The Purple People Eaters are out. Young Nasty University is in.
Via Alec Lewis of The Athletic, the Vikings’ defensive tackles have adopted that name — “YNU” for short.
The founders are Domonique Orange, Ty Ingram-Dawkins, and Caleb Banks. Ingram-Dawkins, a fifth-round pick in 2025, and Banks, a 2026 first-rounder, are 23. Orange, a third-round selection in 2026, is 22.
“That group is a huge part of our success thus far,” Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel said, per Lewis. “Last year, after not stopping the run early, we put a huge emphasis on it. We’ve got young guys who are coachable, hard workers, and they do everything right.”
The Minnesota defense has held the Packers and Bears to 3.8 yards per carry. And, as Lewis notes, the Vikings have devoted only $8.43 million to their defensive line — that’s the second-lowest amount for any NFL franchise.
Against the pass, the Vikings are thriving on chaos, with a risk-reward blitz-happy scheme that, to date, has had plenty of rewards.
The players will get their rewards in time. Starting with breakout star pass rusher Dallas Turner, who’s eligible for a second contract after what could be an All-Pro season.
Vikings Clips
The Buccaneers are 0-2, capped by a 23-19 loss to the Browns in the Tampa Bay home opener. And the sluggish start is having an impact.
Via JoeBucsFan.com, Hall of Famer Ronde Barber said this week that the vibe in the building is not ideal.
“Look, the mood is not great,” Barber said on his WFLA show. ”There’s too many mistakes. There’s a lack of urgency, if you will, in my mind when I look at them going onto the field. There’s got to be a little bit of a sense of a defining characteristic of your team through Week 2. I don’t know what that is. It’s mistakes. It’s busts. It’s lack of execution.”
Barber believes the Bucs simply weren’t ready for the games that count.
“Week 2 can’t be the fifth preseason game,” Barber said. “At some point you have to start hitting your stride. And it doesn’t feel like they’re in their stride right now on either side of the ball.”
“I feel like for much of the secondary, especially the coverage unit, they’re so focused on what they’re trying to do that they don’t know how to do it now.”
Barber also singled out former Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, who signed with the Bucs as a free agent.
“There’s some dynamic going on, whether it’s not understanding what his role is in the defense, not understanding angles, maybe not having enough tackles in the preseason, I don’t know what it is,” Barber said. ”Something is hamstringing this defense in critical moments.”
It puts even more pressure on the Buccaneers for Week 3, the second of three straight home games. The official attendance last week was 61,391 — nearly 8,000 below capacity. (Often, the actual attendance is lower than the reported number.)
By the time the game was over, the fans who stuck it out through the lengthy weather delay weren’t happy. Those who show up for the next game will be even saltier if the Bucs slip to 0-3.
That makes it a dangerous game for the Vikings, who have overachieved to get to 2-0. This is exactly the kind of game in which the team that has done better than expected can step into a pothole against a team that has done worse than expected.
Vikings running back Aaron Jones finished last Sunday’s win over the Bears with a brace on his knee and the issue was bothering him enough on Monday that he missed practice.
Jones ran 23 times for 105 yards in the 9-3 Vikings win and head coach Kevin O’Connell said that the team will we see how things play out over the next few days before making a call on Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.
“He feels great. He’s bouncing around the building like normal, but it’s more so the knee,” O’Connell said at his press conference. “Just allowing that thing to turn over. He feels pretty good. We’ll just keep getting treatment around the clock and see if we can pick up his workload as the week goes on.”
Jordan Mason is on injured reserve and DeeJay Dallas was limited with a toe injury, which leaves sixth-round pick Demond Claiborne as the only healthy back on the active roster.
Linebacker Jake Golday (ankle) and punter Brett Thorson (right hamstring) also missed practice. Defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (oblique), right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee), defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (elbow), and center Nick Samac (knee) were limited participants.
Buccaneers first-round pick Rueben Bain missed the team’s first practice of the week on Wednesday.
Bain suffered a groin injury in last Sunday’s loss to the Browns. The linebacker also dealt with a shoulder injury this summer and he has recorded one tackle on 76 snaps so far this season.
Linebackers Anthony Nelson (shin) and Josiah Trotter (shoulder) also missed practice on Wednesday. Bain and Nelson are join on the edges by Yaya Diaby, Al-Quadin Muhammad, David Walker, and Yasir Holmes.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (illness), wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee), and cornerback Jacob Parrish (back) were all listed as full participants ahead of Sunday’s game against the Vikings.
The 49ers have made several roster moves on Wednesday.
San Francisco announced the club has signed defensive lineman Naquan Jones and placed defensive lineman C.J. West on injured reserve.
Jones, 28, was last with the Vikings’ practice squad after spending the offseason program and training camp with the Texans. He appeared in 12 games between the Chargers and Texans last year, recording 13 total tackles.
West started each of the first two games this season, recording five total tackles.
