**Lions at Vikings** (-1.5, 50.5) 1:00 (1 Viewer)

[Biabreakable]

Is it just me or does Darnold have really poor vision to his left?

He didn't see the safety jumping in front for the interception on his left.

What else have you seen that makes you wonder about this?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Is it just me or does Darnold have really poor vision to his left?

He didn't see the safety jumping in front for the interception on his left.

What else have you seen that makes you wonder about this?

On the INT he threw to Branch, he looked off a wide open Jones to the left and came back right.

And actually, what I think it is even more is that he has a hard time believing his eyes on the open receivers at about the 5-10 yard mark. They even commented on it and showed KOC apparently coaching Sam about it in the 4th. It cost them the game when he just wouldn't take what the defense was giving him.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Is it just me or does Darnold have really poor vision to his left?

He didn't see the safety jumping in front for the interception on his left.

What else have you seen that makes you wonder about this?

On the INT he threw to Branch, he looked off a wide open Jones to the left and came back right.

And actually, what I think it is even more is that he has a hard time believing his eyes on the open receivers at about the 5-10 yard mark. They even commented on it and showed KOC apparently coaching Sam about it in the 4th. It cost them the game when he just wouldn't take what the defense was giving him.

True, but Branch made a great instinctual play there IMO. BB and Kerby Joseph are posting production numbers we haven’t seen since Ed Reed hung ‘em up.

The other guys get paid, too. Sometimes a great player makes a play.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Is it just me or does Darnold have really poor vision to his left?

He didn't see the safety jumping in front for the interception on his left.

What else have you seen that makes you wonder about this?

On the INT he threw to Branch, he looked off a wide open Jones to the left and came back right.

And actually, what I think it is even more is that he has a hard time believing his eyes on the open receivers at about the 5-10 yard mark. They even commented on it and showed KOC apparently coaching Sam about it in the 4th. It cost them the game when he just wouldn't take what the defense was giving him.

True, but Branch made a great instinctual play there IMO. BB and Kerby Joseph are posting production numbers we haven’t seen since Ed Reed hung ‘em up.

The other guys get paid, too. Sometimes a great player makes a play.

For sure. But time and time again Bradford won't pull the trigger on a short pass. Two different things.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Is it just me or does Darnold have really poor vision to his left?

He didn't see the safety jumping in front for the interception on his left.

What else have you seen that makes you wonder about this?

On the INT he threw to Branch, he looked off a wide open Jones to the left and came back right.

And actually, what I think it is even more is that he has a hard time believing his eyes on the open receivers at about the 5-10 yard mark. They even commented on it and showed KOC apparently coaching Sam about it in the 4th. It cost them the game when he just wouldn't take what the defense was giving him.

True, but Branch made a great instinctual play there IMO. BB and Kerby Joseph are posting production numbers we haven’t seen since Ed Reed hung ‘em up.

The other guys get paid, too. Sometimes a great player makes a play.

For sure. But time and time again Bradford won't pull the trigger on a short pass. Two different things.

Yeah, but pulling back to look at the bigger picture…

Darnold played a great game, better than a couple games he had but the Vikings won easily. His deep ball is fantastic, dude has a good arm.

Look at the team totals in the box score. I’ve never seen a game end up more even.

This Minnesota team is better than the 2022 squad that went 13-4.

 

[Golden Gopher]

Is it just me or does Darnold have really poor vision to his left?

He didn't see the safety jumping in front for the interception on his left.

What else have you seen that makes you wonder about this?

On the INT he threw to Branch, he looked off a wide open Jones to the left and came back right.

And actually, what I think it is even more is that he has a hard time believing his eyes on the open receivers at about the 5-10 yard mark. They even commented on it and showed KOC apparently coaching Sam about it in the 4th. It cost them the game when he just wouldn't take what the defense was giving him.

True, but Branch made a great instinctual play there IMO. BB and Kerby Joseph are posting production numbers we haven’t seen since Ed Reed hung ‘em up.

The other guys get paid, too. Sometimes a great player makes a play.

For sure. But time and time again Bradford won't pull the trigger on a short pass. Two different things.

Yeah, but pulling back to look at the bigger picture…

Darnold played a great game, better than a couple games he had but the Vikings won easily. His deep ball is fantastic, dude has a good arm.

