Brian Murphy picks the Vikings schedule

hey everybody welcome to another episode of purple Insider Matthew caller here along with Brian Murphy and we are inside Circa in Las Vegas we're out here for their Circa million and Survivor contests two very very cool things that if you have a chance to drop by in Las Vegas and uh check out these contests you got a few more weeks to sign up the Survivor contest is what it sounds like you pick teams and if you get them all right each week to win you know Survivor contest it's just like any other but in this one you can become a millionaire if uh you win and last night actually murf when we were out we ran into the winners from last year and they are Blazers they're millionaires they got these blue blazers for being the winners matching matching and they looked pretty cool so if you have a chance to uh come out it's a hell of a club to join it's not a bad place to uh visit and last year $9.2 million was split between four winners in the Survivor contest and uh with the million contest you pick five teams uh against the spread every week so you sign up out here but you're obviously playing back at home you don't have to fly to Vegas every week to do this um so if you got a flight that's coming out this way or you got to stop or something like that uh that might be a good thing to do before the season starts because yeah you could become a millionaire uh we are not millionaires because we're not usually good at uh picking games all that well but we're going to try that anyway today we're going to try for you murf to project the Minnesota Vikings 2024 season it's one of my favorite bits to do with people where we go through every game and you pick whether they are going to win or lose and we come up with a final record so we spent a lot of time yesterday talking about the over under here and we're going to talk also with Derek Stevens who owns this place about the NFC North over unders and Super Bowl odds uh later on so keep an eye out for that but you're going to pick every single game so I'm going to set it up and you're just going to tell me Vikings win or loss and you have to explain why you think they will win or lose are you ready yeah let's te it up can you handle this I can I think so okay you seem a little tense this morning no no not at all okay got a long day ahead though we got to get out of here travel be home by 11 o'clock yeah we do that's already flooding ahead yeah uh well we're going to do our best uh so let's start out with the Vikings at the New York Giants the New York football Giants if you will I'm going to say one and0 I'm going to say early September in the meal lands is not a bad way to start the season um I expect Brian Flores is going to make life miserable for Daniel Jones and the Giants even though it's a year and a half too late from the ell implosion in the 2022 23 playoff opener at US Bank Stadium but I I also think it's enough to take the edge off of Sam darnold's return to MetLife Stadium of course he floundered with the Jets uh it'll be ugly but I see Minnesota prevailing and starting out one and0 yeah I feel the same way that you know it's hard to get over what uh Daniel Jones has looked like really since he beat the Minnesota Vikings I mean what is his last PE right what does his last seven eight 10 starts look like versus that against said donatell um the Giants do have new pieces that could help them a lot Malik neighbors is one of them but we're talking about a rookie making his first start against Brian Flores defense that I think is going to be really tuned up to try to stop Malik neighbors that's going to be their main goal they don't have saquon Barkley anymore uh the one thing I would be concerned about for the Vikings perspective is uh the Giants defense that they have pass rushers they have Dexter Lawrence and the Vikings interior offensive line has not looked any better and so if there's one guy who could just absolutely blow this whole thing up it's probably Dexter Lawrence and then Brian Burns who they traded for as well I think this is a must-win game I hate to say that in week one but it does set the tone because we know the first month of the season is brutal um there aren't many layups at all but I would say that if if you're going to go into the metal lands on a rebuilding team taking on a rebuilding team and you want to kind of establish you know what you're going to look like from kind of a re retooled offense and then sort of a stop Gap got to make it happen defense this is an opportunity to to to get one in the bag because it's going to get so much more difficult in the next four to five weeks right it could be the confidence Builder and give them a little bit of cushion a swing game to where if you end up going 500 through the next stretch it would be great for them but this one gets you one that's a little more cushion if things go wrong starting with week two where they play the San Francisco 49ers it's probably going to go very wrong they were able to beat the 49ers last year but that was one of Kurt Cousins best games that we ever saw him play uh and uh I don't know I assume Brandon auk is going to be coming with the San Francisco 49ers but even if he's not it's still a super talented team and the only thing that gives you a a chance sometimes with the 49ers is that they get banged up a lot but it's only week two still early to get bang only week two right exactly so last year I think it was what Debo was not playing last year in that game and maccaffrey was questionable going in and he he was not effective I don't believe and this is going to be just week two so uh is this a loss for you yeah it is a loss it's a tough home opener um you know Sam Donald's