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Most Valuable Minnesota Vikings Players So Far (Week 5)

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Most Valuable Minnesota Vikings Players So Far (Week 5)


Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

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The Minnesota Vikings have raced out to a 4-0 start under Kevin O’Connell in 2024. Any talk of early season MVPs must mention both the head coach and the yin to his yang, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who has every offense in the NFL sweating the moment they have to lineup opposite of the Vikings.

KOC is the odds-on favorite to win coach of the year, everywhere you look, and for good reason. One could argue Flores should be right up there with him. But this is about the guys in between the white lines. There have been several key contributors on the field as well, some more obvious than others.

Of course, certain positions will always generate prominent consideration for individual awards. Given what the Vikings have done this season, and where they came from just a year ago, there should be a level of nuance to this discussion as well. There are a few different players that stand out.

Sam Darnold is obvious choice for Minnesota Vikings MVP through 4 weeks

When the Minnesota Vikings allowed Kirk Cousins to chase the money in Atlanta, they pivoted to a bridge quarterback. Sam Darnold was a guy that O’Connell thought he could make something out of, and it has turned out to be incredibly fruitful.

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Not only has Sam Darnold mostly avoided terminal mistakes, he’s been exceptional. We wanted a guy who wasn’t going to throw away too many games. Instead, we got a guy who’s been throwing the Minnesota Vikings to weekly victories. This is a supporting cast he has never previously worked with before, yet everything has clicked.

  • Sam Darnold 2024 Stats: 73-of-106 | 68.9 % | 932 Yds | 11 TD | 10.4 TD% | 3 Int

Darnold’s 11 passing touchdowns lead the league, and he has thrown just three interceptions. His 68.9% completion rate is nearly 10% better than his career average, and he has developed immediate chemistry with his teammates. Darnold is the favorite for Minnesota’s MVP right now, and he’s among the leading candidates across the entire league.

Aaron Jones is so much better than Alexander Mattison

It’s weird to consider a running back as a catalyst for a team in this day and age. That said, Aaron Jones has revitalized a position that was awful for the team just a year ago. After Alexander Mattison went belly-up, Minnesota had few answers. Jones has come over from Green Bay and has been better than expected for a 29-year-old back.

Jones finds himself eighth among leading rushers this season, with 321 yards on the ground. He’s one spot (eight yards) behind Josh Jacobs, who took over for him in Green Bay. Beyond what he provides in the run game, Aaron gives so much everywhere else. He has 143 receiving yards this year, less than 50 yards shy of what Mattison put up all of last season.

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He’s also a leader and great human being, just ask his old QB, Aaron Rodgers, or his new head coach (below). The Vikings locker room has loved having Jones, and he has loved being here. It’s been a perfect fit, and his place in the offense has helped Darnold open up options at multiple levels.

Aaron Jones is Awesome and Everyone Knows It

Don’t forget about Stephon Gilmore

Coming into the season, there were serious questions about the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary. Depth was going to be an issue, and the veteran presence of Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin wasn’t necessarily seen as enough. Stephon Gilmore’s acquisition added to the top and made everyone else better.

Opposing quarterbacks have consistently shied away from him thus far this season. Gilmore has just a single pass deflection, and it’s a byproduct of signal callers not even wanting to mess with him. That’s why the 34-year-old veteran has become the forgotten hero of a shockingly undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

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Even in the latter stages of his career, Gilmore has proven to be every bit the shutdown cornerback he promised to be. With or without training camp. The defense is rolling. Much of that is due to Brian Flores and the Vikings’ incredible pass rush. But the secondary has been the most pleasant surprise of this hot start, and that is in large part thanks to Stephon Gilmore.

The Minnesota Vikings MVP Nobody is Talking About

Much of that success can be attributed to the addition of Stephon Gilmore. This is a guy who landed with the Vikings, just before the start of the regular season, because he wanted to play for a winning team where he could make a difference. So far, so good.

Without the breakout performances of the three players above, all of which were free agent additions this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings would not be 4-0. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah deserves credit for an incredible run in free agency, over the spring/summer. He worked with his two superstar coaches for what currently looks like one of the best offseasons in team history.

Mentioned in this article: aaron jones Sam Darnold Stephon Gilmore

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Minnesota weather: Recording-breaking warmth Saturday

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Minnesota weather: Recording-breaking warmth Saturday


The Twin Cities broke a heat record Saturday afternoon as temperatures rose into the mid 70s. 

Recording-breaking heat at MSP

What they’re saying:

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According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport got to a record-high temperature for March 21. 

The airport reached 77 degrees, beating the record of 76 degrees set in 1938. 

