Latest news with #NFCWildCard
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Vikings Linked as Possible Trade Suitor for Packers Star
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Looking ahead to the 2025 NFL season, the NFC North division once again looks to be the best in football. All four teams in the division will have a shot at making a run to the playoffs. Last year, the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers all made it to the postseason. Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings are going to be an intriguing team to watch this year. They no longer have Sam Darnold under center, with second-year signal caller J.J. McCarthy set to take over the reigns at quarterback. There are also some questions marks on the defensive side of the football, especially at the cornerback position. Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the sidelines during the second half of an NFC Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, at State Farm Stadium on January 13, 2025... Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the sidelines during the second half of an NFC Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, at State Farm Stadium on January 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. More Photo byStephon Gilmore was a huge part of Brian Flores' defense in 2024. However, he is still a free agent it at this point there is no reason to think Minnesota is going to bring him back. Read more: Vikings Urged to Pursue Trade for Star Cornerback If the Vikings were planning to bring Gilmore back, it seems likely that they would have done so already. Minnesota should look into options to beef up its secondary. One possible option could be pursuing a trade with the arch-rival Packers. It would be a major shock, but it has been suggested by one NFL analyst. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has suggested Minnesota as one of the possible trade destinations for Green Bay star cornerback Jaire Alexander. While he thinks Alexander will remain with the Packers when all is said and done, he name-dropped the Vikings as a possible landing spot. Alexander has been unable to stay on the field over the last two years. In both the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, he has played in just seven games. Read more: Packers Dealt Brutal Honesty About QB Jordan Love Despite that fact, the 28-year-old cornerback was very productive in seven games last season. He recorded 16 tackles, a fumble recovery, two interceptions, a defensive touchdown, and seven defended passes. More than likely, this possible option will not become a reality. Alexander would be a big step towards Super Bowl contention for Minnesota, but Green Bay seems ready to keep him. Even if the Packers were to trade him, would they really send him to the Vikings? Other possible options could include Jalen Ramsey or simply re-signing Gilmore. Either way, it would be best for the defense to add another proven cornerback for the upcoming 2025 season. For more Minnesota Vikings and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Vikings Urged to Pursue Trade for Star Cornerback
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Minnesota Vikings were one of the best teams in the NFL last season. Kevin O'Connell and company finished the regular season with a 14-3 record before promptly losing in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams. It was a heartbreaking way to end what had been a special season for the Vikings. Heading into the 2025 campaign, some major changes have been made. Most notably, Minnesota has a new quarterback. Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the field prior to an NFC Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, at State Farm Stadium on January 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the field prior to an NFC Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, at State Farm Stadium on January 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Photo bySam Darnold left town early on in NFL free agency to sign a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks. After that, the Vikings were heavily connected as a potential destination for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Read more: Packers Dealt Brutal Honesty About QB Jordan Love Despite those rumors, Minnesota has decided to move forward with J.J. McCarthy as its likely starter. McCarthy will compete with Sam Howell for the job, but it's his to lose. Another change is that the Vikings no longer have star veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore on the roster. He's still a free agent, but Minnesota could use help at the cornerback position. That has led to the team being urged to pursue a major trade for a star cornerback. CBS Sports analyst Mike Renner has suggested that the team pursue a trade with the Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey. That addition would take the defense to the next level under defensive coordinator Brian Flores. "Obviously, Jalen Ramsey requested a trade," he added. "I think he's perfect for Brian Flores' defense, and I think he would be an upgrade from Stephon Gilmore, from what he was a year