Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings Week 9 playbook: What to know ahead of Colts matchup
The Vikings have lost back-to-back games after starting 5-0. Now they will turn to Cam Robinson, 29, to help protect quarterback Sam Darnold’s blindside after losing standout LT Christian Darrisaw to a torn ACL and MCL. Can they get a win this week against a Colts team that has benched Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco?
Week 9 vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT (NBC)
Catch up on what you need to know from this week on the Vikings:
• Vikings trade for Jaguars LT Cam Robinson
The Vikings addressed their massive void at left tackle by trading for Jaguars offensive lineman Cam Robinson.
• Vikings not sweating rookie’s quiet start
“I think Dallas (Turner) is going to be just fine. I think everybody wants everything right now, and he does, too. We’ll get him out there.”
• Meet the former Vikings visionary known as the grandfather of NFL analytics
Retired analyst Mike Eayrs was “so far ahead of the curve” that he is credited with popularizing data science in the NFL in the 1980s.
• What Christian Darrisaw’s injury means
Losing their talented left tackle will make it harder for an inconsistent Vikings offense that has already had trouble sustaining drives.
• 📈Power Rankings: Vikings at No. 8
The No. 17 pick in this year’s draft has one sack and three quarterback pressures through seven games.
Coach O’Connell speaks about new LT Cam Robinson pic.twitter.com/hVymPdY6vo
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 30, 2024
Scouting the Colts
• Joe Flacco will be Colts starting QB ‘going forward’
The decision to bench Anthony Richardson and start Joe Flacco at quarterback is not a temporary one, coach Shane Steichen said.
• Anthony Richardson has hard lesson to learn from the bench
Richardson’s time in Indianapolis may not be over, but his path back to being the Colts starting QB will be a big challenge.
• NFL execs debate Colts benching Richardson
“He hasn’t had many live reps in his football career. This season should have been presented as that development and growth across the board.”
• Richardson’s benching goes far beyond his play
“What a fascinating management dilemma to be in,” a former executive from one of the Colts’ division rivals said.
• Colts GM Chris Ballard has failed to live up to bold promises
Technically, Ballard still has personnel control in Indy, but the chances of him fulfilling the promise proclaimed by his owner are dwindling by the day.
How good are the Vikings?
Check out Austin Mock’s 2024 NFL projections, where you will find each team’s probability of conquering its division, advancing through the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl. The projections are based on 100,000 simulations of the remainder of the season, which factors in each team’s projected strength, current health as well as its remaining schedule.
(Photo of Justin Jefferson: Harry How / Getty Images)
The Portland Trail Blazers picked Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as their next head coach on Tuesday, after making the playoffs for the first time in five years under the direction of interim coach Tiago Splitter.
Nori, who spent the past five seasons with the Timberwolves, has interviewed for multiple head coach vacancies, including the Chicago Bulls earlier this month, the New York Knicks last year, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024.
Nori, 52, was the lead assistant under Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch while the club made the playoffs each season, won five series, and reached the Western Conference finals in 2023 and 2024. Nori, who began his NBA career in 1998 as a scout with the Toronto Raptors, has also been an assistant for the Raptors, the Sacramento Kings, the Denver Nuggets, and the Detroit Pistons. His son, Dante, is a minor league baseball player in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
Splitter, who was hired last week as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, was promoted from assistant to interim coach when then-head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in October in a federal takedown of a sprawling gambling operation. Billups has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
The Blazers went 42-40 with a five-game loss to NBA finalist San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs, the first postseason appearance and first time they finished with a winning record in five years.
The news comes a day after the Wolves reportedly traded three-time All-Star Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade that sends Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly trading three-time All-Star Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade that sends Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
Minnesota is sending the 28th pick to the Nets and will be receiving the No. 33 pick that will be made in the second round on Wednesday night, according to a person who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not received the required approvals from the league office.
For Minnesota, the trade opens up a slew of financial possibilities. It creates a $33 million trade exception, plus gives the Timberwolves room they can use to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu and target more players in free agency.
Randle, a three-time All-Star, will be moving to his fifth team after stints with New York, the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans and the Timberwolves. He averaged 21.1 points this past season, though shot just 39% from the field and 24% from 3-point range in Minnesota’s 12 playoff contests.
Claxton just finished his seventh NBA season, all with Brooklyn. He averaged 11.7 points this past season.
The 2026 NBA Draft begins Tuesday night.
At Senator Westrom’s St. Paul office, visitors are greeted by the classic Minnesota state flag, which the DFL leaders should not have taken away from Minnesotans.
However, local communities have the authority to keep flying it, like many have done, and Senator Westrom encourages communities interested in keeping it to do so.
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