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Cold front ahead

What’s next:

A cold front is expected to swing by on Saturday night, bringing a chance of a few sprinkles. 

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Sunday will be a lot colder but nearly spot on for average high temperatures. 

Expect clouds to slowly decrease throughout the day. 

Most of the work week to follow will stay mild, with highs in the 50s and little to no precipitation along the way.

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Hennen: Can Minnesota be saved?

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Hennen: Can Minnesota be saved?


I grew up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes — Minnesota born, Minnesota bred — and I can tell you without hesitation the state I once knew is slipping away. What was once a model of common sense and good governance has become a national embarrassment under one-party Democratic control, where incompetence, corruption, and a complete lack of accountability now define state government.

Start with the Gov. Tim Walz administration’s Housing Stabilization Services program — sold as a way to help people in need — which became so consumed by fraud that the Minnesota House voted unanimously, 134-0, to shut it down. Think about that. In today’s political climate, nothing is unanimous unless it’s a total disaster. That wasn’t a disagreement — it was an admission of failure.

Then there’s the Department of Human Services, where basic oversight has simply vanished. At the same time, every single House Democrat voted to block mandatory reporting to ICE when a criminal illegal alien breaks the law, despite the fact that 85% of Minnesotans support cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities. A bill designed to focus on violent criminal illegal immigrants and prevent the chaos we saw earlier this year was rejected outright. So who are they representing?

Meanwhile, a program meant to help children with autism exploded from $38 million to $325 million in just five years, with providers jumping from 150 to more than 500, and when credible allegations surfaced that some providers were offering kickbacks to parents, three separate complaints were closed without investigation. The Walz administration’s excuse? A broken, 30-year-old rule written incorrectly, which they claim limits what they can investigate. They’ve known about it, they could have fixed it, and they didn’t. Now they say it could take two more years. That’s not governance — that’s avoidance.

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And while fraud runs rampant, Democrats somehow found time to call emergency Friday hearings to push through 16 bills targeting your Second Amendment rights. Apparently, restricting your rights takes priority over protecting your tax dollars.

Speaking of tax dollars, consider this: Democrats blew an $18 billion surplus, grew the size of government by over 40%, and raised taxes by $10 billion—and now Walz wants to raise your taxes again. Even after all that, they still feel entitled to more of your money.

Then there’s the Feeding Our Future scandal, where Ikram Mohamed pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving $14 million, with over a million going into her own pocket, and federal investigators believe she was involved in efforts to bribe a juror. She even secretly recorded Attorney General Keith Ellison while seeking help, yet under her plea deal, she avoids prosecution for other potential crimes. What message does that send? This is what happens when no one is held accountable and government grows too large to manage.

So the question is simple: can Minnesota be saved? Not without restoring accountability, transparency and leadership that actually puts citizens first, because right now those principles are missing, and Minnesotans are the ones paying the price.

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Scott Hennen hosts the statewide radio program “What’s On Your Mind?” heard on AM 1100 “The Flag” in Fargo and on AM 1090 KTGO “The Flag” in Watford City/Williston. Email him at ScottH@FlagFamily.com.





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Former Minnesota Twins Prospect Speaks on Retiring from MLB

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Former Minnesota Twins Prospect Speaks on Retiring from MLB


Does The NWSL Know What Soccer Fans Actually Want? | Full Time Podcast

In this episode, Meg and Tamerra dive into the world of NWSL fan supporter groups. As the NWSL is coveting new eyeballs and growth, an announcement that the league would be establishing a “league supporter’s group” as a sponsorship collaboration with an energy drink named Unwell, has sparked questions and concern among fan led groups – who have been on the ground building the league for over a decade now.

Full Time hosts Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan discuss tension in the relationship between the league and its supporters. With the help of voices from four different NWSL supporter’s groups from across the country, Tamerra and Meg unpack what values are most important to key community stakeholders and where the NWSL might well be falling short.

Thumbnail credit: Roy K. Miller/ISI Photos / Contributor / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images and Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

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Chapter descriptions:
00:00 Intro
00:13 What is a supporters group?
02:49 Guest introductions
05:06 What do supporters groups do?
08:02 Who are supporters groups for?
13:38 Growth & Tension
16:02 The need for a third space for fans
20:11 Is the NWSL doing enough to protect fans?
31:16 Outro

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#nwsl #uswnt #wsl

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Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter to get all the latest women’s soccer news straight to your inbox every Tuesday: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/newsletters/full-time/

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Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Catch the full episodes of Full Time right here 🎙️👇
➡️ https://apple.co/3RJUen2
➡️ https://spoti.fi/3W25Q77

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