Profile avatar
danemizutani.bsky.social
Vikings beat writer for the Pioneer Press | Born in Hawaii. Somehow decided Minnesota was a better option.
408 posts 1,176 followers 36 following
Prolific Poster

At the Timberwolves game and JJ McCarthy is throwing shirts to the fans. The arm looks good.

Vikings announce that they have agreed to terms on a multi year extension with head coach Kevin O’Connell. The expected outcome all along.

Kevin O'Connell reiterates what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said earlier. J.J. McCarthy is back to being on the field and in position to have a positive offseason from start to finish.

Kevin O'Connell says he wants to sign a contract extension. He's had dialogue with ownership this week. "I love being the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings."

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah says J.J. McCarthy is back on the field throwing. A good sign as he works his way through the recovery process.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah: "I think we've laid the foundation for a really competitive sustained team."

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is set to talk to reporters in a few minutes with Kevin O'Connell due up after that. In other news the Vikings have re-signed Jalen Redmond.

COLUMN: If this is it for Harrison Smith, his legacy with the Vikings is set. www.twincities.com/2025/01/14/d...

STORY: Sam Darnold imploded in the biggest game of his career. Kevin O'Connell failed to do his quarterback any favors. Brian Flores didn't have any answers to Sean McVay's attack. Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ 27-9 loss to the Rams. www.twincities.com/2025/01/14/f...

GAMER: Sam Darnold crumbles under pressure as the Vikings bow out of the playoffs with a 27-9 loss to the Rams. “We knew right from the jump what kind of group we had,” Darnold said. “It sucks to come up short.” www.twincities.com/2025/01/13/s...

Vikings suffer a 27-9 loss to the Rams and hang their heads as they walk off the field. A campaign that looked like it had so much promise as recent like last weekend has abruptly come to an end.

Brian O'Neill is down and appears to be in a lot of pain. Kevin O'Connell has walked over from the sideline.

Sam Darnold finds TJ Hockenson for a touchdown and the Vikings have a pulse.

Matthew Stafford finds Davis Allen for a touchdown. Vikings trail 24-3. Just a complete disaster.

Josh Metellus is back in the game so that Vikings have that going for them.

Josh Metellus is down after that play. Everybody is on a knee around him. When it rains it pours.

Sam Darnold sacked on fourth down. The offensive line has struggled tonight but Darnold has not done them any favors.

Sam Darnold is imploding. No way around it. The pressure has gotten to him.

Oh boy. Sam Darnold fumbles and Jared Verse returns it for a touchdown. Just brutal.

Vikings retain possession. Josh Oliver's knee was down.

Josh Oliver fumbles while fighting for extra yardage. Looked like his knee might've been down before the ball comes out.

It feels like the Vikings haven't scored a touchdown since the Clinton administration. They need something here.

Vikings have settled in on defense. They force another punt. Sam Darnold has a chance to atone for that interception.

Sam Darnold picked off by Cobie Durant. Just a bad throw to the boundary. Not enough juice.

Wow. Ryan Wright gets roughed on the punt and the Vikings get an automatic first down. He was absolutely jacked about it.

Sam Darnold gets sacked for a loss of 12 yards on a perfectly timed corner blitz. Vikings forced to punt.

Vikings force a punt after a questionable incompletion overturns what probably should've been a defensive touchdown.

Whoa. The officials are ruling it an incompletion. Unbelievable.

Omg. Matthew Stafford gets strip sacked and Blake Cashman returns it for a touchdown.

Will Reichard hits a 34-yard field goal to cut into the deficit. Vikings needed points and Kevin O'Connell takes them rather than rolling the dice.

Sam Darnold finds Justin Jefferson for a gain of 22 yards and the Vikings might have something going.

Jordan Addison with an incredible contested catch to take the edge off.

Beaux Limmer takes a boneheaded unnecessary roughness penalty to stop the Rams in their tracks. They will have to settle for a field goal. That feels like a win for the Vikings.

This has been an absolute clinic by Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford so far.

Matthew Stafford is cooking. Vikings need to find a way to pressure him or he's going to carve them up.

Vikings go three and out on their opening drive with Sam Darnold taking a sack for a loss of 10 yards. You can't start much worse.

Matthew Stafford was 6 of 6 for 64 yards and a touchdown on that opening drive.

Matthew Stafford finds Kyren Williams for a touchdown on the very next play. Not ideal.

Oh no. Jonathan Bullard jumps offsides on fourth down. You can't do that.

Matthew Stafford starts the game with a chunk play to Puka Nacua for gain of 27 yards.

Vikings win the toss and defer. Let's see what Brian Flores has dialed up.

Alright. Here we go. Vikings and Rams coming up in a few minutes. How’s everybody feeling?

Daniel Jones is officially inactive tonight which means Nick Mullens will be the backup quarterback for the Vikings. The other inactives include Pat Jones II, Walter Rouse, Dan Feeney, and Levi Drake Rodriguez.

Just walking to the stadium. There is A LOT of purple here in Glendale.

FEATURE: It’s been hard to figure out Sam Darnold’s personality because he doesn’t say too much in interviews. Tracked down some people from San Clemente to learn more. Here’s a deeper look through the eyes of the town that raised him. www.twincities.com/2025/01/12/g...

The path to the Super Bowl for the Vikings is looking like Rams, Eagles, Lions. Time to exorcise some demons.

FEATURE: Though he hasn’t been a part of this season in the flesh, to say Khyree Jackson hasn’t been present with the Vikings wouldn’t be accurate. "He’s up there looking down on us.” More on how the Vikings have ensured his legacy lives on. www.twincities.com/2025/01/11/w...

Pat Jones II is out for the playoff game on Monday night as he continues to work his way through a knee injury. Cam Akers is questionable with an illness.

Some accolades for the Vikings. Justin Jefferson and Andrew DePaola have been named First team All Pro. Andrew Van Ginkel has been named Second Team All Pro.

STORY: The playoff game between the Vikings and the Rams has been relocated due to wildfires in Los Angeles. www.twincities.com/2025/01/09/v...