The Vikings went into Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday as 9-point underdogs. They were coming off, perhaps, the worst loss in Kevin O’Connell’s tenure in a 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

McCarthy returns to the helm in the wake of a valiant but fruitless effort by Carson Wentz, who, in obvious pain, stayed in the game. Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk about next weeks game.

Wentz and the Vikings had a chance to beat the Eagles, who have not looked like the defending Super Champions that they are. But scoring a touchdown in just 1 of 6 forays into the Red Zone (due to a number of different and infuriating reasons: bad snap, holding penalty, an intentional grounding penalty, one overruled by review and then a TD pass called back by a penalty), the Vikings have been mulling over a change throughout its short week to Thursday night against the San Diego Chargers.

And nowhere is that injury report more important than in the quarterback room. Right now, this season’s starter at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, is trying to return from a high ankle sprain that took place in the second game of the season; his backup Carson Wentz, who secured a 2-1 record from the bullpen, injured his left shoulder last game and since the team is on a bye, we know little more of his condition; and practice squad-er (and former Golden Gopher) Max Brosmer, who did see his first NFL action in replace of Wentz, is ready and eager to step in where needed. This is the biggest question of the bye week, but certainly not the only injury-related one for the Vikings.

The unpredictable 2025 Minnesota Vikings season continues with another comeback victory and sound play from unlikely sources. The Vikings beat the Cleveland Browns 21-17 in London, leaving their European tour with a split and climbing back above .500 thanks to the performance of a makeshift offensive line that thwarted one of the best defensive fronts in the league.

After the win last week, things were bright on the Purple horizon, but the view darkened quickly. Two winnable games in the early part of a tough schedule have been lost, two new offensive linemen have joined others already on the injured list and the defense is suddenly not the world beaters we imagined. There is so much to discuss. And we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to do just that. Tune in and check it out. Skol!

Rodgers, actually, nearly took care of the Bengals on his own, forcing two fumbles and scoring two defensive scores in a game (the first player to do so in league history)—accomplishing it in the first half to bury them. Still, we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com), will certainly offer our opinion on that question and all things from Sunday’s game. Tune in and check out our discussion of the 2-1 Vikings, who are in a tie for first place in the NFC North. Skol!

On Sunday night, Vikings fans were still warming themselves from the embers of last Monday night’s memories of the fourth quarter of the Chicago Bears game (in which their quarterback of the future, J.J. McCarthy, put on a display for the ages with three scores in fifteen minutes to secure the win in his NFL debut) when they were doused with the cold, wet reality of a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. McCarthy played like he had for the first three quarters against the Bears, and suddenly joy over the NFC Player of the Week turned to fear and loathing of a season quickly on the brink.

To everybody watching, the Vikings looked dead in the water after the third quarter, but then momentum changed—and the Bears could not stem the tide.

McCarthy will be surrounded on offense by a new offensive line, is joined in the backfield by Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones, and a healthy T.J. Hockenson fortifies the pass-catching crew of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison (in game four) to give the second-year Viking signal caller plenty of assistance in the first season as a starting NFL quarterback.