Vengeance tour is really starting early this year but I don't think it's going to make that much of a difference I don't expect him to be crowing after all the 49ers are a tough home matchup uh probably the as tough a home opener as you're going to get the sting of two very close Super Bowl losses is kind of driving right now and you have to have I believe Kyle Shanahan's going to be kind of dialed in for for this week but you're right the iuk drama and then you know they've got some other contract pressing contract issues right now which shows how tight that Championship window can be because it's not so much how you perform and missed opportunities is can you continue to pay some of these guys and the 49ers are realizing right now that to maintain an elite roster you got to win quickly and I think this could be a make or break season for them um I kind of expect the 49ers to handle Minnesota so we're looking at oneone the only thing that I would leave the door open to is just regression from Brock pie uh it is very we've been waiting for that though we have but it's very hard to back-to-back Seasons average nine and a half yards a pass that's that would Buck all of history I looked this up every guy that's averaged over nine yards a pass and what they did The Following season and no one was able to repeat it not even Aaron Rogers or Matt Ryan I think better quarterbacks than uh Brock pie is there a way to figure yeah well we don't know yet I mean uh there was a sixth rounder once on a time that people wondered if he was any good after winning the first Super Bowl and Tom Brady just kept being great so maybe Brock pie will be the same thing and he has I think a a a mind for being great for Kyle Shanahan that is the most important part rather than the physical tools you climbed into Brock P's head uh yeah I think so I the way that he processes the game the way that he sees the field for someone who's not that big is ridiculous and then he has a bit of a playmaker mindset but one of the things that I notic in the numbers from pie is that he had more turnover worthy plays than you would want and kind of got away with some stuff last year he will put the ball up for grabs and if some of that stuff regresses on him how often those balls were picked in this game specifically I me that that's what we're going to talk about with every game that they're not expected to win is the way that you have to do it is probably just getting turnovers getting turnovers and play almost playing a perfect game because there's no margin for error and you know the 49ers are going to come in I don't want to say looking for vengeance from last year but they obviously remembered coming into the Dome being a little bit undermanned or not the dome but US Bank Stadium and no the ball of America M of America field at uh at US Bank Stadium um I I just feel like this is look if you know the Vikings take care business in New York that'll take the edge off the week two loss that almost seems guaranteed okay one in one and they stay at home and they face off with denil Hunter Revenge game casman Revenge game Stefan digs Revenge game Jonathan grenard Revenge game is there any other that's a whole lot of drama for week three right and there's not a lot of bad blood with anybody in Houston you have to imagine that Stefan Diggs no matter when he plays the Minnesota Vikings is going to feel like he wants to shred them but uh do you see that happening do you see the Vikings beating the Houston Texans at Metrodome Metrodome I think FL Brian Flores can put the Vikings defense into you know maybe positions to befuddle CJ Stout I mean cuz no way they can get into an offense of shooting match right now with that that team and that those weapons I'll Grant the Vikings an early upset here I just feel like it'll be intriguing to see you know the miracle worker and the sack Master back at US Bank Stadium but I think all eyes are going to be on CJ Stroud and whether this emerging star can kind of turn Houston into legitimate and viable Super Bowl candidates and I think it'll probably take a little bit of the season to get back into their Rhythm they were more of a second half team last year as well I just feel like this is a VI this is a home game that the Vikings can pull off an upset I don't like their chances in the division games and I'll get into that a little bit more as we go uh this is uh an early upset opportunity so we get him at two- one two and one start for the Minnesota Vikings and Sam darnold would be very good I am a little less confident than you on this but I understand why you would pick one of those two games to be an upset because you have back-to-back games at US Bank Stadium nor you wouldn't expect to lose right both of those and last year when we were picking schedules we would have said they are losing to San Francisco when they came to US Bank Stadium and they pulled off a win there I think what when you're talking about the 49ers in Texans game it's a 6040 type advantage which is about as it's not as large as it gets in the NFL but that's how I would put it for the 49ers and Texans can you be on the right side of the 40% of one of those two games and then you're going to feel a heck of a lot that's a turnover driven probably yeah right and last year they were on the wrong side of all the turnovers to start the season can you be on the right side of them and pull off one of those wins now they go to Lambo field feeling pretty good about themselves but do you feel pretty good about the Vikings at Lambo field uh at uh two and one no I don't really I maybe somebody will pour one out uh in memory of where you know Kirt cousins 2023 season and Vikings career ended shockingly maybe last October