Look at the team totals in the box score. I’ve never seen a game end up more even.

This Minnesota team is better than the 2022 squad that went 13-4.

I am cautiously optimistic that this is true as well. That team won 13 games despite their defense, which had more of a bend-but-don't-break or play-not-to-lose type of mentality under Ed D. Lowest blitz percentage in the league, if I'm not mistaken. When they brought in Flores last year, I remember thinking that he would be their best off-season acquisition, and I still believe that to be the case. The defense has struggled to stop teams at times (DET for a good stretch yesterday, and the second half against GB), but it's still night and day better than it was under Donatell.

In 2022, every game was close. Either come from behind or get ahead and let the opponent back into the game. Of course, that led to some crazy games that I'll never forget (the BUF OT win, the comeback against IND, and the 58 yd FG to beat NYG), but there were times where it didn't need to be that close.

Last year, the team had a horrible start. But, you could tell that the defense was different. Way more aggressive and making opposing QB's uncomfortable. Then, Cousins and the offense started to get into a groove... until the achilles ended things for all intents and purposes. Brought in Dobbs, etc., but the season was over.

This year, the defense has taken that intensity to another level. And, it's not based on better personnel. Flores is the key. I was hoping that we would start to see the Vikings really go for the jugular when in the lead, as opposed to seemingly always playing to the level of the opponent. And, we have seen that at times.... particularly in the games against NYG and HOU. Those were never in doubt. Hoping they get back to that in the next four games, all of which should be very winnable (despite 3 of 4 being on the road). Don't let up on the gas and put these teams away. Of course, in order for that to happen, they need to first and foremost keep certain players healthy (Darnold, Jefferson, Jones, etc.).

 

[Golden Gopher]

Somebody said it, but I'll echo the sentiment that it's about time Goff enters the conversation for league MVP. Still a long way to go, obviously, but he's been phenomenal this year.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Somebody said it, but I'll echo the sentiment that it's about time Goff enters the conversation for league MVP. Still a long way to go, obviously, but he's been phenomenal this year.

Early on this year, he was along for the ride. Last 4 g he isn’t just good by his standards, he’s been great by all time records.

Long season, we’ll see how it plays out. He has taken his ability to perform under defensive pressure to a whole other level. He could always beat a blitz, now he’s making plays when under duress (blitzes don’t always turn into pressure, not all pressures come from a blitz scheme, et al.)

 

[zed2283]

These timing rules are so stupid. When I'm supreme ruler, there will be no changing timing rules. A penalty stops the clock, period.

Except that allows the offense to commit penalties to stop the clock which is a silly reward.

Just like a defense could. No big deal, they did it that way for 80 years. You get penalized yardage and on to the next one. What's silly is changing the timing rules depending on where you are in the game and who's leading.

 

[Ilov80s]

These timing rules are so stupid. When I'm supreme ruler, there will be no changing timing rules. A penalty stops the clock, period.

Except that allows the offense to commit penalties to stop the clock which is a silly reward.

Just like a defense could. No big deal, they did it that way for 80 years. You get penalized yardage and on to the next one. What's silly is changing the timing rules depending on where you are in the game and who's leading.

Defense could but most penalties give the offense a first down or move them close to it so it doesn’t actually accomplish anything.

 

[jon_mx]

Three DL were ranked bottom five in PFF (Pascal, Ukwu and Reader). I only noticed Houston in on a handful of snaps, he usually tried to speed rush out wide, but was moved out too deep to get to the QB. The one impact he did have though was late in the game on 3rd and long. Darnold had a bunch of time but found no WR, so took off running, but Houston got in his run lane and forced him into another defender. That was the key stop leading to the game winning FG.

 

[zed2283]

These timing rules are so stupid. When I'm supreme ruler, there will be no changing timing rules. A penalty stops the clock, period.

Except that allows the offense to commit penalties to stop the clock which is a silly reward.

Just like a defense could. No big deal, they did it that way for 80 years. You get penalized yardage and on to the next one. What's silly is changing the timing rules depending on where you are in the game and who's leading.

Defense could but most penalties give the offense a first down or move them close to it so it doesn’t actually accomplish anything.

Same difference. Stop the clock and lose yards, whether you're the offense or the defense.