Daily Norseman
Hello everyone and welcome to the Week 2 Minnesota Vikings roundtable here at Daily Norseman. The Vikes had an incredible fourth quarter last week, overshadowing three tough periods to start the game in stealing a win in Chicago over the Bears on Monday Night Football.
But now we turn our attention to the Atlanta Falcons, and how we feel this Sunday Night Football appearance will go now that the boys are back in town *guitar riff*.
Let’s talk to it.
Brandon Warne: One of the linebackers. I’m leaning toward Andrew Van Ginkel just because his absence came on a bit more abruptly, but more or less I’m more concerned about how the Falcons will attack the Vikings in the short game. I know Kyle Pitts has been more of a bust than expected, but between him, Bijan Robinson and the likely use of the short(er) passing game with Michael Penix Jr., I’m more concerned about missing a linebacker than I am Christian Darrisaw (who is still obviously a big loss).
Christopher Gates: I wanted to say Christian Darrisaw here, but I think that Justin Skule will be helped by getting onto home turf and getting better prepared for Week 2. So I’ll go with the more obvious answer and say Blake Cashman. Cashman has been a huge part of this Vikings’ defense since he got here last season, and while Eric Wilson is a capable replacement, he can’t do the number of things in this defense that Cashman can do. The Vikings’ defense had some issues when Cashman missed time last season, and I hope this doesn’t repeat itself again this season.
David Stefano: Blake Cashman. When he was injured last season, we lost 2 of the 3 games. He’s the hub of defensive communication. I think Eric Wilson will step in adequately, but he simply isn’t Cashman.
Sam Buegler: Christian Darrisaw. During Week 1, his absence was heavily felt, and I think that will continue into Week 2. The Vikings depth at the other positions will be stretched, but not as bad as at left tackle. It is too important of a position, especially with J.J. still learning and improving.
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BW: I’d give him a B+. I don’t think this is entirely like school, where you can flunk the first 75 percent of a class and need to finish strong to even get a C. I think “what have you done for me lately” looms a bit larger — hence the bumped-up grade — and I also think it wasn’t as though McCarthy could do much with the shackles on him early in the game. Yes, it was really ugly to start — but I think we all got a good sign that the Vikings might really have something here in the fourth quarter.
CG: If you judge the entire game as a...
