Vikings at Bears GDT

[FNG]

A very good, and surprising comeback win. The defensive adjustments totally turned the game around, and I loved our offensive line in the second half despite the absence of Darrisaw.

But most of the talk will be about JJ. There were some things I liked about him, especially the way his teammates seem to like and respect him. But overall I have to give him a C- because there were just too many things I didn't like.

1) the play clock management. There seemed to be so much disarray coming out of the huddle, and that has to be on JJ.
2) His inability to throw anything except a fastball pass. There were times that a lofted pass would have found an open receiver, but instead he rifled it into the hands of a defender. Were there 3 or 4 blocked passes?
3) The touchdown to Jones should have been much easier than it was. He was 15-20 yards open and JJ had time, but he underthrew him. Loved the TD, but it should have been better.
4) The pick six. Even a backup defensive back will do that to you if you telegraph a pass like JJ did. At that point in the game, the defense had almost twice as much interception return yards as JJ had passing yards.
5) His instincts in the pocket when pressured were not good, resulting in three sacks against a below average defense.

They won the game, and some of the credit has to go to JJ. But let's not ignore the fact that only hapless Tua threw for fewer passing yards this week. You have to give some credit to JJ for surviving a hostile MNF atmosphere, but I also think he was the beneficiary of a team that was far superior to Chicago on both lines...we were dominant after the first quarter. I'm not losing sight of the fact that this was his first game, and he will get better. And I think he will be good enough to lead us to a win at home against a Falcons team that lost to the Bucs. But his learning curve will have to be steeper if we want to compete with the Lions and Packers.

We made some great additions in the offseason, and I think JJ only has to be a C QB for us to win the division. Right now I think he can do that.

[Wolvesfan21]

A very good, and surprising comeback win. The defensive adjustments totally turned the game around, and I loved our offensive line in the second half despite the absence of Darrisaw.

But most of the talk will be about JJ. There were some things I liked about him, especially the way his teammates seem to like and respect him. But overall I have to give him a C- because there were just too many things I didn't like.

1) the play clock management. There seemed to be so much disarray coming out of the huddle, and that has to be on JJ.
2) His inability to throw anything except a fastball pass. There were times that a lofted pass would have found an open receiver, but instead he rifled it into the hands of a defender. Were there 3 or 4 blocked passes?
3) The touchdown to Jones should have been much easier than it was. He was 15-20 yards open and JJ had time, but he underthrew him. Loved the TD, but it should have been better.
4) The pick six. Even a backup defensive back will do that to you if you telegraph a pass like JJ did. At that point in the game, the defense had almost twice as much interception return yards as JJ had passing yards.
5) His instincts in the pocket when pressured were not good, resulting in three sacks against a below average defense.

They won the game, and some of the credit has to go to JJ. But let's not ignore the fact that only hapless Tua threw for fewer passing yards this week. You have to give some credit to JJ for surviving a hostile MNF atmosphere, but I also think he was the beneficiary of a team that was far superior to Chicago on both lines...we were dominant after the first quarter. I'm not losing sight of the fact that this was his first game, and he will get better. And I think he will be good enough to lead us to a win at home against a Falcons team that lost to the Bucs. But his learning curve will have to be steeper if we want to compete with the Lions and Packers.

We made some great additions in the offseason, and I think JJ only has to be a C QB for us to win the division. Right now I think he can do that.

Skule was terrible till the 4th quarter. I actually think JJ had little to no help in the first half (just bad OLine play) though he missed some plays to be sure and was even a bit rushed at times too. He was playing a D level grade IMO after that pick in the 3rd, BUT 3 straight TD drives and put up 27 points on the road, primetime with no Darrisaw or Addison? With those two we might put up 40!!! Context matters.

I kind of think your grade is a bit harsh. We also ran like 10-15 less plays then normal or something, so it's not all about stats! Listening to former players and they were all astonished at how great he was to come back in the fourth. Not once in history had a QB comeback on the road in his first start from that much in the fourth. They said something to that fact. In the end just get the dub and we did that.

[FNG]

Fair comments, WF, and I agree that missing your LT was a factor. But let's face it...this was a Bears team coming off a 5-12 season, and we couldn't convert a 3rd down until the 4th quarter. That's a problem. I loved JJ in the 4th quarter, but my sense is it has much more to do with our dominance on both lines and wearing them down than him. Still think we're good enough to win the West even if we only have a QB that throws for less than 150 yards. I like this roster.

[60WinTim]

I'm surprised at the negativity, FNG. JJ, the youngest starting QB in the league, was making his NFL debut in prime time. He absolutely struggled for 3 quarters of the game. And the 4th quarter comeback does not come without our strong defense, the offensive line gelling, Mason getting the running game on track, and the numerous mistakes by the Bears. But JJ had to make a lot of great plays in the 4th to make that comeback happen, and he made them. Rather than dwelling on the struggles in the first 3 quarters, embrace the process that JJ is going through. Believe he is going to continue getting better each and every game. And enjoy the journey!

Much has been made of the leadership JJ commands. It was on display in the 2nd half, and mentioned by several Vikings after the game. It is one of the reasons I have been on the JJ bandwagon since we drafted him. And is a reason I had no interest in keeping Darnold -- who just did not radiate leadership like JJ does.

