Questions Answered: The Gamebreaker Tonight, Justin Fields, Take Detroit Seriously?
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the September 19th 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: Pick one Viking who you’d consider the gamebreaker tonight?
A: Well, we’ll pick two.
Give us a Greg Joseph with game-changing kicks at Philadelphia. The game should be close, meaning Joseph’s transactions will be even more crucial. He proved in Week 1 that he has the boot to hit from distance.
And on defense, Dalvin Tomlinson must have a high-profile game if the Vikings are to stifle the Eagles rushing aspirations. Tomlinson performed well against the Green Bay Packers last weekend, and we foresee an adept follow-up.
Q: Do you believe Justin Fields ever figures it out?
A: No, not to the degree the world believed on draft night 2021.
He flat-out isn’t very good, and he doesn’t seem just a “few things” away from putting it all together. He may have the ceiling of a Tyrod Taylor type, where he stays in the league for years, but no one is afraid of him.
It doesn’t help that Bears surrounded him with a wretched offensive line and Dollar General wide receivers after Darnell Mooney.
Q: Is it time to take the Lions seriously?
A: It’s time to take the Lions seriously with a ceiling of 9-8 or so.
Their offense is rip-roaring — whoodathunkit, right? — even without Jameson Williams on the field. They should be even better when Williams tries on the offense for size.
However — there is always a however with the Lions — Detroit’s defense isn’t good. Well, at least it has not been through two games. Yes, Aidan Hutchinson tallied 3 sacks on Sunday — good for him — but the Lions defense ranks 30th in the NFL per EPA/Play.
A team with the third-worst defense in the world cannot be taken seriously. Ergo, it’s a 9-8 ceiling for 2022, which is welcome news for Lions faithful.
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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).