A weekend of wins for Minnesota sports teams
The Vikings, Lynx and Twins all had winning Sundays on Sept. 21.
Mike Stewart | AP Photo, Craig Lassig | AP, Bruce Kluckhohn | AP
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Lots of happy Minnesota sports fans today after a really remarkable weekend of wins for our professional sports teams. The Vikings, the Lynx, and, yes, even the Twins, all came out on top, thank goodness. Joining me now to relive those victories, our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Hi, guys!
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: These poor Twins.
NINA MOINI: Well I know, usually, the Twins cause us a lot of-- you a lot of malaise. So I'm looking forward to talking about them and their win. But let's start with the Vikings, Eric, a pretty good game for them against the Bengals there. A huge win, it looks like.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, absolutely, 48 to 10.
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: And the Bengals got struck by lightning three times yesterday, even though the game was played inside in a dome! Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers supplied two of the lightning bolts. Rodgers had a pick 6 in the first quarter as he intercepted a Jake Browning pass.
He sprinted 87 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Rodgers picked up a Cincinnati fumble and turned that into a 66 yard scoop and score. And it was literally a snapshot in time, as Rodgers became the first player in NFL history to have two defensive touchdowns and two forced fumbles in the same game.
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: Now, the other lightning strike came when Minnesota kicker Will Reichard, second year guy out of Alabama, connected on a 62 yard field goal to end the first half. Reichard's Powerball kick was the longest field goal in Vikings history. And they've been around since '61. Speaking of history, this was the worst loss the Bengals have ever had.
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: And that's hard to fathom because the Cincinnati franchise has been around since 1968. Carson Wentz, the pride of Bismarck, North Dakota, starting for his sixth different NFL team in six years, was solid for the purple in his debut in relief of the injured JJ McCarthy. No interceptions, two touchdown passes, one to Josh Oliver, the other to TJ Hockenson.
And a big shout-out if you're a Viking fan to running back, Jordan Mason. Boy, he was on his game. 116 yards rushing, two touchdowns. So, the Bengals, they limp out of town with a 2 and 1 record. Minnesota is now 2 and 1. And in a few days, they will be hopping the pond, as they have a couple of games in Europe.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, Wally. What's next for the Vikings? It looks like they're going to Ireland and London. Are they going to be riding high on this win, do you think?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I mean, clearly, this puts them back into the thought process that, yeah, we're a pretty good football team. And they leave now. They have kind of a regular week this week at home, practicing in Eagan at the TCO Performance Center. But then on Thursday, they get on the plane. They go to Dublin. They'll practice on Friday.
Saturday will be a normal Saturday, probably trying to just get their feet on the ground and get acclimated. And then they play on Sunday. And Sunday's game, Minneapolis time is 8:30 AM. So if you want to watch them in Dublin, you'll have to set your alarm Sunday morning for an 8:30 AM kickoff, Twin Cities time.
And then, after, they play-- and oh, by the way, they're playing against their old friend, Aaron Rodgers, who of course was a longtime quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, who, oh, by the way, lost yesterday to Cleveland on a last second field goal, a 55 yard field goal by Cleveland's rookie kicker. So the Packers drop into a tie with the Vikings for first place at 2 and 1.
And then, once next Sunday's game is over against Pittsburgh and Aaron Rodgers, then on Monday, the Vikings get on an airplane again. I don't think they're going to take a boat. But they could, I suppose, theoretically. But they're going to get on a plane and fly to London to get ready to play those same Cleveland Browns that beat the Packers yesterday. And they'll play the following Sunday. That's October 5th. They'll play that game in Tottenham Stadium just outside of London.
So, yeah. And it's the first time ever that a team has played two international games in back-to-back weeks. So, a very unique situation. The Vikings volunteered to do it. And oh, by the way, they are also the road team for both of those games. Typically, one team is designated as the home team. But the Vikings get both of those as road games. And then they'll get a bye week the following week. So they'll get to rest up when they come back to the US.
