Twins – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Now Face Potential Quarterback Controversy

Posted on September 22, 2026September 22, 2026 by David Shama

Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will be the Vikings starting quarterback on Sunday in Tampa against the 0-2 Bucs.

Murray has missed almost two whole games as the Vikings have started 2-0 on the season. He suffered a concussion in the opening minutes of the first game and Carson Wentz replaced him. Efficient game managing by the 33-year-old veteran Wentz has helped the Vikings to wins over the Packers at home and the Bears on the road.

Since the 29-year-old Murray was head coach Kevin O’Connell’s choice to the No. 1 quarterback in the weeks leading up to the season, it’s no surprise the diminutive and potentially explosive passer-runner has been reinstalled as the starter.

But if Murray and the Vikings encounter “head winds” near the Gulf of Mexico Sunday and falter after that, too, look for a quarterback controversy to surface. If the Vikings are losing and Murray is even mediocre, the fan base (and media) will be restless.

Listed at 5-foot, 10-inches and 207 pounds, Murray has a high velocity throwing arm, quickness of foot and running ability that can bedevil opponents. His potential dazzles and we have yet to see what kind of offensive plays O’Connell has created to take advantage of his potential playmaker.

The Cardinals gave up on Murray, now in his eighth NFL year, after last season. His career profile has included persistent injuries and periods of inconsistency. His resume and profile instill optimism, though, among those who want to feel it. In 2019 he was the Pro Football Offensive Rookie of the Year. Twice in his career he was a Pro Bowler.

If things go south for the Vikings, O’Connell knows what he’s got in Wentz who he praised yesterday. “I think Carson is just so steady. He knows exactly, and we talk a lot about what’s going to be required to win, and his role over these last, whatever it is, maybe 106 snaps.

“You think about it, we have no turnovers during that time, and I think we had maybe one procedural penalty where the left side of our O-line lined up too deep yesterday (Sunday). But outside of that, he’s running the show. …”

With either Murray or Wentz running the offense, fans hope the Vikings can not only qualify for the playoffs but win their first postseason game of the O’Connell era that started in 2023. It’s been a quarterback carousel dating back to that year, with nine different starters.

Leading the offense (at least for two games) have been Max Brosmer, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Murray and Wentz.

Cousins, the 38-year-old who left the Vikings in free agency for the Falcons after the 2023 season, is tied with the most touchdown passes in the NFL after two games. His six have helped the Raiders to a 2-0 start.

Worth Noting

Wide receiver Jordan Addison has only two receptions in the first two games but O’Connell liked his blocking on Sunday. He praised it as well timed with wide receiver Jauan Jennings, a quality blocker, not playing in the game for personal reasons.

O’Connell also said on Monday defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has a hip injury and the coach considers him “day-to day.” Punter Brett Thorson has a hamstring injury that will be evaluated during the week.

Brian O’Neill told Sports Headliners the knee issue that made him listed as questionable for last Sunday’s game isn’t going to be an ongoing problem. He played in the Bears game and doesn’t expect the knee issue (details not disclosed) to trouble him in the future, including at the Bucs on Sunday.

Who is the only Golden Gophers football player ever to be the coverboy for Sports Illustrated? The answer is quarterback Bobby Cox who played for Minnesota in 1956 and 1957 after transferring from Washington.

He was labeled the nation’s top quarterback on the November 4, 1957, cover. Interestingly, the 1957 Gophers defeated Cox’s old school 46-7 that year. Also of note, Cox was of Hispanic background, and this is National Hispanic Heritage month.

The Gophers play at Washington Saturday night with a 10 p.m. kickoff on Fox Network. It’s the first game between the two programs since 1977.

Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch is in his third season in Seattle. He was 32 years old in 2009 when Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster hired him to be offensive coordinator.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning knew of Fisch and wanted him to be his quarterbacks coach in Indianapolis, but Fisch chose the Gophers where he coached for one season. Then Fisch left to become quarterbacks coach for the NFL Seahawks.