Go Vikings!

[Wolvesfan21]

I'm surprised at the negativity, FNG. JJ, the youngest starting QB in the league, was making his NFL debut in prime time. He absolutely struggled for 3 quarters of the game. And the 4th quarter comeback does not come without our strong defense, the offensive line gelling, Mason getting the running game on track, and the numerous mistakes by the Bears. But JJ had to make a lot of great plays in the 4th to make that comeback happen, and he made them. Rather than dwelling on the struggles in the first 3 quarters, embrace the process that JJ is going through. Believe he is going to continue getting better each and every game. And enjoy the journey!

Much has been made of the leadership JJ commands. It was on display in the 2nd half, and mentioned by several Vikings after the game. It is one of the reasons I have been on the JJ bandwagon since we drafted him. And is a reason I had no interest in keeping Darnold -- who just did not radiate leadership like JJ does.

Go Vikings!

I watched a film breakdown vid with Chase Daniels on youtube of JJ about 40 minutes long. Good stuff and he agreed with my analysis and was even more positive even on that pick 6. He said it wasn't even a bad play and that the DB gambled which he did, that the only issue was the ball needed to be a couple feet wider.

He said JJ couldn't do anything much better in the first half, the rush was just on him before the throws were there. That's what I thought.

I will say on the pick 6 play, yes he missed it a bit inside and the DB gambled (how about an out and up and wide open?), DB gamble paid off, made a great play and ended up scoring 6. However I think because JJ was on the right hash throwing an out all the way to the other side, the wrong throw IMO (the risk wasn't worth the reward).

Better would be to take the deep shot which was opening up on that play I think Nailer eventually breaks free a half second later (the Bears rushed 7 and had no help deep), that way you score 6 or incomplete the pass. So if you miss the deep ball you still likely get the FG too.

Overall I am 100% with you. First start, on the road, primetime, no Darrisaw, no Addison, game was tough from the start and you still find a way to overcome, score on 3 straight TD drives to clinch the game. Phenomenal! In context, if someone says JJ was an A plus considering everything going against him, I wouldn't fight it. I LOVED IT.

[Q-is-here]

I'm a casual when it comes to football versus my Wolves/NBA fandom, but the comparison I keep hearing as potential upside for JJ is Jalen Hurts. Apparently Hurts wasn't the ideal QB prospect either on the technial stuff, but has obviously had enormous success when you evealuate him based on wins and losses.

The other thing I keep hearing is how the Vikings have elite infratructure from ownership down through the coaching staff, thus putting JJ in an almost ideal situation to develop in.

Again, I don't have my own opinion on this since I don't get into the weeds, analytics, etc. wrt the Vikings and NFL, but those are the things I've been hearing from some of the NFL pundits.

[FNG]

I think there is a lot of irrational exuberance here about JJ. I gave him a C-, which is a passing grade, because I think he passed the test. But you can't ignore the fact that only Tua threw for fewer yards this week than JJ, and JJ was going up against an already poor defense missing some key defensive players. His clock control out of the huddle, repeated batted down passes when a lofted pass would have worked and a telegraphed pass that led to a pick 6 are not the hallmarks of a very good QB performance...especially against a bad defense. We won this game because we dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball after the first quarter...in many ways, that was how JJ won a lot of his games at Michigan. If we can continue to dominate the line play, we may be successful with a QB throwing for 143 yards. I see JJ as potentially a fine game manager, and that may be just what this team needs at QB.

[FNG]

I will say though that I blame KOC more than JJ for his poor performance in the first half. Giving him so few snaps in preseason had a lot to do with his deer in the headlights performance early in the game. I'll never understand why he didn't get more real game time experience in preseason...could have cost us a win, but fortunately didn't. I expect we'll see a more relaxed QB this week against the Falcons.

[Wolvesfan21]

I'm a casual when it comes to football versus my Wolves/NBA fandom, but the comparison I keep hearing as potential upside for JJ is Jalen Hurts. Apparently Hurts wasn't the ideal QB prospect either on the technial stuff, but has obviously had enormous success when you evealuate him based on wins and losses.

The other thing I keep hearing is how the Vikings have elite infratructure from ownership down through the coaching staff, thus putting JJ in an almost ideal situation to develop in.

Again, I don't have my own opinion on this since I don't get into the weeds, analytics, etc. wrt the Vikings and NFL, but those are the things I've been hearing from some of the NFL pundits.

Hurts is a fair comparison. As a Alabama fan I watched his nearly every game till he transferred for his last year at OK. I think McCarthy has more accuracy then Hurts and obviously Hurts is a beast in the running game. Hurts really was a subpar passer at Bama till he transferred for his senior year. He was squatting like 600 pounds or something ridiculous in college, team record type of stuff anyways (unsure on exact weight but he is a physical freak). I honestly didn't think Hurts was going to be a great NFL QB, he has proven to be one though. Developing enough passing skill to get it done while relying on his strength and running to compliment it.

McCarthy is quicker and twitchy more then strong as a runner like Hurts. I see higher upside as a passer but I still like his scramble ability too. I still would like to see more off speed throws, layering over defenders then the primary fastball though. But that will probably come with time I'm sure.

[60WinTim]

FNG’s “game manager” was named NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week…