NINA MOINI: And that's just to build popularity for the sport?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, yeah, that's the idea.
NINA MOINI: [? It might be there. ?]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, OK. Popularity, the money.
NINA MOINI: Why are they there?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, but money into the pocketbooks of the NFL. They're trying to garner as many fans as they can on the planet. It's not just about the US. They're trying everywhere to try and get people. How well it's working, hard to say, because I know, when I was in London, Eric and I were in London several years ago.
When that went on, you pick up the newspaper the next day. And there was, like, a very small article about the football game. People who were in the stadium loved it. But I don't know how much it's catching fire over there. Let's put it that way.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, well, you know who's really caught fire are the Lynx. That was my sports transition for you guys. Eric, so let's talk about the Lynx, though. They're having a perfect playoff season so far. What did I miss this weekend?
ERIC NELSON: You missed a lot. And by the way, I left US Bank Stadium at 3:59 PM Central time yesterday and took a beeline, a straight walk down Sixth Street in Minneapolis, and got to Target Center at about 4:15 PM. So I missed part of the game. But when I got inside the arena, it was electric. They're calling this the drive for 5, the Minnesota Lynx trying to win their fifth WNBA Title.
They got it done yesterday over Phoenix, 82 to 69. So they lead the best of five. So the first team to win three will advance to the Finals. This is the Semifinals, the Final Four, if you will. They lead that series, 1 game to 0. And, look, it was dicey for a while. The Phoenix led by 9 at one point in the game. The Mercury were up by 7 at halftime. But one thing about these Minnesota Lynx is, they don't blink in the face of turbulence or adversity.
They do not hit panic buttons. And they had a little bit of a powwow at halftime. Cheryl Reeve, she spoke her piece, probably at a high volume. And she lets the players, though, chip in. And she wants to hear what they think they need to do. And Courtney Williams was vocal and told the Coach, we should do this or that. And Courtney Williams had a great second half. She scored a game-high 23 points, 5 steels.
Kayla McBride chipped in with 21. Napheesa Collier had 18 points and 9 rebounds. So, Minnesota wound up winning it, going away. But let's not forget, in that clinching game against Golden State last week, they were down in the fourth quarter. And they rallied to win by 1. I mentioned the crowd. They had 10,121 inside the arena yesterday. And they were vocal. I mean, it really felt like a Timberwolves playoff game. It was that kind of volume. So--
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: Chris Finch, the T-Wolves head coach, was there, watching. So, yeah, definitely a good day if you're a Vikings or Lynx fan. Game 2, by the way, Tuesday night in Minneapolis. That's a 6:30 PM tip-off. And the other semifinal game yesterday, Indiana won game 1, minus Caitlin Clark, against Las Vegas and A'ja Wilson, 89 to 73.
NINA MOINI: All right. Let's give the Twins their moment, though, Wally. So they had to win. And they really needed it, right?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, they had lost five in a row. As a matter of fact, they didn't score a run on Saturday. They played two games against Cleveland on Saturday in the doubleheader. And they didn't score a run. I was there for both of those. I was also there yesterday, when the Twins finally did get a win. They beat Cleveland 6-2, thanks to a couple of home runs.
Brooks Lee hit a home run to give them a 3 to 2 lead. And then Royce Lewis hit a pinch hit home run that kind of salted it away for the Twins. So they win by a score of 6 to 2. They are now a whopping 67 wins against 89 losses. So it is a season to forget, for sure. But they snap the five-game skid. They have six games remaining in this dreadful season.
They'll go to Texas tomorrow for the first of three. And then they finish in Philadelphia. So, six meaningless games for the Twins. The only meaning, really, is players trying to get themselves in position to hopefully find a spot on the roster next year, and/or figure out where these guys belong. Are some of these guys going to be in the organization or not?
NINA MOINI: Sure.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So, yeah, it really has been a dreadful season, ever since July 31st when they traded away 10 Major Leaguers. And it's been downhill since then, for sure.
