In a Super Bowl beatdown for the ages, the Philadelphia Eagles spanked the one and only Patrick Mahomes while shining the brightest of all lights on the increasing importance of interior pressure by defensive tackles in a four-man rush in today’s NFL.

Per usual in a copycat league, other teams took sharp notice. Even the Vikings and blitz-happy defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who rushed five or more defenders a league-high 38.9% of the time a season ago.

As a new Vikings season dawns Monday night in Chicago, all eyes will be on first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy and a revamped offensive line sporting an all-new interior. But let’s not forget the added layer of havoc the Vikings believe they now have in store for Bears second-year starting quarterback Caleb Williams and his improved line.

Let’s not forget the $81 million spent on free agents Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave — two of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles of their era. And let’s not forget about the other four promising young pass-rushing interior linemen the Vikings kept in former UFL player Jalen Redmond, 2024 seventh-round draft pick Levi Drake Rodriguez, 2025 fifth-round draft pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and undrafted rookie Elijah Williams, who is fresh off being a rookie minicamp tryout guy after setting Morgan State’s career records for tackles for loss (52) and sacks (31).

“What we have is a beautiful thing,” Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon said. “It really is. When you can roll a wave of guys up front who can put pressure on the quarterback like we can, it’s exciting to see. And I can’t wait to see it come alive on Monday night against Chicago.”

There’s that word again.

“Wave.”

A year ago, the Vikings had seven defensive linemen play 90 games with 47 starts and 2,467 snaps. Gone are five of them who played 75 games (83.3%) with 45 starts (95.7%) and 2,253 snaps (91.3%). Only Redmond (13 games, two starts) and Rodriguez (two games, zero starts) return.

Credit for that turnover, at least partially, goes to the world-champion Eagles, who have established the template for interior defensive line quality and quantity in recent years. In last season’s 40-22 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas Chiefs, three of Philly’s sacks and 10 of its pressures came from interior defensive linemen Milton Williams, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo.

STRIB

Great game to end the day!

The local take:
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The Vikings kick off the regular season in the final game of Week 1, as J.J. McCarthy makes his NFL debut in the stadium where he saw his first NFL game at age 4. He’ll face Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft who went nine spots ahead of McCarthy.

McCarthy has played in two preseason games for the Vikings, but as he sees it, Monday night is his first real action since Jan. 8, 2024, when he led Michigan to a national championship against Washington. “Gotta be four quarters for it to count,” he said last week.

Here’s a look at what to expect at Soldier Field:

The biggest storyline
Familiar faces in new places: McCarthy and Williams have known each other since they were high school quarterbacks in the Elite 11 camp in 2020, both doubting they’d done enough to win MVP honors in the camp until Williams was announced as the winner. Williams has a year of experience, but McCarthy has familiarity with his coach: Williams is in his first year with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, whose offenses helped Detroit go 5-1 against the Vikings while he was there.

“There’s some predicting, some forecasting what he uses, but no one has a crystal ball,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said of Johnson. “We don’t know what Ben has cooked up. It’s really more about fundamentals and techniques. Week 1 is normally about that.”


Strib

Now, can we finally uncover the classified, top secret Harrison Smith illness? 

The great connector: How Kevin O’Connell’s struggle made him the NFL’s rising quarterback whisperer:

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/the...41080.html

“He’s got swag,” Rams general manager Les Snead echoed. “It’s not an arrogance, but an edge of confidence. It just oozes out of him.”

"The personnel man marveled at O’Connell’s ability to instantaneously blend into a group and then seemingly become the head of that group.
He’s disarming,” the executive said. “[The time I watched him talk] was over a matter of hours. You know, when he walks in the room, it’s just he lights it up. You know obviously it’s real, too. He’s a good-looking dude. He’s tall, and he just commands a room. He’s so easy, so conversational. He always has a plan. He’s smart. He’s detailed. Suddenly, everyone around him is involved in a conversation — with him. He is just leading it.”

And this on KOC's belief in JJ:

"Even in his injury-shortened time with J.J. McCarthy, there’s an underlying belief that the second-year quarterback is already starting to show growth that is going to present another phase of O’Connell’s mastery of getting the best out of his QBs. Interestingly, when the Carolina Panthers traded veteran wideout Adam Thielen to the Vikings last week, the deal unfolded with a belief inside the Panthers' organization that the Vikings were acquiring Thielen because McCarthy was ahead of schedule and ready to hit the ground running in his first season as a starter."

Receiver Jalen Nailor will play in Chicago after recovering from a fractured left hand suffered Aug. 14 in a joint practice with New England.

The Vikings defense will likely not have safety Harrison Smith for Monday night’s season opener in Chicago. He’s officially listed doubtful to play due to an illness that has affected him for nearly a month.

Smith, the 36-year-old team captain entering his 14th Vikings season, returned to meetings and walkthroughs this week. The team has described his ailment as a personal health matter; it has kept him out since at least Aug. 11. Smith was limited during Saturday’s practice: a final, light session before the team departs for Chicago on Sunday.

Smith needs more practice time to be physically ready for a game, coach Kevin O’Connell said.

“He probably did a little more than I expected, which was really encouraging,” O’Connell said of Saturday’s practice. “It’s just a matter of time back on the grass.”

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores said nobody can replicate Smith’s varied roles and responsibilities in the defense. Safety Theo Jackson is expected to replace Smith in the starting lineup.

“Not to say we don’t have other highly intelligent, high-football-IQ guys,” Flores said, but “there’s a lot of reasons it’s unique to him: 14 years in the league, playing at a high level, just high-level acumen.”

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw is listed questionable after taking every rep in Saturday’s practice. He’s about 10½ months removed from the season-ending left knee injury suffered in Los Angeles last year. Tackle Justin Skule is up next if Darrisaw does not play.

“I thought there were some great moments throughout the week,” O’Connell said of Darrisaw’s practices. “This guy’s done everything in his power to give himself an opportunity for that conversation. ... We’ll see how he feels [Sunday].”

STRIB

The making of J.J. McCarthy and the big business behind becoming an NFL quarterback:

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vi.../601450638

Going to need some posting help as its a paywall. Going to be lots of stories leading up to Monday night on what may be the NFL's biggest X factor. No pressure kid!

Mahomes overthrew some open guys deep last night, not at his most accurate. Both Mahomes and Herbert are just big stud QBs, man.....Herbert looked good. As much as Harbaugh wants to run more, the team has to pass. Its their strength. Hampton only averaged 3.2 yards on 15 carries. You watch that these two opening divisional matchups to kickoff the season and then realize Buffalo has the cake division of the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins. That kind of mobility and the big arms on those two just opens up the whole playbook. Man it would be so nice to have that with JJM if he can be the guy.