ago, and bring you back to that potential. It's a move that, if I'm looking around the NFL, like, who makes the most sense? It's the Minnesota Vikings. I think they can afford to make a play like this when you have that cheap, rookie contract in J.J. McCarthy." Read more: Steelers Given Shocking Suggestion at QB and It's Not Aaron Rodgers During the 2024 NFL season with the Dolphins, Ramsey played in all 17 regular season games. He racked up 60 total tackles to go along with a sack, two interceptions, and 11 defended passes. Even at 30 years old, Ramsey is one of the more feared defensive backs to throw at. He is always capable of making a play on the football. While a trade for Ramsey would not come cheap, this would be the kind of all-in move the Vikings need to make if they want a shot at a championship. For more Minnesota Vikings and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Forbes
6 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Urgency Is The Buzzword For The 2025 Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers want to play with more urgency in 2025. It's tough to measure the urgency of a football team in May. Players don't have pads on. There is no live tackling, or really, any contact whatsoever. As Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper said Wednesday, 'It sucks that we've got to go like 50% right now.' Yes, in many ways Organized Team Activities are the epitome of fake football. Still, there's still plenty that teams can accomplish. And the Packers are doing everything possible to attack the offseason with an urgency that was called into question when the 2024 season ended. Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst first dropped the U-word — urgency — in mid-January, four days after the Packers' 22-10 loss to Philadelphia in an NFC Wild Card game. 'I think for me, the thing that's been on my mind as we concluded this season is we need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency,' Gutekunst said that day. 'If I'm looking at one thing, that would be it.' Now, four-plus months later, that word still seemed to be ringing in many of the Packers' heads as OTA's rolled along this week. 'You feel the urgency for sure,' Packers Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs said. 'You feel a lot of the younger guys growing up, you can definitely feel them coming into their own. You feel the urgency just from the way the guys are going about practicing and the details and the way they're on top of everything.' Cooper, Green Bay's rising second-year linebacker, agreed. 'As soon as we start ball, as soon as we enter this building, everything we try and do we try and have urgency,' he said. 'Everything we do.' With good reason. Green Bay played much of the 2024 campaign like lions, then exited like lambs. The Packers were 6-2, 9-3 and 11-4 at various points last year and were still in the mix for big things. Then, Green Bay lost its final three games in a collapse that was almost as surprising as it was disappointing. First came a 27-25 setback at Minnesota in a game Green Bay trailed, 20-3 and 27-10 before two late touchdowns made the final score both respectable and deceptive. Then, NFC North doormat Chicago came to Green Bay with nothing on the line and rallied for an improbable 24-22 win. That snapped the Packers' 11-game winning streak over the Bears, and also marked the first time Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur lost a game to his neighbors to the south. Finally came a dreadful offensive performance in Philadelphia, where the Packers lost the turnover battle, 4-0, and quarterback Jordan Love had a passer rating of 41.5 — his second-lowest since becoming the starter in 2023. Some Packers tried taking consolation in the fact they held the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles to their fewest points of the postseason. But don't forget, if Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley hadn't laid down late in the game to keep the clock running, he was on his way to a 76-yard TD scamper that would have made the final score much worse. When the season ended, LaFleur said he wanted Love to be more vocal in 2025. So far, the Packers' sixth-year quarterback has taken that message to heart. 'That's always something I'm trying to improve on, get better at, just be more comfortable being a vocal leader,' Love said. 'But it's definitely something I've put a lot of work in since I've been here, trying to step out of my comfort zone and speak up. I think the more comfortable you get with the guys, the easier that all becomes.' Gutekunst also threw the 'urgency' log on the fire, knowing it's time for many in this group to sink or swim. Green Bay had the youngest roster in the NFL each the past two seasons. The 2023 Packers — with an average age of 25 years, 214 days — were the youngest team to win a playoff game since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger. In many ways, reaching the postseason the first two years after trading Aaron Rodgers was a pleasant surprise. Now, anything shy of a deep postseason run would be remarkably disappointing. 'Like, it's time,' Jacobs said. 