Joel Maturi, the former University of Minnesota athletics director, attended the 60^th reunion of the 1966 national champion Notre Dame football team in South Bend earlier this month. The Minnesota native was a student trainer on the undefeated team that included former Vikings legend Alan Page.

Maturi, 81, stays active walking a total of eight miles a day.

Former Gopher quarterback Tanner Morgan, who did the color analysis on the Big Ten Network coverage of last Saturday’s Minnesota-Akron game and still lives in the Twin Cities area, runs QBMotion Midwest where he uses science-based mechanics to tutor teen quarterbacks.

Throne Spud, the digital creator and vlogger, posted the 10 most liberal and conservative FBS schools on Instagram. The Big Ten landed six in the top 10 most liberal including Oregon No. 1, Minnesota No. 6 and Wisconsin No. 10. No Big Ten schools on the conservative list with Liberty No. 1, followed by a top five of BYU, Baylor, Mississippi State and TCU.

Sports scorer Stew Thornley — Stew Thornley

Stew Thornley, 71, is finishing his 20^th year as an official scorer for the Twins. A highlight this summer was working as official scorer for the Twins-Phillies Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

The Minneapolis-born Thornley estimates he’s done 750 games as a scorer for the Twins, including 2018 when he worked two games in Puerto Rico. He has also worked the 2017 World Baseball Classic games in Mexico which he referenced as a “wild scene.”

Thornley, also known to Minnesotans for authoring sports books, is an official scorer for Gophers and Timberwolves basketball games, penalty timekeeper for Gopher hockey and sometimes scoreboard operator for Gopher football. And wait, not done yet: official scorer for Gopher baseball and sometimes public address announcer.

Thornley estimates his roles have him out of the house over 100 days and nights per year. Asked tongue in cheek if wife Brenda was happy to have him gone, he said: “Yeah, she is.”

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Vikings Stop Bears, Nix Chicago’s Records Attempts

Posted on September 20, 2026September 20, 2026 by David Shama

On a rainy Sunday today in Soldier Field the Vikings went to 2-0 on the season by controlling the much-hyped Bears offense in a 9-3 win that left rival and defending NFC North Division champion Chicago 1-1 after two weeks of the NFL regular season.

The Bears scored 59 points in their season opening over Carolina. Sunday was much different as the Bears struggled, including near misses. They got inside the Minnesota red zone in the third and fourth quarters but couldn’t score touchdowns.

Defensive back Isaiah Rodgers was a hero for the Vikings recovering a third quarter fumble by De’Andre Swift on the Minnesota one yard line. Late in the fourth quarter he blocked a field goal attempt that would have closed the score to 9-6.

The Bears lost glitzy playmaking quarterback Caleb Williams late in the fourth quarter when he fell to the ground after being pursued by Andrew Van Ginkel. It looked like he could have sustained an ACL injury but later came news of a hamstring issue.

Williams couldn’t return to the game on a day when the Vikings frustrated him with different coverage looks and considerable pressure and push including from the defensive line that featured rookie Caleb Banks’ best performance.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell image by David Shama — Kevin O’Connell

If this was a matchup of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Ben Johnson, the Bears head coach and offensive savant, it was a win for the Purple. Williams threw an interception, was sometimes inaccurate and the Bears had numerous offensive penalties.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell called it an “unbelievable” performance by his defense after the game while talking on KFAN Radio.

It was a sloppy Chicago performance on a day that the Bears wanted to pick up on their headline making work in the opener against the Panthers.

The Bears had 560 scrimmage yards (291 rushing, 269 passing) last Sunday with six rushing scores and two passing touchdowns fueling the 59 points. The Bears tied the 2019 Ravens, 1968 Cowboys and 1963 Chiefs for the second-most points scored in a season-opening game all-time. Additionally, the Bears tied with the 1920 Detroit Heralds, 1920 Rock Island Independents and the 1922 Canton Bulldogs for the most rushing touchdowns in a season opening game in NFL history.

With 37 points scored against the Vikings today, the Bears could have surpassed the 1968 Raiders (95 points scored) for the most points scored in a team’s first two games of a season in NFL history. The Bears could have also become first team ever with at least 250 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in consecutive games.