but it was shocking I don't know the first big NFC North test goes to the ascendants I got to say with Jordan love and the the home Packers at least they won't have to you know the Vikings won't have to suffer through an Arctic matchup as they usually have there but I I feel like this is where it's going to get difficult for the Vikings to make not only make the playoffs but be viable just because of their division I really have them going about one and five in the division we'll break those down later but I think this is going to be a very humbling season in the NFC North for the Vikings I can already see the comment section when it comes to that I usually think that they're going to split the division games because they are closer when you even if you're not as good and you play a division team you're the familiarity is so high that usually there is a little bit more of a split but this year the other teams two of them at least are decidedly better and very much more in their Super Bowl Windows than the Vikings which uh would be understandable to pick them instead the only the only edge here as you mentioned is that you're not going to Lambo in January for once maybe Justin Jeff will have the right cleats this time and everything will be okay uh but okay they take a loss they start the season at 2 and two and then they get in their buggies and they fly out to London again to play the New York Jets I know again Aaron roders what does he look like by week five this one is a very difficult one to project but we do know Robert Salah has uh an excellent if you missed yesterday couldn't pronounce Robert Salah uh Robert Salah has an excellent defense which could cause a lot of problems for Sam darnold I think of course it can but I I here's what I think I it's a tough opening month um I feel like assuming Aaron Rogers can survive his early comeback from that Achilles injury I think Flores will be waiting to scheme him up pretty good should be a fun matchup though the biggest match up not even so much quarterbacks as watching just Jefferson maybe go up against s Gardner I it might not be as dramatic and entertaining as double dink was a couple years ago but I do see the Vikings prevailing here and moving to three and two okay and putting a bookmark on a very difficult opening stretch yeah I was going to say I I feel like if they are able to survive three and two going into the season yeah at three and two I that would be a a best case scenario for them with these teams uh to get a win against the Jets I just have no idea what Aaron Rogers is going to be uh because it's been so long since he played and he hasn't been around much this spring he also didn't look that good when he was playing last for the Green Bay Packers that correct it it looked like his physical skill was not the same as it was during his Peak and he couldn't just kind of make it up back there and play his way and I just think that that worked for him once upon a time and it certainly worked when Matt lefur got there he does have at least one really good receiver and some other weapons is their offensive line good enough to protect him I I don't know I'm not super high he just feels like he can plug in and play you know as if nothing has happened over the last year and a half and as you mentioned watching him get marched off Lambo by the lions in week 17 week 18 in January of 2013 you felt like obviously it was the end of an era in Green Bay but considering what happened three snap snaps into the season last year you wonder I don't he's not the same player he's not the same guy and I is he 40 yet when is his uh is it this season uh is he already 40 how old is Aaron Rogers it's this calendar year I believe so you know you haven't been relevant in a year and a half uh it says he is 40 years old and turned 40 in December second so is he 40 going on 48 yeah uh like most quarterbacks or is he 40 going on 32 like Tom Brady I mean even when he was 38 he started to look like he was getting older and when he was constantly talking about potential retirement that's where the red flag always goes up for me when you have a quarterback that is always thinking about retirement at some point even with Tom Brady they just fall off the side of the earth and the same thing happened with pton Manning like is that this year for Aaron Rodgers and I think to to say yes would go I think with history with the way that some of these quarterbacks have had their careers end even when you go back to a lot of Legends other than John Elway who walked away after a really good year but even someone like Dan Marino one year too many that's often times one year too many and the Vikings have to hope that that's the case because if it's not that's going to be a hard game but okay three and two what an ideal scenario yeah going into the buy a lot of positive vibes coming into October uh but an immediate test coming out of the buy and I'm sure that uh T.J hackinson is coming back at this point JJ McCarthy is oh no he's not that would have been a tantalizing time to considering him it really would have been interesting if he had been but at three and two with Sam darnold he's probably not in the mix right now this just I don't mean to keep going back to McCarthy's injury how much it took away so many fun story lines but if they were three and2 but it was a Flores 3 and2 and the offense ranked 28th but they had gotten some turnovers and Will rard Made nine field goals in a row or something to start the season coming out of the buy would have been a very difficult decision do I keep going with darnold he's winning but they're not playing that well U by the way real quick Sam darnold stat that I ran across tell me how this one sits with