NINA MOINI: All right. We'll end on that note. Wally and Eric, thanks so much. Have a great week.
ERIC NELSON: All right. See you, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You, too.
NINA MOINI: See ya. Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: These poor Twins.
NINA MOINI: Well I know, usually, the Twins cause us a lot of-- you a lot of malaise. So I'm looking forward to talking about them and their win. But let's start with the Vikings, Eric, a pretty good game for them against the Bengals there. A huge win, it looks like.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, absolutely, 48 to 10.
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: And the Bengals got struck by lightning three times yesterday, even though the game was played inside in a dome! Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers supplied two of the lightning bolts. Rodgers had a pick 6 in the first quarter as he intercepted a Jake Browning pass.
He sprinted 87 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Rodgers picked up a Cincinnati fumble and turned that into a 66 yard scoop and score. And it was literally a snapshot in time, as Rodgers became the first player in NFL history to have two defensive touchdowns and two forced fumbles in the same game.
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: Now, the other lightning strike came when Minnesota kicker Will Reichard, second year guy out of Alabama, connected on a 62 yard field goal to end the first half. Reichard's Powerball kick was the longest field goal in Vikings history. And they've been around since '61. Speaking of history, this was the worst loss the Bengals have ever had.
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: And that's hard to fathom because the Cincinnati franchise has been around since 1968. Carson Wentz, the pride of Bismarck, North Dakota, starting for his sixth different NFL team in six years, was solid for the purple in his debut in relief of the injured JJ McCarthy. No interceptions, two touchdown passes, one to Josh Oliver, the other to TJ Hockenson.
And a big shout-out if you're a Viking fan to running back, Jordan Mason. Boy, he was on his game. 116 yards rushing, two touchdowns. So, the Bengals, they limp out of town with a 2 and 1 record. Minnesota is now 2 and 1. And in a few days, they will be hopping the pond, as they have a couple of games in Europe.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, Wally. What's next for the Vikings? It looks like they're going to Ireland and London. Are they going to be riding high on this win, do you think?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I mean, clearly, this puts them back into the thought process that, yeah, we're a pretty good football team. And they leave now. They have kind of a regular week this week at home, practicing in Eagan at the TCO Performance Center. But then on Thursday, they get on the plane. They go to Dublin. They'll practice on Friday.
Saturday will be a normal Saturday, probably trying to just get their feet on the ground and get acclimated. And then they play on Sunday. And Sunday's game, Minneapolis time is 8:30 AM. So if you want to watch them in Dublin, you'll have to set your alarm Sunday morning for an 8:30 AM kickoff, Twin Cities time.
And then, after, they play-- and oh, by the way, they're playing against their old friend, Aaron Rodgers, who of course was a longtime quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, who, oh, by the way, lost yesterday to Cleveland on a last second field goal, a 55 yard field goal by Cleveland's rookie kicker. So the Packers drop into a tie with the Vikings for first place at 2 and 1.
And then, once next Sunday's game is over against Pittsburgh and Aaron Rodgers, then on Monday, the Vikings get on an airplane again. I don't think they're going to take a boat. But they could, I suppose, theoretically. But they're going to get on a plane and fly to London to get ready to play those same Cleveland Browns that beat the Packers yesterday. And they'll play the following Sunday. That's October 5th. They'll play that game in Tottenham Stadium just outside of London.
So, yeah. And it's the first time ever that a team has played two international games in back-to-back weeks. So, a very unique situation. The Vikings volunteered to do it. And oh, by the way, they are also the road team for both of those games. Typically, one team is designated as the home team. But the Vikings get both of those as road games. And then they'll get a bye week the following week. So they'll get to rest up when they come back to the US.
NINA MOINI: And that's just to build popularity for the sport?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, yeah, that's the idea.
NINA MOINI: [? It might be there. ?]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, OK. Popularity, the money.