The Vikings offense showed the commitment to running the ball that was an offseason priority and also in the opening win over the Packers. The Vikings had 28 rushing attempts for 119 yards while passing 20 times for 143. QB Carson Wentz looked hesitant at times in throwing down field and the Vikings didn’t have a huge explosive play all day.

Aaron Jones, 31, ran for 105 yards with O’Connell remarking his starting RB is “not going to be a guy that goes 70 but he’s going to find yards.”

On a day with not only rain challenging footing on the field but with wind guests in the air, Vikings field goal kicker Will Reichard came up with makes of 35, 49 and 39 yards. Probably the best field goal kicker in the league, he has now booted 22 perfect kicks.

Not to be lost in the kicking performance is holder Brett Thorson. The rookie punter hadn’t been a holder in college and there was skepticism in preseason about his important role. No problem putting the ball down for Reichard, though, and his punting was a weapon averaging 49.5 yards.

Worth Noting

It will be interesting to see how the Golden Gophers handle practice this week in preparation for their game Saturday that starts at 10 p.m. Minneapolis time in Seattle against Washington. Will coach P.J. Fleck schedule 10 p.m. practices?

The two programs haven’t played each other since 1977 but have a historic rivalry that includes a 17-7 Minnesota loss in the 1961 Rose Bowl.

The Gophers paid Akron $1.2 million for yesterday’s home game Saturday against the Zips, per information obtained from the University of Minnesota through the public records process. For two other nonconference home games this season, Minnesota paid guarantees of $500,000 to Eastern Illinois and $350,000 to Mississippi State.

Next year State will pay the Gophers $350,000 for a return game in Starkville.

It was 30 years ago that the most popular Gopher basketball team of all-time embarked on the 1996-1997 season that ended with a Big Ten title, trip to the Final Four, 31-4 record and final A.P. ranking of No. 3 in the nation. The academic scandal that later resulted in vacating the season record to zero wins will never diminish the memories fans have of that extraordinary team.

Congrats to Twins pitcher Pablo López on being the franchise’s 2026 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. This is López’s third consecutive nomination with Minnesota and fourth of his nine-year career (Marlins’ nominee in 2022).

Each MLB club nominates a player for the award that annually recognizes a player who best represents extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. The annual award is a tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character.

Fans can vote through Sunday, September 27 at MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (site available in English and Spanish)

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Vikings Teammate Would Pay to Watch WR Justin Jefferson

Posted on September 15, 2026September 15, 2026 by David Shama

In the Vikings’ season opening win Sunday, Justin Jefferson performed like…well…Justin Jefferson. The gifted 27-year-old wide receiver had two touchdown receptions and a catch for a two-point conversion in his team’s 39-22 comeback win over NFC North Division rival Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Teammates are accustomed to his heroics. “I don’t want to take anything for granted but that’s just kind of what I expect at this point,” offensive tackle Brian O’Neill told Sports Headliners.

Familiarity with Jefferson’s extraordinary standard of excellence, however, doesn’t mean teammates can’t gush over his skills that include route running, sure hands, speed, competitiveness, clutch play and work ethic.

“The things he does on the field, I am astounded (by). I am flabbergasted. He puts my jaw on the floor,” said Andrew DePaola, a team captain and the Vikings’ long snapper.

“I still can’t believe some of the stuff he’s able to pull off but I am just grateful I get to bear witness to that every Sunday…because he is a special, special player.”

Would DePaola pay admission to see his destined to be a Pro Football Hall of Fame teammate?

“Without a doubt, without a doubt. Yeah.”

Teammates refer to Jefferson as the “best in the world” at his position. They also see how much he loves to play.

“He’s just a ball player,” O’Neill said. “He’s just a kid playing football. You can tell he loves it. Loves everything about it. He just enjoys the heck out of playing the game.”

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson — Justin Jefferson image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

Jefferson’s first pro season was in 2020. He has totaled 8,572 career receiving yards in 95 games and on Sunday became the third-fastest player in NFL history to reach 8,500 yards. He trails only Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (90 games) and Julio Jones (90).

