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As Ben Goessling points out in this sharp analysis, the Vikings’ attempt at overhauling their offensive and defensive lines has fallen flat. Free agent defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave have been mediocre. Center Ryan Kelly is on injured reserve with a concussion, while guard Will Fries’ solid play has been overshadowed by other line issues. On defense, the Vikings need to continue to give more playing time to Jalen Redmond. On offense, they need to hope tackles Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw can maintain a level of health that keeps them from being gametime decisions every week. The offensive line play is essential to the biggest point of emphasis over the final 10 games: Giving McCarthy every opportunity to succeed. He’s been healthy for just two of 25 possible games with the Vikings since being drafted No. 10 overall in 2024. The Vikings have protected him as best they can, heeding O’Connell’s mantra about failure. But they need to know if he can be more consistent than delivering one great quarter out of eight in his career. That said, the Vikings’ next game is at Detroit. The trade deadline is two days later. If they lose to the Lions, their miniscule (5% per ESPN) playoff chances will shrink to near-zero. At 3-5, they would have to consider any deals that recoup draft picks without sacrificing McCarthy’s ability to succeed. This feels like a critical 10 games for the Vikings and their leadership. Can they regroup toward an ascending arc in 2026 led by McCarthy? Or will they hit a dead end that brings about bigger questions? For more Vikings talk, check out Tuesday’s podcast for a film review from Thursday’s loss to the Chargers. The Gophers are similarly in the middle of their season and are also coming off a humbling 41-3 loss to Iowa on Saturday. My advice to them: Try to rally and realize that they aren’t as bad as they showed Saturday while also understanding that they aren’t as good as they looked in a 24-6 win over Nebraska the previous week. There are still three very winnable games on the schedule (Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin), and an eight-win regular season would count as a very good year. The Wolves are 2-1, which sounds fine. But Anthony Edwards is banged up and had to leave Sunday’s win over the shorthanded Pacers with hamstring tightness. He had already been dealing with a back issue, and you have to wonder if both those injuries are related. The Wolves will face a quandary: Try to give Ant some rest to get fully healthy ... or hope he can fight through it, as he often has done, in order to keep pace in the loaded West. And the point guard position for the Wolves is already a dilemma. They have enough veterans to make the playoffs, but their ceiling will be limited until they figure that out. The Twins are far out of the spotlight. But that should worry them considering they are in the midst of a managerial search. This should be a buzzy time for a baseball team. Instead, they are out of sight, out of mind. The Loons have a playoff game Monday night at Allianz Field. Maybe they can break the curse of the past week?
