The NFL postseason is looming, and the Minnesota Vikings (13-3, No. 2 seed in NFC) are certainly in the driver’s seat. The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, No. 1 seed in NFC) have their issues heading into the playoff season with the absence of quarterback Carson Wentz. The Los Angeles Rams (11-5, No. 3 seed in NFC) are a young team of the future but are they a team of the now is the question. The New Orleans Saints (11-5, No. 4 seed in NFC) have future Hall of Famer Drew Brees under center, paired with an explosive offense and a young defense. The Carolina Panthers (11-5, No. 5 in NFC) have had great moments paired with abysmal, and their level of play will rely on 2015 MVP Cam Newton to keep the pace. And last but not least, the Atlanta Falcons (10-6, No. 6 in NFC) will have a long road ahead of them if they want to repeat their success from last season. The Vikings are trying to become the first team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Their defense will be relied o...

A sprained MCL suffered on December 27 against the Denver Nuggets will cause Minnesota’s point guard, Jeff Teague, to miss the next 2-to-4 weeks. Tyus Jones will be taking over the starting minutes, and Jamal Crawford will handle the point guard duties off the bench going forward for the Timberwolves. Teague has been a great floor general this season for Minnesota, as through 31 games he has averaged a career-high in minutes played (34.2), 13.4 points per game, an NBA 6th-best 7.3 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game. It will be a challenge for the team going forward to continue their success without their veteran point guard. A few things could come into play with Teague out, however. TYUS TIME The moment has come for the 2015 draft pick in Tyus Jones to step up and show what he has in starter minutes. Jones has shown some flashy improvements this season as the back-up and has earned valuable minutes from stingy Tom Thibodeau. Through 36 games, Jones has s...

After another disappointing loss to the lowly Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, many questions are beginning to rise for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The biggest question fans are wondering: is head coach Tom Thibodeau’s job in jeopardy? When the Timberwolves brought in Thibodeau, the mindset was to focus on the defensive side of the ball, as the offense surely had the scorers to produce each night. The Timberwolves are ranked fifth overall in the NBA in offensive rating, only trailing the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. Their defensive rating has suffered, ranking as the sixth worst out of all 30 NBA teams. Against .500 or better teams, the Timberwolves have gone 4-8 this season, which will not bode well if they find themselves in the playoffs. They are 13-5 against below .500 teams but have had some ugly losses. Minnesota has allowed at least 108 points to the Suns in the three games they have played (Phoenix has the ...

The acquisition of All-Star Jimmy Butler was the big offseason move for the Minnesota Timberwolves, expecting the team’s performance to be better on both sides of the ball. Through the first 24 games the Timberwolves played in the 2016-2017 season, their record was 6-18 and their defense was allowing a putrid 107.3 points per game. Fast forward to this year, and the Wolves’ record with Butler on the floor (missed two games with an illness) is 15-9. Their defense with Butler has been slightly better, but not by any marginal value. What Butler has contributed dramatically over his last 12 games is offense—and a lot of it. Chemistry issues have been the ongoing question for this team this season, and early on it appeared the former Chicago Bull was struggling. In his first 12 games this season, Butler averaged 15.3 points per game on 39.7 percent shooting from the floor. He also held a minuscule 1.2 plus-minus rating, which is well below the expected outcome for Tomball, Texa...

The Minnesota Twins have a few glaring issues to address before they begin Spring Training in February. Starting pitching outside of ace Ervin Santana and young phenom Jose Berrios should be addressed, as well as the bullpen and possibly another bat. This ballclub has two different options when it comes to money: either pick up a top-of-the-line starter (Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish) and try to build from within and pick up average arms for the bullpen, or go for someone more in their price range for starting pitching (Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb) and then aim for some quality bullpen options, such as closer Wade Davis. Japanese two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani could be on his way to Minnesota, as the Twins are listed as one of the possible destinations for him. I’m going to break down five players other than Ohtani that could continue the Twins’ winning ways in 2018 if they join the club. 1.        YU DARVISH, RHP The Twins would be automatic conte...

The State of Hockey is given their name due to the excitement around the sport in communities, high school hockey tournament, and even the colleges all around the state that play at the NCAA Division-I level. The Minnesota Wild, however, have been a blemish to the state’s mantra. After Minnesota’s latest loss to the St. Louis Blues tonight, the Wild find themselves with the tenth-most points in the Western Conference. This season has been riddled with injuries, inconsistency from their goaltenders and lack of chemistry on certain lines. But the biggest issue the franchise continues to do is set their fanbase up for disappointment, year after year. Yes, Minnesota professional sports have an ongoing problem with producing winners (besides the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, of course). The Twins recently just made history with their turnaround in the 2017 season. The Timberwolves are building a path to success beginning this season. The Vikings have surprised many with one ...

Sam Bradford goes down. Dalvin Cook goes down. Ladies and gentlemen, heading into week nine the Minnesota Vikings are 6-2 and hold first place in the NFC North. Of course, there have been some things to help their cause, with the biggest coming from an Anthony Barr hit on future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings defense is one of the most feared in the league, and Minnesota-native Adam Thielen continues to show his case for being an elite offensive weapon in the NFL. Case Keenum has done a good enough job to keep the Vikings afloat, but tougher competition looms. Looking at a glance, one would say the Vikings are playing great football as they are riding a four-game winning streak. That winning streak included a win against an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers, a narrow win against a young Chicago Bears team, a victory against an unidentifiable Baltimore Ravens squad and a messy win in London against the winless Cleveland Browns. After the bye week in w...