you uh last night so I was I keep thinking about how can I reframe the darnold discussion in any other way than just maybe um when he was in Carolina he won eight out of 17 games what do you think Carolina's record was in 16 games that he did not play for them whether he was either benched or injured 16 games uh 16 games uh four and 15 okay that does not add up to 16 but four and 12 does that's what I meant sorry four and I you actually completely right yeah I was thinking just four wins yeah go ahead yeah four he was it's morning in Vegas it is right they were 4- 12 without him and 8 and seven with him that doesn't mean he played well I'm just saying that he played better than anybody else did there and that really tells you how bad that team was that when they were throwing in Baker Mayfield PJ Walker whatever they couldn't win at all and at least with him he gave them a chance I don't know being King of the losers I don't know how much you can put in that that it was a very bad team that was near 500 that's all I'm saying I'm not trying to talk you into this uh every comment section I notice keeps going back and forth between you're too uh positive or you're too negative and I can't figure out what we are but I guess when you say A team's going to win eight or nine games you're both yes we're on the fence we're straddling we're a little more optimistic than Vegas at six and a half yes we are uh okay on to week seven the Detroit Lions at US Bank Stadium is the name of the new stadium that they just built long um I don't know I mean you you you think hackinson will be back I mean I think he's probably got it circled on the calendar obviously you know he's lost to a torn ACL last Christmas Eve on a low hit by Kirby Joseph I mean is he going to be back to provide some more playmaking punch I mean they're certainly going to need it I would say it's another but I do believe it's another splash of cold water from an ascending division rival like the 49ers the the lions are a complete team up and down the roster NFC North games again I think they're going to be very humbling for the Vikings I see uh Detroit prevailing in Minneapolis now we're at three and three three and three going out to Los Angeles which means that all of you who are listening and watching you're going too probably uh it'll be a takeover we were there when they last play Thursday night game you have to take some more paid time off a little bit around that you might be able to make it work that's true it's going to be a short week that could be an impact though if it's a night game you could fly out on Thursday I'll probably do that fly on Thursday during the day I mean and then you're only taking two days off of work you can start planning this now folks you can do this U listen to triaa over here you probably get you a deal it's still going to be a lot of purple and there are a lot of California purple fans so I think uh this one has a little less home field impact for the Rams nonetheless a team that I expect to be good you never know what level of banged up Matthew Stafford is going to be at that point in the season because it's always he's banged up in May always it's always every single year it's Matt Stafford is battling through whatever injury uh I don't know maybe he's just more honest about his injuries and that's how everyone knows about them I don't know it's it's always a thing anyway do you think that they'll win no I don't think they're going to win I think Stafford and that high octane offense is going to be too much but it will be an interesting homecoming sort of for Kevin oconnell obviously you want a Super Bowl with the Rams on that on that coaching staff Prime Time Thursday night uh I'd give the Vikings a little bit more of a chance if they had a full week to prepare but this just looks like another one of those uh Superior opponents they're facing on the road it's just going to be a tough a tough lift so I've got them going down to three and four folks US Cellular noticed that the way we use our phones has gotten to be ironic we try to put our phones down for dinner but the menu is on a QR code that's ironic we hit like on social media posts that we don't actually like ironic which is why US Cellular has created us mode to help us reconnect with each other and use our phones less ironically a phone company wanting people to use their phones less ironic let's find us again with us mode from US Cellular visit uscellular.com built for us to get started I am pretty high on the Los Angeles Rams this year and part of it is because I thought that Stafford last season weirdly played some of his best football uh he protected the ball much better than he usually has over his career that was always my big criticism of him is that as wonderfully talented as he is and the highs are super high with Stafford there would be a lot of turnovers and a lot of sacks that he would take and he even did that in the year that they won the Super Bowl he had a lot of sacks and turnovers then last year I thought he was pretty sharp um for for them and they weren't as good of a team as they can be now they weren't as healthy either right and uh Cooper cup yeah is coming back n we'll see about his health but I think by that point he should be back and ready to go that that's a very difficult team to face their defense has improved they've added some players over the last few years I would agree with you that that one is not an easy game especially coming off of a home game against Detroit and this is something that over the years and this may be quack science somebody who's good at picking games will have to let me know in the comments if this is quack science I think when a team has a really difficult