Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers Featured In Week 15 Prime Time
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has had a lot to smile about recently. (AP Photo/Stacy … [+]
Two of the NFL’s most competitive divisions — the NFC North and the NFC West — will be featured on prime time in Week 15.
The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers are attempting to catch Super Bowl favorite the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, which what has played out as the best division in the league.
Green Bay (9-4) visits AFC West leader the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) in the featured game Sunday night, and by then, the Seahawks may have a better feel for their postseason fate.
NFC West contenders the Los Angeles Rams (7-6) and San Francisco 49ers (6-7) will meet in the Bay Area on Thursday. Both they and the Arizona Cardinals (6-7) are alive for the division title, although Seattle took a major step forward by beating the Cardinals twice in the last three weeks.
Matthew Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to their 44-42 victory over Buffalo last week. (Photo by … [+]
The Vikings (11-2) will play host to NFC North rival the Chicago Bears (4-9), who have seven games in a row and dismissed head coach Matt Eberflus two weeks ago, in one of two games Monday night.
NFC South contender the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) will meet the disheveled Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) also Monday. Both have quarterback issues.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Los Angeles Rams (7-6) at San Francisco 49ers (6-7)
How to watch: Prime VIdeo, 8:15 pm ET
Key matchup: Matt Stafford vs 49ers D
Early line: 49ers -3
Rams receiver Puka Nacua hurdled into the end zone in the victory over Buffalo. (AP Photo/Kyusung … [+]
The Rams had a statement victory the last time out, when Stafford threw 320 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-42 victory over the Buffalo Bills, a top Super Bowl contender. Puka Nacua, whose early-season absence was a factor in their slow start, made 12 catches for 162 yards and one touchdown and also rushed for a score.
Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns and the Rams dominated time of possession to beat the Bills, but they need to do something about a defense that was shredded by MVP Josh Allen, who was the first player in league history with three passing and three rushing touchdowns in the same game. The Rams rank 27th in total defense.
Isaac Guerendo ran away from the CHicago Bears last week. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
The 49ers have spent the season staggered by a host of skill position injuries that have claimed their top two running backs and their top wide receiver, although they still rank fourth in the league in total offense thanks to Kyle Shanahan’s schemes. Now All-Pro tackle Trent Williams is out and No. 3 running back Isaac Guerendo is questionable for the Rams. Guerendo had 78 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears last week.
The Rams have arguably the easiest remaining schedule among AFC West contenders, with a road game at the New York Jets and home game against Arizona and Seattle.
Josh Jacobs has eight touchdowns in the last four games, including three against Detroit last week. … [+]
SUNDAY NIGHT
Green Bay Packers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
How to watch: NBC/Peacock, 8:20 pm ET
Key matchup: Josh Jacobs vs Seattle D line
Early line: Packers -2 1/2
Green Bay is looking to recover from a 34-31 loss to Detroit that dropped it three games behind the Lions, a game that was decided by a field goal on the final play but was not as close statistically as the final score would indicate. The Lions had a 12-minute advantage in time of possession advantage and converted on four of five fourth-down attempts while completing a sweep of the season series.
Leonard Williams leads the Seattle Seahawks with seven sacks. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Halfback Jacobs continues to be a force near the goal line. He had three rushing touchdowns against the Lions, his second three-score game in three weeks, and has eight touchdowns in the last four games.
Seattle has won four in a row to take semblance of control in the division, and its defense has played a big part. Defensive end Leonard Williams has seven sacks, 4 1/2 in the last three weeks, and the Seahawks have eight takeaways during their winning streak and 11 in the last seven games. It helps that quarterback Geno Smith has curbed his tendency to make ill-advised throws.
Justin Jefferson (18) and Jordan Addison had two touchdown receptions apiece against Atlanta a week … [+]
MONDAY NIGHT
Chicago Bears (4-9) at Minnesota Vikings (11-2)
How to watch: ABC/ESPN+, 8 pm ET
Key matchup: Sam Darnold vs Bears D
Early line: Vikings -7
The quarterback matchup — Darnold vs. Caleb Williams — represents the season in microcosm for these two, who moving in completely opposite directions. Darnold, the starter only because 2024 first-round draft choice J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee in injury in preseason, torched Atlanta with 347 yards and five touchdown in a 42-21 victory last week. He has 11 touchdowns in the last for games. Darnold’s 108.1 passer rating is third behind Lamar Jackson and Jared Goff.
Wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have combined for 1,878 yards and 14 touchdowns, seven apiece.
Caleb Williams has been sacked 36 times during Chicago’s seven-game losing streak. (AP Photo/Scot … [+]
Williams, the No. 1 overall draftee, has been up-and-down in his first season as the Bears have fallen out of contention after a 4-2 start. He has seemed at times too timid with the ball — no interceptions but 36 sacks during the seven-game losing streak that began with an excruciating 18-15 Hail Mary loss in Washington on Oct. 27.
He had two 300-yard games in the first five and had a breakout four-score game in a 35-16 victory over Jacksonville in Week 6, but — like the team — has stalled somewhat since.
It has been a puzzling four weeks for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. (AP Photo/Abbie … [+]
MONDAY NIGHT
Atlanta Falcons (6-7) at Los Angeles Raiders (2-11)
How to watch: ESPN, 8:30 pm ET
Key matchup: Kirk Cousins vs Raiders D
Early line: Falcons -3 1/2
Atlanta quarterback Cousins has regressed during a four-game losing streak that has cost the Falcons control of the weak NFC South. Cousins had thrown eight interceptions and no touchdowns during the run, leading some to wonder if rookie No. 1 draftee Michael Penix might be seen sooner rather than later.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell was knocked out of the Raiders’ loss to Tampa Bay last week. (AP … [+]
The Falcons have scored 57 points in their last four games.
The Raiders returned to quarterback Aidan O’Connell in their 28-13 loss to Tampa Bay last week, but O’Connell was knocked out of the game in the third quarter. If O’Connell cannot go, Desmond Ridder would be in line for a revenge start against the Falcons, for whom he made 17 starts in 2022-23 before being traded to Arizona in the offseason. The Cardinals cut him in training camp.
Minnesota
Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
Follow
Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoGame 21: Tigers at Red Sox, Garrett Crochet battles both Detroit and the weather
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoWhy do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas Mavericks Owners Might Be Making Big Mistake in Search for New GM
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoDefense dominates, Mensah flashes in Miami’s spring game – The Miami Hurricane
-
Boston, MA2 hours ago
A crowd scientist is helping the Boston Marathon manage a growing field of 30,000-plus runners
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver Nuggets Altitude broadcasts now being offered in Spanish for first time ever
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoNeed to shred? Free drive-up/ride-up shredding Wednesday at Village Green West Seattle
-
San Diego, CA2 hours agoGame 21: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Angels