Questions Answered: Vikings Main Fix, Bullard’s Substitute, Fluke?
Dustin Baker
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Questions Answered: Vikings Main Fix, Bullard’s Substitute, Fluke?
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the December 9th 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 immediate fix could the Vikings implement to maybe decisively beat an opponent or two?
A: Oh, easy — stop falling asleep in the 3rd Quarter of games.
This is actually one of the easiest questions we’ve been asked all week. The team ranks dead last in the NFL per 3rd Quarter efficiency (EPA/Play), and solving those woes alone could “fix the Vikings.”
Of course, the club is 10-2 with the NFL’s second-best record, so one cannot complain too much. But if you yearn for decisive victories, ask the franchise to cease 3rd Quarter lullabies.
Q: Who do you expect to start with Jonathan Bullard out against the Lions?
A: James Lynch.
There’s a slight chance that Kevin O’Connell could start Ross Blacklock, but we believe it will be Lynch. The man has played on 224 defensive snaps in 2022, so he’ll be in line to start again. Lynch previously got the start at the Washington Commanders.
And truth be told, Lynch might even better than Bullard. Keep an eye on it.
Q: Do you consider this Vikings season, in your heart of hearts, at all a fluke because of these tight games?
A: There is an element of good fortune in there, but no, we won’t call it a fluke.
Ultimately, the Vikings are winning all these games, stiffening on defense in the 4th Quarter while Kirk Cousins is authoring the game-winning drives. It’s “never not nerve-wracking,” but it somehow works.
We are concerned that the team cannot win squeakers in every postseason game, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
In the meantime, perhaps the Vikings could just hit their stride and blow the doors off the Lions, Colts, and Giants. That’d work.
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 Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).