The Vikings Week 1 Opponent Has a Massive Question to Answer
The Minnesota Vikings will begin their 2023 regular season schedule by playing host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 12 PM CST inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
However, ahead of that matchup, there is a big question mark that is yet to be answered. As of now, the QB of the Vikings Week 1 opponent remains unknown as Tampa Bay finds themselves in the midst of a battle for their QB1 spot.
In the aftermath of Tom Brady’s retirement (it seems real this time around), the Buccaneers are in a position where they need to find a new starting QB. As of now, the two candidates for that starting job are Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. However, as of now, there is no true front-runner.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted on Wednesday morning regarding the battle, “Bucs coach Todd Bowles tells reporters that Baker Mayfield will start on Friday and Kyle Trask will start next week. As the QB battle goes on…”
Mayfield was selected with the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, so technically, he is probably the leader in the battle simply due to his NFL experience. Over four years with the Browns, he started 59 games, leading Cleveland to a 29-30 record in those games. Considering where the Cleveland franchise stood before his arrival (going a combined 4-44 from 2015-17), this is an impressive feat.
In all, Mayfield threw for 14,125 yards, 92 TDs, and 56 INTs in his career with the Browns. He even helped them make the playoffs in 2020, the team’s first playoff berth since 2002.
However, after an underwhelming 2021 season in which the Browns went back to their losing ways (an 8-9 record), Mayfield was dealt to the Carolina Panthers. He started six games for the Panthers, throwing for 1313 yards, 6 TDs, and 6 INTs. Mid-season, he was released by Carolina and picked up by the Rams where he finished the year. In four starts for LA, he threw for 850 yards, 4 TDs, and 2 INTs before signing with the Bucs this spring.
As for Trask, he may be the player that Bucs fans are hoping to see in Week 1. He was a second-round pick in 2021, but with Brady in the organization, he saw very little playing time over his first two seasons. In total, the Florida Gators product has attempted 9 passes since being drafted. He completed 3 of them for 23 yards.
That being said, the third-year QB has established some confidence in his abilities over the course of practices during his first two-plus NFL seasons.
Trask said this week, “I’ve definitely been seeing what I can and can’t do for the past two years (in practices). I think I have a much better idea now. I know what situations you have to take more risks in, and I think if we can just play clean as an offense, that’s going to give us the best chance to win in the end. I’m just trying to do the best that I can do, which includes protecting the football.”
Being able to work with Tom Brady and Bruce Arians (Tampa’s head coach in 2021 before moving to a front office position in 2022) will certainly help a young player as he gets his feet wet at the NFL level. This weekend’s preseason start will go a long way towards showing what he is truly capable of at this point.
In the end, the regular season is still a month away for the Buccaneers and Vikings. However, this is an interesting situation that Vikings fans should be paying attention to ahead of the Septmber 10th battle.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.