opponent one week and then has to go on the road the next week that game is always really hard like if you so Thursday night playing a division opponent right play even just under normal circumstances playing a division opponent Detroit those games are always crazy with the Vikings and then going out somewhere a few days later that is a a serious disadvantage for the Vikings week nine they return home to play Anthony Richardson and the Colts and I saw saw people reacting to Anthony Richardson's preseason performance last night you you guys need some football games you're just desperate just please let me react to something that there's nothing to react to there but by week nine I really want to know what Anthony Richardson is going to be because right now I I still have no idea no and I still I feel like this is maybe finally a layup it might be the only layup I don't know if the Vikings are really going to be associated with too many layups this season uh it was only two years ago but it feels like an eternity since the Vikes rallied from that 33o take deficit to take down the Colts but I they're screwed if they fall behind by two touchdowns in this particular game I think this I think this is a game maybe for darnold to shine if he's going to shine it's kind of one of those if he has one 3td 300 yard game this will be it and what will follow is all the resurrection headlines cuz clearly this is the Colts team if not rebuilding they're certainly transitioning trying to figure out what they have with the new head coach and a new you know what they have at the quarterback position so I feel like this is an opportunity for the Vikings um I don't want to say to blow anyone out but I think this would be the one game they can handle somebody at home handily so that gets them back to 500 four and four I'm calling up my big sheet here of the Circa win loss totals because I want to know what they think of the Colts they have the Colts as a eight and a half for over under giving them quite quite a bit more credit than the Minnesota Vikings hey here's another stat I looked up last night can you tell I was just partying in Vegas looking up stats during a Blake at break at the crabs table uh oh yeah sure that's definitely me um quite a few teams that had six and a half wins last year as their win loss total and I'm not trying to uh say this will mean anything to the Vikings either made the playoffs or barely missed it and the Colts were one of them that they were a 6 and a half win loss team last year going in for preseason odds and ended up being one good Gardener muu pass away from making the playoffs that may carry over for them with Richardson that they feel like they're ascending more than a team that's fading back but in my mind they're one of the harder teams to project because we just don't know what Anthony Richardson's going to be right it's August 23rd his throwing did look a little bit still shaky to me his running could be one of the best we've ever seen uh based on what he did in college in the early part of last season I don't know what to make of that like those guys can be very volatile we don't know is he going to get injured because he runs all the time and that kind of thing whole new regime in town it it is a really hard team uh to project but I do like their head coach yeah the former offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles which in his name is you're GNA fill me in on that Shane styken it's the guy I'm sorry just teeing me up to be an idiot it's just uh it's just raw the Indianapolis what percent remember that video that they did where they just showed people logos in Nashville and asked them who the teams were and people didn't know like 90% of the logos I find that hard to believe that it was that was a video the Colts is an iconic one they've been around for a thousand years I'm not saying you don't know the c or people would know the Colts lineup necessarily but there was I'm just saying that you know people don't even know need logo know logos so therefore I don't need to know their head coaches exactly that's what I was I'll know that day and Shane Sten has to be the most Anonymous head coach in the entire NFL I think unless you know who coach the Titans it's not Mike Vel anymore this should have been this should have been the whole show who's coaching who who's coaching this team you don't understand like I I I after the Super Bowl I kind of shut down until week one who coaches the Texans the guy that guy that's great the you don't need me for this kind of stuff AFC the AFC South is just out of your mind entirely so why don't we just have you Doug Peterson in jaon I was going to say pick the next game which is from AFC South team uh but you've got them at 4 and four right now heading into week 10 I think that's right yep four and four again maybe an ideal scenario considering how hard that run is of games and now they go down to Jacksonville a game that uh I can't wait to go down play golf with our friend Paul hodowanic that's the plan uh you going to Jacksonville I am going to Jacksonville it's sort of the road trip weekend for my St Paul dads and uh M or dads without wives crew we did pick uh Jackson simple for obvious reasons we're going to rent a a beach house for uh all the shenanigans I think the Jaguars might be a little bit too tough to handle though I talented on both sides of the ball I look at a bounceback season maybe for Trevor Lawrence with with Peterson coaching for his job it sounds like down there I I feel like this is a a hiccup for the Vikings on the road too much too much weirdness might happen in that game because Lawrence is kind of one of those wild cards oh he's definitely a wild card I I feel like