Questions Answered: Losing One of the Best Players, Will Reichard, Vikings’ FA Options
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the November 26th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Losing One of the Best Players, Will Reichard, Vikings’ FA Options
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Will the defense remain on top of the NFL without Ivan Pace Jr.?
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Answer: Losing Ivan Pace Jr. is brutal, and there’s just no way around it.
The Vikings’ social media team tweeted Tuesday, “The Vikings have signed LB Jamin Davis to the 53-man roster. OLB Gabe Murphy has been activated off IR to the 53-man roster and LB Ivan Pace Jr. has been placed on IR.”
Pace Jr. will miss at least the next four games, and if his recovery proceeds swimmingly, he’ll be eligible to return in Week 17 for a contest at home versus the Green Bay Packers. That’s the best-case scenario.
“Next man up” can only remain a reasonable slogan to an extent. The Vikings are missing Christian Darrisaw, J.J. McCarthy, Mekhi Blackmon, and Will Reichard, for God’s sake. We don’t think Brian Flores’ defense will crumble altogether, but the pass rush will assuredly take a dip. As an off-ball linebacker, that’s Pace Jr.’s specialty.
The next step is to determine if Jamin Davis has some juice. The Commanders drafted him in Round 1 three years ago. He probably won’t start, but if Kamu Grugier-Hill or Brian Asamoah struggled in place of Pace Jr, it’s sweet to have a 25-year-old former 1st-Rounder waiting for snaps.
Q: Will Reichard be back for sure in Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons?
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Answer: No, not absolutely positively. But he should be back for that game.
Reichard suffered a quad injury against the Indianapolis Colts and has one game left before he can be reactivated.
Meanwhile, Parker Romo has kicked wonderfully, so at least the kicking game hasn’t decayed without Reichard.
We expect Reichard back in Week 14, yes.
Q: Would you rather have Daniel Jones, Ryan Tannehill, or Nick Mullens start games if something happened to Sam Darnold?
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Answer: Probably Mullens because of his familiarity with the offense. He knows the playbook cover-to-cover — maybe even better than Sam Darnold.
Jones would be fine — and the Vikings might actually sign him — because he’s mobile and accurate. His arm strength, however, seems a little flimsy.
No thanks on Tannehill. He’s old and hasn’t played good football since 2022.
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, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
