankle injury that he sustained in Week 1. Addison had three catches for 35 yards before he left the game in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media