Vikings @ Chargers

[Cliff]

Wentz is starting which is demoralizing for me. If he has another game like he did against the Eagles it's going to be really ugly. Maybe they'll turn things around here. I really want JJM to come back. I don't necessarily think he'll make the team much better but it would be nice to kind of watch his progression if we can't watch a winning team either way.

[VikingLord]

At this point I'd rather watch McCarthy or Brosmer than Wentz. Wentz may technically give the Vikings the best chance to win but there is no future with him and he's not that good. At least with Brosmer KOC could evaluate whether he can make plays.

I feel like KOC and the Vikings have to start making personnel decisions in line with their goals. If their goal this year was to evaluate and develop McCarthy, well, they can't do that because he's hurt. So the next best thing they can do is evaluate and develop their other young QB. Brosmer can't possibly throw interceptions or miss open receivers worse than Wentz did last Sunday. He can't possibly take worse sacks or commit a more pointless intentional grounding.

Brosmer may struggle and he probably would, but at least there is a chance he could actually move the offense and make some plays. There is a chance the Vikings might realize they have found a guy who can play QB.

[CharVike]

This is no shock. If Wentz is terrible they should put Bosmer in there. Nothing to lose at this point. Give the fans some fun and reason to watch. It wouldn't surprise me if Wentz starts against the Lions either. The Lions shut down Mayfield and have some guys that can rush. They might let Wentz take the beating instead.

[CharVike]

For the actual game. The Chargers are a strange team. They can't run the ball and they can't stop the run. They started 3-0 and since then they are 1-3 only beating the Dolphins who have already given up. Since losing their LT their OL is a shambles and basically can't block very well. Herbert put up over 400 yards passing but it meant nothing as he gave the game away with 2 Ints the 1st half. Like us the red zone is a stopping point. Flores will sell out to stop Herbert sending 1/2 the defense after him on blitzes. That will rush his throw and he'll hope to get accuracy issues, drops or sacks. Greenard who is stuck on 1 sack for the season might get a couple here if he can get it back in gear. I suspect KOC will try to run the ball and that will last until the first negative effort. Then he'll tell Wentz to put it up. Wentz came here for peanuts only to check this off his early bucket list. That's been accomplished. Once he gets a big hit I think he'll tap out. Last thing he wants is a rib pushed through a lung or a knee injury that will take 10 months to rehab. Then it will be fan favorite Brosmer who will be under heavy pressure and won't know how to handle it. Some see this as high scoring but neither team has the offense for that. My guess is Chargers 22-19.

[psjordan]

Under normal circumstances considering the current state of our team I would be predicting a Chargers blowout. But under KOC it seems to me that just when I think they are in complete disarray and have no hope at important positions, they pull something out of the blue and put together 75% of a good game. And are either in it at the end or win it.

So my common sense says we’ll be at the wrong end of a blowout here. I have no faith in Wentz, and IMO they are not starting Brosmer (besides the inexperience) because all we need is for him to play a good series or two and then get hurt behind a hodgepodge OL. Then what? Put in the veteran you just dissed by not starting him? So I see the logic in starting Wentz, but my expectations are as close to a 65 QB rating as you can get.

My take is there is absolutely no way to predict this game. I am positive there will be frustrating and boneheaded plays on both sides of the ball, and it is REALLY disappointing to not be able to get a read on McCarthy. The kid needs to be playing no matter how poorly (or well) he may perform, and no matter the level of the opponent. So so so frustrating for fans.

I am also 100% positive that in the first 10 minutes of game time I will utter the phrase “$%!!*$!, we are not ready to play AGAIN!”.

[VikingsFan12345]

Wentz is 7-0 on Thursday night football, let's see if Wentz can keep the streak going

[CharVike]

Wentz is 7-0 on Thursday night football, let's see if Wentz can keep the streak going

That's pulling one out of nowhere. KOC is 1-7 with a -98 point differential in prime time. Not exactly a prime time coach.

[VikingLord]

I expect this game to come down to which team executes better offensively. The frustrating thing about the loss to the Eagles was the Vikings defense didn't play all that poorly. The Eagles scored on big passing plays where Hurts had time to let his receivers get downfield. On all but one of those plays he was under pressure but he managed to keep his cool and make an accurate throw. Had the Vikings gotten home on those plays, the outcome would have been very different.

