Questions Answered: Sunday’s Turning Point, Challenge Flag, Next for Cine?
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the October 2nd edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: What do you consider the turning point of Sunday’s Saints-Vikings game?
A: The fake-punt pass on 4th Down late in the 3rd Quarter changed the Vikings fortune. Of course, the play didn’t decide the game, but it did shift momentum and proved the Vikings were gutsy enough to win the thing.
Rookie punter Ryan Wright found rookie wideout Jalen Nailor for the conversion, extended the Vikings drive, and a five-point lead ensued after a Greg Joseph field goal.
Wright continues to impress, and what a way for Nailor to grab his first career reception.
Q: Why didn’t the Vikings challenge the first down when it appeared Adam Thielen was close to the sticks?
A: The only thing that makes sense is that perhaps the television broadcast‘s 1st Down marker was off. Otherwise, the completion was undoubtedly worthy of measurement. But it seemed like no one cared or realized it.
Because it is impossible for the Vikings coaching staff not to know how pivotal that 1st Down would’ve been, Thielen must’ve been short, and the television “yellow line” was somehow misleading.
That’s all we got. Regardless, it deserved a measurement.
Q: Do you think Lewis Cine can return in 2022?
A: No, almost certainly not.
Cine wasn’t used much on defense in the first four games, and now he’ll have to wait until 2023. The injury was indeed devastating, especially for a player chomping at the bit to make an impact. One week ago, Cine tweeted this after not playing on defense versus the Detroit Lions:
Time will tell when he returns, but you should emotionally prepare for 2023.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).