The Vikings lost starting quarterback Kyler Murray early in the first quarter when he was hit in the head by the shoulder of Packer Javon Bullard. The cornerback was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

O’Neill thinks it was “probably a cheap hit” by Bullard. “I gave him a shove. I probably should have gone after him a little bit more, but I knew we were going to have a first down. I didn’t want to have anything offset (that).”

The Packers also had unnecessary roughness called later in the game on safety Evan Williams, but Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson didn’t think Green Bay played a chippy game. “It was a divisional game. It was a tough football game. It is what it is.”

It was a brief debut for Murray, the much-anticipated offseason free agent acquisition. “It sucks but Carson came in and did a good job,” O’Neill said.

Wentz, 33, helped the Vikings rally from a 19-10 halftime deficit. He didn’t receive a lot of reps in training camp and preseason games, but his experience and poise allowed him to meet the moment. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards, with three touchdown throws and an impressive QB rating of 123.6.

Wentz has started 99 games (played in 104) in his NFL career that dates back to 2016. “He’s always on point,” O’Neill said.

Worth Noting

The Vikings outscored the Packers 29-3 in the second half. In Green Bay’s last six regular season or playoff games dating back to 2025 the Packers have been outscored 134 to 56 in the second half. All defeats.

Harrison Smith, the Vikings’ 37-year-old safety who played part-time Sunday after just re-joining the team earlier in the month, told Sports Headliners his offseason debate on whether to continue his career included coming back after the regular season started.

The division rival Bears, who beat Carolina 59-37 on Sunday, are about a touchdown favorite against the Vikings next Sunday in Chicago.

Deepest condolences to Gary Smith and family over the passing of his wife Linda. Gary, the well-known athletics trainer whose career stops included the University of Minnesota, pro sports and the 1980 Olympics, was married to his wife for 64 years.

Rudy Gobert, the Wolves 34-year-old 7-2 center, is playing for his native France in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers and averaging 8.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. Remarkably durable, Gobert has never played in fewer than 70 regular-season games since joining the Wolves in 2022.

Former Armstrong High School and Indiana University basketball standout Race Thompson is playing professionally in Germany for the Skyliners Frankfurt team whose season recently started.

A certain longtime and uber passionate Golden Gophers football fan who refuses to invest time and money attending away games against quality opposition because of likely losses—and also undesirable start times—was amused yesterday. Not only did Minnesota let the air out of the balloon for a big season in their one-sided loss last Saturday to unranked Mississippi State, but on Monday came the news the Gopher-Washington game on September 26 in Seattle will kick off about 10 p.m. Minneapolis time.

The Akron Zips, who lost their opener 38-16 to Wake Forest and defeated Robert Morris 45-10 last Saturday, are about a 24 to 28 point underdog to the Gophers (also 1-1) this Saturday in Minneapolis.

Byron Buxton, the Twins center fielder now out for the season because of hip surgery, finished 2026 having played in 93 games. In 12 years with the club, he has played in over 100 games only three times.

An authoritative Wild source texted yesterday that “all is quiet” on the Quinn Hughes contract extension.

Select Wild training camp practices at TRIA Rink will be open to the public. Fans need to register at www.wild.com/openpractices to attend.

The Wild is joining other organizations in sponsoring the annual Used Hockey Equipment Drive. AAA Movers will collect drop-off boxes with used equipment from select rinks on September 30. Goalie equipment sticks and helmets and other items will be distributed free to hockey associations and individuals at Grand Casino Arena on October 11.

Drop-off locations include Bloomington Ice Garden, Braemar Rink (Edina), Burnsville Ice Arena, CG Logistics Arena (Cottage Grove), Dakotah Sports and Fitness (Prior Lake), Eagan Civic Arena, Hastings Civic Center, M Health Fairview (Woodbury), Minnetonka Arena, Parade Ice Arena (Minneapolis), New Hope Ice Arena, Rogers Activity Center, St. Croix Valley Rec Center (Stillwater), St. Louis Park Rec Center, Tartan Ice Arena (St. Paul) and White Bear Lake Sports Center.

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