'It's time. You know?' It seems like everyone in the building knows. The Packers' extremely strong 2022 and 2023 draft classes that included players such as Quay Walker, Zach Tom, Devonte Wyatt, Sean Rhyan, Rasheed Walker, Romeo Doubs, Tucker Kraft, Jayden Reed and Lukas Van Ness are just hitting their prime. Several of those same players, though, are coming up on contract years after this season or the 2026 campaign. That means the roster will look dramatically different in a year or two. So for a large number of players — and the 2025 Packers — this is undoubtedly a 'prove it' season. 'With this type of locker room, where we've got pieces all over the board, offense and defense, it just makes that urgency get a little bit more intense, because the only thing that can really stop us is us,' Jacobs said. 'If we lock in on the things we need to do, if we put the work in, then we'll reap the benefits.' Pro Bowl safety Xavier McKinney didn't mince words when asked where he thinks the 2025 Packers can eventually wind up. 'No. 1. It's that simple,' McKinney said. 'I'm just going to put it out there right now. That's what we're aiming for.' A lot more urgency figures to go a long way — even if it is only May.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Final vote on 'Tush Push' matched the 22-10 score in Eagles wildcard win over Packers
Final vote on 'Tush Push' matched the 22-10 score in Eagles wildcard win over Packers The Tush Push ban failed with a 22-10 vote, matching the final score in the Eagles' wild-card win over the Packers in January Karma comes in many forms, and nothing quite soothes the soul like a double-whammy of reminders for the losing team. Green Bay proposed banning the Eagles''' short-yardage 'Tush Push' play. After some very intense moments, including a plea from the legend, Jason Kelce, NFL owners met in private and came away with a 22-10 vote, keeping the play alive. The Packers needed 24 of the 32 teams to vote yes on the ban to salvage their proposal. Making it even more stinging, the final vote matched the final score from Philadelphia's 22-10 win over Green Bay in the NFC Wild Card game in January. In that win, Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes in his first game since a Week 16 concussion, and Dallas Goedert had the play of the game as the Philadelphia Eagles earned a 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night on the backs of a dynamic and playmaking defense. A.J. Brown had one catch on the night but was at peace with the outcome, and his sideline reading is a significant reason. While on the sidelines after an offensive series, Brown was spotted reading through the pages of 'Inner Excellence' by Jim Murphy. After the game, Brown explained that the book brings him inner peace.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rage Bait! Cowboys Dak Prescott Disrespected With Ridiculous QB Ranking
FRISCO — Dak Prescott's numbers were already shaky before a hamstring injury ended his 2024 campaign midway through fulfillment. He threw for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and a ghastly eight interceptions. But this regression cannot be entirely placed on his shoulders. Prescott's play was not up to the standard expected of him, yet he hardly had a competitive team around him to begin with. Advertisement The Dallas Cowboys found themselves in a funk stemming from the embarrassing NFC Wild Card loss at AT&T Stadium last year. They punted the following offseason to run it back one more time with the same group and watched the wheels spin off one by one until the wagon collapsed entirely. When healthy and performing in a stable environment, Prescott has shown he can thrive. He tallied 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns and only nine interceptions back in 2023 when the Cowboys last won the NFC East. However, ESPN's Mike Clay only has Prescott ranked No. 12 in his quarterback projections for 2025, keeping him behind a list of names including Bo Nix, Kyler Murray and Brock Purdy. Adding to that ridiculous placement, he has Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy one spot behind Prescott having not played a down of NFL football to this point. Advertisement While this may be a "projection" for 2025, it's hard for this not to come across as a classic Cowboys' rage bait. The injury concern for Prescott is notable and not something that can really be talked down. But in a vacuum, assuming all players get the opportunity to complete their schedule, it's hard to imagine Prescott's production not landing at a higher clip than this. That same 2023, season, Prescott was in the thick of the MVP race and had a case to win that award over Lamar Jackson. The Cowboys have also revamped their roster, adding another promising prospect on the offensive line and trading for a viable No. 2 option at wide receiver. These are the changes the team needed last season and never made. Make no mistake, the onus falls on Prescott to get back to the levels he was at just a few years ago. However, when healthy, he has not given much reason to doubt him during the regular season. Advertisement Related: Cowboys Praised For George Pickens Gamble Related: Dak Prescott 'Not Respected' in Dallas Cowboys Locker Room ESPN Claims