he is one of the hardest predict on a weekly basis where sometimes you'll watch him and you'll go why isn't it better and other times it is it is better but the team around him the coach their offensive coordinator I just don't think they're that strong and this feels more to me like a game that I an opportunity for the Vikings right and and Brian Flores that a game that I would pick as a win against Jacksonville because they don't have the offensive players that terrify you unless Brian Thomas their rookie wide receiver becomes great but Christian Kirk doesn't terrify you Travis ET and in the back field that I think where uh if you were picking the schedule based on which receiver could Slaughter your cornerbacks this would not be one that I would pick against the Vikings now if we're talking about a game like you know Houston then yes Diggs could do that to them or the Rams yes Cooper cup could do that to them Aman Ross St Brown does it every freaking time they play each other even before anyone knew who he was less concerned with the the Jaguars there for me but a fair enough loss coming off of a big win at home and now they go go from Jacksonville to face Brian Callahan's Tennessee Titans and will Levis as well yeah I think at four and five um this is might be as winnable a game as the Vikings are going to have certainly on the road and I think they got to seize the opportunity the Titans are rebuilding and it it looks like a prime opportunity this looks like one of those games we haven't even mentioned Aaron Jones yet but I could see him rushing for 130 yards and the defense to kind of play in a smothering Style lowc scoring game maybe that gets the Vikings back to 500 okay they will go to the Bears after that I don't have much more to say except for there is a Revenge game angle do you know what the Revenge game angle is why you doing this to me I'm not I don't pay attention to roster churn who's who's what you know I don't know this so you're just going to make me look like a fool no I'm not making you look like a fool I'm informing the audience of the Revenge game angle between the Vikings and Titans that maybe people haven't thought of which is educate me too which is that you can't be this Surly when we're at Circa hanging out in Las Vegas and we had a great dinner last night geez sorry I just like talking in Broad strokes and large Grand themes I don't I don't drill into the roster churn of the offseason as much as I used to who's the coach of the Raiders I can see him I can see I they just all blend together now to me I swear to god dude I'm not working this every day like I used to I don't care anymore asking for this um will Levis the Vikings could have drafted him that's the Revenge game angle is that's drilling deep yep see that's why I wasn't trying to make fun of you with that I was asking the audience you didn't even say anything are they going to win this game oh yeah are they winning the game I said they are going to win yeah they're get to five and five okay I got him at five and five where are you at at this point take a deep breath take a deep breath and Google the coaches in the NFL um I no I think that your five and five would be a pretty solid outcome for this yes and we have to expect I'm sure that some Vikings fans would look at Jacksonville and Tennessee and say we just win both of them but it might be hard to win both when both teams are kind of in the same range as you and I'm using this the win loss sheet as an objective Observer of the uh you know Circa bookmakers that they would have an understanding better than maybe us of what team's expectations should be and so Vegas always knows they're like Santa Claus they uh they're here for a reason this place didn't get built on nothing um the Jaguars are eight and a half so that's another kind of middling team and the Titans are right with the Vikings six and a half so you you could win both of those games those are two of the easier games on the schedule if we're if we're given the uh the win total plus we're just rooting for them to be relevant in the mid to late November well that's absolutely true I mean if this has happened it means Sam darnold's playing pretty good football it doesn't mean that he is uh a superstar or that he's Kurt Warner or something but it means that he's played pretty serviceable and solid football I always love that word serviceable yeah that that's the way to look at it's a nice way of saying mediocre but not getting in the way or that it's been amazing and terrible which I think is more likely for Sam darnold that if we went game by game well you know against the Jaguars he threw for 18 yards and four picks and then against the Titans 423 and four touchdowns that seems like the type of year we're in for and that that's where whenever there's this the fatalistic this year doesn't matter we'll just get on to the next season I'm like you don't want to see what kind of Madness that this this could happen anyway uh they go to Chicago yeah uh weird things in Chicago you know I used to always pick against them in Chicago because they just lost all the time even to the point of complete absurdity but that hasn't happened in recent years they usually have actually done okay at Soldier Field I think that's more because of the Bears than anything the Viking have done that is true they were tanking at one point in Justin Fields but we did we did a look at I mentioned Paul hodowanic when he was the intern for purple Insider he did an article where he looked at the Chicago games versus the spread and Vikings history and how many times there was upsets and shocking results it was way way way more than you ever would have expected so that was a real thing it just hasn't