INGLEWOOD, CALIF. — The rumors about that possible Vikings-Rams quarterback trade suddenly make sense.
Souhan: Vikings don’t need a quarterback trade. They need a healthy Blake Cashman.
Quarterback play is not the reason for the Vikings’ two recent losses. Injuries are taking their toll.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 25, 2024 at 4:14AM
The Rams might indeed want to acquire Sam Darnold, to be their quarterback of the future.
Thursday night, the Vikings lost 30-20 to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. The game effectively ended when Darnold was sacked for a safety on the Vikings’ last drive, as his facemask was wrenched violently to bring him to the ground but no penalty was called.
That’s when Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson made one of the most spectacular throws of the game, hurling his helmet about 30 yards along the sideline.
Somehow, Darnold was not hurt on the safety, and overall he was excellent, completing 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
He was also generally excellent in the Vikings’ loss to the Lions, completing 81.5% of his passes and running for 39 yards.
Because Vikings fan paranoia remains the defining characteristic of our state, and Darnold had played poorly for a half in London before the Vikings finally lost a game on Sunday, fans put two and two together, and figured that Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell might want to trade for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Had Darnold disintegrated on Thursday, as he has previously in his career, the rumor might have morphed into a possibility, if not a reality.
What happened on Thursday night ended that conversation.
Darnold was a big reason the Vikings started 5-0. He wasn’t the primary reason the Vikings lost to the Lions. He played well on Thursday under difficult circumstances, a short-week road game on the West Coast.
The Vikings hadn’t won a West Coast night game since 1996. These games are hard on the body and the body clock.
Darnold didn’t need such an excuse. In the first quarter he completed all eight of his passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
If you’re looking for a roster move to revitalize the Vikings before the Nov. 5 trade deadline, how about this one:
Inserting a linebacker having a Pro Bowl-caliber season, one who could help stuff interior runs, sprint sideline to sideline, blitz and cover tight ends and backs.
Luckily for the Vikings, he already wears purple. The past two games have demonstrated just how valuable inside linebacker Blake Cashman is.
Before he injured his toe, the Vikings had allowed an average of 67.2 rushing yards per game.
In the past two games, with Cashman sidelined, the Vikings have allowed an average of 126 rushing yards per game — almost twice as many.
Letting a team run the ball up the middle against your defense affects everything.
It softens the middle of your line, thereby softening your interior pass rush.
It forces your pass rushers to hesitate, knowing they have to help in stopping the run.
It swings time of possession against you, pressuring your offense and limiting your opportunities.
And it creates openings in the passing game. It is not a coincidence that the Vikings’ secondary started looking vulnerable in the games in which the Vikings could not stop the opponents’ rushing attack.
So you can join in the internet silliness and pretend that the Vikings are going to trade for Stafford even when Darnold is playing well, or you can pinpoint the real reason for the Vikings’ mini-slump.
They aren’t tackling well enough.
A healthy Cashman would address, if not entirely cure, that problem.
The Vikings’ primary concern entering their 10-day break between games is injuries.
They need Cashman back. They need to hope that the knee injury that knocked star left tackle Christian Darrisaw out of the game on Thursday night is not season-ending. They need to hope that tight end T.J. Hockenson and offensive lineman Dalton Risner can make an impact when the Vikings face the Colts on Nov. 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Hockenson will give Darnold another quality target. Risner, sadly, might need to be a factor in an offensive line lacking Darrisaw.
The Rams probably won’t trade Stafford, anyway. After Thursday, they’re back in contention, and not that far behind the Vikings.
The Vikings let go of one of the few remaining players from their 2022 NFL draft class on Saturday morning, cutting cornerback Akayleb Evans after his role on defense had dissolved. He could return to the practice squad.