Additionally, San Francisco announced receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko Jr. have been signed to the practice squad. Cornerback Jakob Robinson has been released from the practice squad.
With Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart reportedly heading for season-ending knee surgery, the Giants have to make a decision about the quarterback position moving forward.
Option A: The Jameis Winston experience, and everything that goes along with it — good, bad, and/or highly entertaining.
Option B: Sign a free agent and see if he would be a better option to win games. At this point, however, most guys who are available would be unlikely to be able to start. Jimmy Garoppolo is the best option.
Option C: Make a trade.
There are some options. Here are some of the ones we noticed after perusing the various rosters and depth charts.
Derek Carr: He’s still on the Saints reserve-retired list. A trade would be required, if there’s mutual interest.
Anthony Richardson: If the Colts would be comfortable with Riley Leonard as the understudy to Daniel Jones, the Colts could finally get value for the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Joe Flacco: John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl with Flacco in Baltimore. And Flacco has repeatedly shown he can still play.
Shedeur Sanders: If the Browns are willing to move on from Sanders, Harbaugh possibly would want Shedeur. The Ravens were going to draft him in 2025, but he didn’t want to back up Lamar Jackson.
Mason Rudolph: He has played a lot, and he may not have much of a future in Pittsburgh.
Sam Howell: He’s the backup to Dak Prescott, and he has plenty of starting experience; the Cowboys could elevate Joe Milton III to take Prescott’s place.
J.J. McCarthy: Jim Harbaugh loves him. John Harbaugh could be intrigued by him.
Gardner Minshew: If the Cardinals are content to have Carson Beck as the backup to Jacoby Brissett, why not? He has 47 career starts.
Mac Jones: He’s in the last year of his contract, and he played well last year in place of Brock Purdy.
The Giants also could pilfer a player from a practice squad. Possibilities (not many) include Will Levis (Jets), Josh Johnson (Bengals), Joe Milton III (Cowboys), and Max Brosmer (Vikings).
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s matchup between the Bears and Vikings, Chicago had a chance to tie the game with a short field goal.
But Isaiah Rodgers prevented that from happening by blocking Cairo Santos’ 23-yard attempt.
Now Rodgers has been named NFC special teams player of the week.
Rodgers’ block kept Minnesota ahead 6-3 at the time. Eventually, the Vikings won 9-3.
Rodgers previously won a player of the week award for his defense in Week 3 of last season.
With punter Brett Thorson set to miss some time with a hamstring injury, the Vikings have added a veteran punter to their practice squad.
Minnesota announced the team has signed Johnny Hekker to the unit.
Hekker, 35, spent the offseason program and training camp with Minnesota.
He spent the 2025 season with Tennessee, averaging 46.8 yards per punt with a 40.3-yard net average.
A four-time AP first-team All-Pro, Hekker has appeared in 229 career games for the Rams, Panthers, and Titans.
A fake punt specialist, Hekker has also completed 15-of-26 career passes for 193 yards with a touchdown.
The Vikings also signed running back Jaret Patterson to their practice squad and released receiver Trayvon Rudolph and cornerback Bryce Phillips from their practice squad.
Kyler Murray is set to return to the starting lineup.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters in his Monday press conference that Murray has cleared concussion protocol and is on schedule to play in the team’s matchup with the Buccaneers.
“Kyler has cleared the final phase of the protocol,” O’Connell said. “He’s doing great, he’ll be cleared, and he will start this week against Tampa Bay.”
Murray went down early in the Week 1 win over the Packers when he was hit while trying to slide on a scramble. He departed that contest having completed 3-of-5 passes for 18 yards with an interception.
Carson Wentz replaced Murray for the last two weeks. He was 11-of-20 for 143 yards in Sunday’s victory over the Bears. O’Connell praised how steady Wentz has been as a backup.
In five games last year for the Cardinals, Murray completed 68.3 percent of his throws for 962 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Also on the injury front, O’Connell said Ty Ingram-Dawkins (hip) is day-to-day and Brett Thorson has a hamstring issue.
Heading into the season, the Vikings were a distant fourth in the betting odds to win the NFC North. A lot can change in two weeks.
The Vikings are now 2-0, with both wins coming against division opponents, a game ahead of the Lions, Packers and Bears, and the new betting favorites to win the division.
The Vikings’ odds are +194 to win what looks to be the NFL’s most competitive division. The Lions are next at +205, followed by the Packers at +285. Last year’s NFC North winners, the Bears, not have the longest odds, at +500, amid concerns that Caleb Williams could miss extended time with a hamstring injury.
Uncertainty at quarterback in Minnesota is an issue, but the Vikings have found a way to win two weeks in a row with Carson Wentz replacing the injured Kyler Murray. The Vikings’ defense looks ferocious, and the Vikings look like a playoff team. Something few thought they’d be just a couple weeks ago.