NINA MOINI: Why are they there?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, but money into the pocketbooks of the NFL. They're trying to garner as many fans as they can on the planet. It's not just about the US. They're trying everywhere to try and get people. How well it's working, hard to say, because I know, when I was in London, Eric and I were in London several years ago.
When that went on, you pick up the newspaper the next day. And there was, like, a very small article about the football game. People who were in the stadium loved it. But I don't know how much it's catching fire over there. Let's put it that way.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, well, you know who's really caught fire are the Lynx. That was my sports transition for you guys. Eric, so let's talk about the Lynx, though. They're having a perfect playoff season so far. What did I miss this weekend?
ERIC NELSON: You missed a lot. And by the way, I left US Bank Stadium at 3:59 PM Central time yesterday and took a beeline, a straight walk down Sixth Street in Minneapolis, and got to Target Center at about 4:15 PM. So I missed part of the game. But when I got inside the arena, it was electric. They're calling this the drive for 5, the Minnesota Lynx trying to win their fifth WNBA Title.
They got it done yesterday over Phoenix, 82 to 69. So they lead the best of five. So the first team to win three will advance to the Finals. This is the Semifinals, the Final Four, if you will. They lead that series, 1 game to 0. And, look, it was dicey for a while. The Phoenix led by 9 at one point in the game. The Mercury were up by 7 at halftime. But one thing about these Minnesota Lynx is, they don't blink in the face of turbulence or adversity.
They do not hit panic buttons. And they had a little bit of a powwow at halftime. Cheryl Reeve, she spoke her piece, probably at a high volume. And she lets the players, though, chip in. And she wants to hear what they think they need to do. And Courtney Williams was vocal and told the Coach, we should do this or that. And Courtney Williams had a great second half. She scored a game-high 23 points, 5 steels.
Kayla McBride chipped in with 21. Napheesa Collier had 18 points and 9 rebounds. So, Minnesota wound up winning it, going away. But let's not forget, in that clinching game against Golden State last week, they were down in the fourth quarter. And they rallied to win by 1. I mentioned the crowd. They had 10,121 inside the arena yesterday. And they were vocal. I mean, it really felt like a Timberwolves playoff game. It was that kind of volume. So--
NINA MOINI: Wow!
ERIC NELSON: Chris Finch, the T-Wolves head coach, was there, watching. So, yeah, definitely a good day if you're a Vikings or Lynx fan. Game 2, by the way, Tuesday night in Minneapolis. That's a 6:30 PM tip-off. And the other semifinal game yesterday, Indiana won game 1, minus Caitlin Clark, against Las Vegas and A'ja Wilson, 89 to 73.
NINA MOINI: All right. Let's give the Twins their moment, though, Wally. So they had to win. And they really needed it, right?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, they had lost five in a row. As a matter of fact, they didn't score a run on Saturday. They played two games against Cleveland on Saturday in the doubleheader. And they didn't score a run. I was there for both of those. I was also there yesterday, when the Twins finally did get a win. They beat Cleveland 6-2, thanks to a couple of home runs.
Brooks Lee hit a home run to give them a 3 to 2 lead. And then Royce Lewis hit a pinch hit home run that kind of salted it away for the Twins. So they win by a score of 6 to 2. They are now a whopping 67 wins against 89 losses. So it is a season to forget, for sure. But they snap the five-game skid. They have six games remaining in this dreadful season.
They'll go to Texas tomorrow for the first of three. And then they finish in Philadelphia. So, six meaningless games for the Twins. The only meaning, really, is players trying to get themselves in position to hopefully find a spot on the roster next year, and/or figure out where these guys belong. Are some of these guys going to be in the organization or not?
NINA MOINI: Sure.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So, yeah, it really has been a dreadful season, ever since July 31st when they traded away 10 Major Leaguers. And it's been downhill since then, for sure.
NINA MOINI: All right. We'll end on that note. Wally and Eric, thanks so much. Have a great week.
ERIC NELSON: All right. See you, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You, too.
NINA MOINI: See ya. Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
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