I'm not saying the defense is great. They are what they are. I'm just saying that if they can bottle up the opposing runner and get more consistent pressure off the pass rush they are good enough to hang with the Chargers offense.

The lack of turnovers and pass breakups needs to be addressed.

The Vikings offense is kind of blah right now. The offensive line regressed against the Eagles and the starters, when they've been on the field together, haven't exactly been dominant in either phase of blocking. The best performance by the OL so far was the game against the Browns and that was with most of the starters out. Go figure.

With that said, how Wentz plays will be the biggest factor in whether the Vikings win the game. He has amazing talent around him. JJ and Addison are both very good receivers. Hockenson has been uneven so far but he's a viable TE. He has a solid RB who can get tough yards. He himself has to execute. He's got to hit open receivers. He's got to make good decisions and protect the football. He's got to play like the journeyman vet QB he is or KOC should replace him with Brosmer.

I don't have a great sense of how this game will go. I don't think it will be a blowout either way. I could see either team jumping on the other early only to allow them back into the game later. It does seem like the Vikings struggle when they have to travel west, and I think the Chargers will probably eke out a win here. Something like Chargers - 28, Vikings - 24 seems reasonable.

[psjordan]

Final injury report. Jones may play, other questionables are pretty much not playing. No designation means they are planning on playing. I remember the play I though Wentz got hurt, and it looked painful. My guess is that it's a mild separation and he is taking the needle and gutting it out. To me that raises red flags on McCarthy's situation - either he's hurt more than it seems or the team has pretty low confidence in him at this point.

C.J. Ham Hand Out
Andrew Van Ginkel Neck Out

Christian Darrisaw Knee Questionable
Aaron Jones Sr. Hamstring Questionable
J.J. McCarthy Ankle Questionable
Brian O'Neill Knee Questionable
Zavier Scott Wrist Questionable

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins Hip -
Donovan Jackson Wrist -
Carson Wentz Left Shoulder -

[Cliff]

To me that raises red flags on McCarthy's situation - either he's hurt more than it seems or the team has pretty low confidence in him at this point.

There are varying degrees of ankle sprains. Someone could take as long as 12 weeks to recover from one.

[VikingLord]

Is Darrisaw's knee injury new? I hadn't seen him on the injury report for that before I don't think.

[psjordan]

Is Darrisaw's knee injury new? I hadn't seen him on the injury report for that before I don't think.

He pulled himself from the Eagles game, said he hit his "snap count". Saw somewhere KOC was peeved. Apparently the wording for the injury report gets funky, for some reason they had to list it as the knee.

[psjordan]

To me that raises red flags on McCarthy's situation - either he's hurt more than it seems or the team has pretty low confidence in him at this point.

There are varying degrees of ankle sprains. Someone could take as long as 12 weeks to recover from one.

Yeah, I guess hoping for the worst ankle-wise is actually hoping for the best in this case!

[Cliff]

There are varying degrees of ankle sprains. Someone could take as long as 12 weeks to recover from one.

Yeah, I guess hoping for the worst ankle-wise is actually hoping for the best in this case!

It looks like it's going to be the "middle". There's a lot of talk that he'll be back against the Lions which would be out 5ish weeks.

[CharVike]

Is Darrisaw's knee injury new? I hadn't seen him on the injury report for that before I don't think.

He pulled himself from the Eagles game, said he hit his "snap count". Saw somewhere KOC was peeved. Apparently the wording for the injury report gets funky, for some reason they had to list it as the knee.

"What I’ve gleaned from a few sources: Darrisaw needed some treatment this week on the knee after playing 69 snaps vs Eagles," ESPN's Kevin Seifert said late Wednesday. "No huge concerns, but also no guarantee he can make the quick turn on the short week."

With right tackle Brian O'Neill also questionable with a knee injury of his own, there's a possibility that Minnesota faces the Chargers on short rest without three of its original starting offensive linemen.

“I don’t think anybody goes from playing on Sunday to playing on Thursday and actually feels good,” Wentz said. “It’s more, ‘How good can I get myself feeling?'”

As a way to mitigate some of the stress, head coach Kevin O’Connell decided not to have any practices at full speed. He opted for walkthroughs instead to keep the Vikings as fresh as they can when they play the Chargers.

“We know it’s going to be here before we know it,” O’Connell said. “We’re doing everything we can to turn over our players.”