been lately they are a team just like the Vikings hoping to ascend uh Circa has them at eight and a half for their win total what do you think I think the rookie rust is probably going to be thoroughly knocked off by late November for Caleb Williams um it's probably going to serve notice with uh Jordan love that these are the future dominant quarterbacks in the NFC North now how Brian Flores counters against Williams budding inexperience I guess as a way to put it could come a long way and dictating the outcome but I I just see I see the Bears prevailing in maybe a sloppy muddy late November game at Soldier Field um and uh this may be well at least in my opinion this probably is the only divisional win for the Vikings this year oh really okay it gets them to five five and six so you you think the Vikings will win no I think they're wait you said both right there I did there's a game that they come back to at the Metrodome usbank Stadium later winning or losing no they're losing in Soldier Field I got him at five and six I wrote down the L there and then I wrote down the W okay what did you write down five and six I think that they will split with the bears but I don't know what I don't know what you're not committing to which home or away yet okay I'm not well I agree they're going to split with the Bears you would pick Soldier Field as the place that they were going to lose like if that was just the the obvious they're going to lose at Soldier Field uh but I don't know what at that point Caleb Williams is going to be and how we'll feel about him is he turning the ball over like crazy or is he playing extremely well and starting to take the next step I don't know if it's a a advantage or disadvantage to play Caleb Williams for the first time in the middle of the season right or do they play the Bears earlier in the year yeah that's right right the first time yeah so late week 12 look right to not be able to know what he's going to be until week 12 could either mean that he's losing confidence and getting beat up every week or he's starting to click and get it and that's bad for you cuz then you play them again uh a few weeks later like two weeks later uh week 13 they play the Arizona Cardinal and they are a six and a half team just like the Vikings how you feeling about uh I you know the one I like the match Justin Jefferson versus Marvin Harrison Jr I think is going to be something fun to watch they're not going to impact I mean they will impact the game but I don't I don't I don't think that's going to be the driving force I think this is another opportunity maybe for Brian Flores to get to climb into Kyler Murray's head uh with a lot of different things to keep them uncomfortable I I think the front seven makes the difference I'm going to go with win on this one at home against an inferior opponent we're back to 500 again at six and six you knew I'm going to ask you the coach of the Cardinals right Ken wizen [Laughter] Hut Joe bugle Jonathan ganet J Bruce arens uh Jonathan Ganon is the coach buddy Ryan Once Upon a Time coach the uh is it the Phoenix Cardinals at the time I think R yeah that's where he went from the Bears I believe I think it was so you just have them bouncing back and forth I have it toggling all the way yep and I don't see any big winning streaks or losing streaks I would say the same thing because there's just enough of games where they should have a good chance in this stretch where they go Colts Jaguars Titans Bears Cardinals all of those are very winnable games so if there's going to be a stretch it has to be right there but they have to survive the first four weeks to make this relevant yes and we're going to do another episode where we answer fan questions and I think that's going to be one of them about like if it goes a certain way then what do they do early in the season when you know that the easier part of the stretch of the schedule is coming up in the middle week 14 now there's a Revenge game week 14 I've heard about this this is going to be fun who's the coach of the Falcons it's not Arthur Smith anymore it's not Arthur Smith no it's not Dan Reeves it's Raheem Morris former Le of Tampa do you want me to keep doing this or stop doing this no I don't care I'm I'm I'm going to be wrong every time I'm really just not that engaged I'm admitting to you that not engaged with all of this I know I know but once that train got rolling I just couldn't stop myself I'll no I I'll know in week 13 what his name is and I'll be able to type that in when I'm writing okay after that game but yes as I mean as daytime melodramas go it doesn't get much better than Kirk Cousins and the Vikings reuniting kind of like that divorc spouses at a at a friend's wedding it's going to be a little bit of an awkward dance bouquet are going to be thrown at each other all week long from from Atlanta to Minneapolis but I think the energy at US Bank is going to be it should be amped up and I don't know what the conflicting emotions are going to be like I'm kind of looking forward to what kind of reaction again we're week 14 you know cousins coming back from that injury we don't know what his status is going to be I I don't think we're going to see Michael penx under Center by then but it's not out of the realm uh to Rob us of this opportunity he's proved so cousins has proved so durable prior to the Achilles injury that you can almost Bank on him um being there but I I just think this might be one of those Kirk games where he prevails and he has the sort of the The Cheeky milk toast last word maybe running to the locker room you like that part too um I don't think I think it'll have people wondering a little bit about what might have been if he comes here and