Podcast: The Minnesota Vikings enigma

There hasn't been a 12-3 team this heavily scrutinized in years. Is the scorn justified? We discuss, debate and try differentiate the real threats from the frauds.

Dec 28, 2022

Way back in June, head coach Kevin O’Connell sat down on a hot OTA day, peered out at his vast practice fields and imagined a December exactly like this: a Minnesota Vikings team that faced adversity — and slayed adversity — late in games.

O’Connell wanted to build a team that sincerely believed it’d find a way to win. That’s exactly what these 2022 Vikings have become with quarterback Kirk Cousins orchestrating an NFL-high eight fourth-quarter comebacks with eight game-winning drives.

And yet, this same team has been thoroughly ripped as fraudulent.

I don’t get it. My podcast co-host, Jim Monos, insists he does get it. So, we discuss and debate on this edition of “Go Long with Dunne and Monos.”

Either way, how the Vikings perform at Lambeau Field this weekend is going to be a key indicator. We know Za’Darius Smith will be amped again, but this is a different Green Bay Packers offense than the one Minnesota slapped around in the season opener.

The playoffs are closing in fast. We each offer one team that could threaten to go the distance and one team that could be one and done. Also, we cannot help but touch on the blizzard that tore through Buffalo. The scenes here are unbelievably tragic and bring Monos back to his days as a New Orleans Saints scout after Hurricane Katrina drowned the city. Football can supply some joy through such tragic times.

Meanwhile, down in Miami, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is back in the concussion protocol. This simply can’t happen in the modern NFL.

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Stay safe, everyone. Thanks for listening and sharing.