Questions Answered: Daniel Jones Rumors, Bears-Vikings Takeaways, Akayleb Evans
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the November 25th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Daniel Jones Rumors, Bears-Vikings Takeaways, Akayleb Evans
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But weâll try to keep that to a minimum.
Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images.
Q: Have you warmed up to the idea of Daniel Jones as QB2? It sounds like the Vikings want him.
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports.
Answer: Weâd buy in, yes, to Jones as the Vikingsâ QB2 or QB3 for the seasonâs remainder.
For the long haul, though, we prefer the team belong to J.J. McCarthy â and him only. When the Jones theories dusted up last week, there was some insinuation that he and McCarthy would have a 2025 summer camp battle for the QB1 job. We want nothing to do with that.
OâConnell wouldnât deny the Vikingsâ would-be interest in Jones on Monday. âYeah, Iâm not gonna really get into that today, but I will say: tons of respect for Daniel Jones as a player and a person. Got to know him through the draft process years ago, and Iâm sure now that heâs a free agent, and thereâs probably a ton of leaguewide interest in him,â OâConnell told reporters.
âDanielâs going to make the decision thatâs best for him and his career moving forward, and Iâm sure heâs working through that process right now. But I really canât get into too much about, you know, any short term or long term [interest]. I can just say Iâve been a fan of Danielâs for a long time, and hope wherever his next stop takes him, itâs a good opportunity for him.â
A backup gig behind Darnold sounds okay to us â especially because Darnold has battled little injuries since Week 3.
Q: Whatâs your biggest takeaway from the Vikingsâ win over Chicago?
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Answer: Sam Darnold can be cold-blooded in the clutch.
Why was Darnoldâs late-game performance so vital, so telling? Simple â nobody knows (or knew) for sure if Darnold has the clutch gene in his cellular makeup. The man has never started a game in the postseason, nor has he ever really come close outside of a QB2 assignment with the San Francisco 49ers last year.
For the most part, Vikings fans have watched Darnold through 12 weeks, hoping his regular season production would remain afloat. Thinking about Darnold, game-winning drives, and the postseason were future problems. Many merely didnât want the fancy 5-0 start of 2024 to mirror 2016 when the bottom fell out.
Now, however, after witnessing Darnoldâs cold-blooded demeanor in Chicago, thereâs a reasonable expectation that he can mimic such plays in January â the environment hostile, the stakes pretty damn high after his team nearly blew a 24-10 lead.
He did it with the game on the line against the Bears. He can do it again in January.
Q: I saw that the Panthers grabbed Akayleb Evans off the waiver wire. Will he start there?
Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports.
Answer: No.
The Panthers employ Jaycee Horn on one side of the defense, and he wonât be benched. And a man named Mike Jackson plays decently on the other side.
Evans might see some playing time but donât expect him to be on the field too often.
This is the Panthersâ CB depth chart:
Jaycee Horn
Mike Jackson
Caleb Farley
Dane Jackson
Shemar Bartholomew
Akayleb Evans
Chau Smith-Wade
Lonnie Johnson
Anthony Brown (IR)
He might get some reps, but nothing substantial.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, âThe Sopranos,â Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.Â
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