sticks it to the Vikings um but I think both sides are prepared to move on and I think emotionally uh it'll be an interesting night now if you want to talk about bets to make does Kurt Cousins say you like that at any point during his game against the Vikings would be a good bet like to the miked up cameras show him throwing a touchdown going like this and saying you like that you like that again I I think that he will at some point say that I'll make that bet nine and a half for the Falcons seems pretty high to me for a team that hasn't been that great but there are expectations for them with six and seven I got him at now uh let's go to the Bears at Metrodome week 15 so they're six and seven after a loss to the Falcons the mor rail is low but the Bears come in and what happens you know this is one of those where you can almost see it would have been JJ McCarthy finally playing by now you'd have a great rookie matchup and all kinds of uh thrilling back and forth but we'll we'll have to wait until 2025 with that I just feel like um the Vikings will be able to avenge the loss they'll know Williams a little bit more they'll know where he's at I still think Chicago among their three division foes is going to be the weakest link but it's not that weak uh anymore but I do see that you know Monday night I think the Vikings will be up because they realize what's at stake and and every game is going to be hammer and tonging to the end of the season so I see them getting their lone divisional win on this night okay so still 500 team going into the final three weeks and we could talk about this uh on another show but I think this would be a success for the Vikings if they reach seven and seven playing meaningful games if the final three weeks were uh relevant going against the Seahawks Packers Lions three good opponents then that's that's a win for this team to be in this position so you've got them in a decent spot going to Seattle against their new coach don't worry about it uh Gino Smith's are quarterback so Carol's not there anymore right no he's not this would be a hard guess that it's Mike McDonald yeah I look this used to be a really spicy kind of a a rivalry cuz the Vikings every time they go to Seattle something really ugly would happen happen either uh rivalry wise or trash talking wise or decisions made it it always felt like it was a grudge match even though they're in the you know they're not even in the NFC North but it always felt like a NFC north kind of game I don't see that happening this time I think the Vikings are in a good position I still a tough place to play but I mean the Seahawks are kind of rebuilding and there isn't enough bailing wire and duct tape I think to keep Gino Smith together uh by week what 16 are we at uh I think Darnell leads him to kind of a gritty Road win that will uh I think this may Mark the peak of their playoff contention right here at 8 and seven okay 8 and seven they get a big win in Seattle they have a winning record going into week 17 and I think you just teased what you think's going to happen in the final two weeks so you think they're going to lose both of these games to go eight and nine I do I see the I think the the Packers are going to be jockeying I mean if the Vikings are fighting for their playoff lives the Packers are going to be jockeying for a higher playoff position in the NFC and this I this this is where I think the Rivalry kind of you see the fork in the road here I think you've got an ascending team you know with the sky limit expectations I think the Vikings are kind of left in the dust in their year of transition but I think it's a big day for Jordan love and a crushing home loss which there have been many against the Packers at US Bank Stadium doesn't kill their playoff hopes but really it sets up a must-win game in Detroit and we can go into that again but now I think they're eight and eight you know this is a thing that's happened to them a few times is the late season game against the Packers where they're hanging around the playoff race or they need it for to fight for the division or for a home playoff game or whatever it might be and they just don't pull it off it happened in 2019 it happened in the Kirk got covid game in 2021 even 2022 they could have won the entire NFC didn't do it because they had that uh slippery you know whatever thing happened out there uh with the c late season games at Lambo cleat gate or something yeah uh and then last year with jiren Hall attempting to start against Jordan love and that didn't work out very good either and then at the Lions it's been difficult to Ford Field eight- n yeah I have been 8 and nine I just feel like that there's going to be so much more at stake uh for the Lions it could be kind of an appointment TV type game it's still TBA on the schedule so on the flex schedule uh you know obviously a win would I think nine wins would allow the Vikings to sneak into a uh wild card spot but I just don't see it the stakes and expectations are Skyhigh for the Lions who would be very well uh they could be playing to clinch the division and and HomeField Advantage I think Ford Field's going to be rocking and we know exactly where the the Vikings will stand in the NFC North on the outside looking in at 8- n okay well done I I had nine and eight but I needed to give them two division wins myself to get there we'll see how it goes we're going to interview the division record is going to determine everything for them yes no I totally agree but we're going to go cuz we got got to interview the owner of Circa so great job murf I'm just giving you a hard time about the coaches care less I know on the breakdown I'm here for higher level uh expertise yes yes exactly