the life of a Minnesota Vikings fan. The eternal hope that the team will finally ascend to the top of the league, only to be quickly reminded that will never happen. And all we have left are questions. If Oliver doesn't fumble the ball, will they score on his first drive? If Mattison catches the screen pass and scores, do they go for two and win? If the refs don't raise the pass interference flag, do the Vikings still score? If O'Connell doesn't use up all of his timeouts before midway through the fourth quarter, will the Vikings have enough time to get down the field and score? The Vikings had a chance to defeat the defending champions on Sunday, but were denied, largely due to their own mistakes. This team is so frustrating! Is that why we love them so much? Have we been conditioned to feel joy through pain? I don't know, man, this is starting to get out of control. Follow the Stock Market Report that is insensitive to everything.
Frontline stocks
Kirk Cousins Kirk took advantage of the impressive pass blocking in this game and played efficiently. He navigated the pocket well and found open receivers. Kirk is a good quarterback and I will keep him.
Jordan Addison Addison had the best game of his career, catching 6 passes, including a touchdown and a great fourth down conversion. With Jefferson on IR, we'll see what Addison's true potential is in the coming games.
The offensive line Bravo to this much maligned group. I thought they played their best game of the season in the biggest game of the season.
Solid investments
Jordan Hicks Hicks had a big game, finishing with a team-best 90.3 PFF grade and 10 tackles. His best play came in a one-on-one against Patrick Mahomes, where he took away his passing lane and forced Mahomes to stay on the sideline.
Brandon Powell Powell got involved for the first time this season, catching four balls for 43 yards and also had one carry attempt that went for nine. With Jefferson on IR, Powell should see more work and his performance in this game was encouraging.
Junk bonds
Everyone's hands - Hockenson, Osborn, Mattison, Oliver, Bynum and even Jefferson all had a fall or fumble against the Chiefs. I don't know what else to say about that, other than... just get it and then keep it. It seems pretty simple to us armchair analysts, right?
Penny Stocks
The defensive secondary - It seemed like they were so close to doing it all game long, but Mahomes was too much. Bynum was putting together a pretty solid game until he had a chance to intercept a Patrick Mahomes pass...and jumped too soon. This was a game-changing missed opportunity that the Vikings desperately needed. Metellus was almost able to pick the pass to Kelce, but Kelce barely managed to pull it off. Murphy was in good position on the touchdown he gave up, but Mahomes threw a perfect ball. All day, no one got burned or wasted a coverage assignment. Defenders always seemed to be in position to make a play, but they just couldn't do it.
Buy and sell
Buy: The schedule gets easier from here. On paper, yes, the schedule seems to smooth out a bit, and every game (without the Niners and maybe the Bengals) looks โwinnableโ to the optimistic fan.
Sell: The schedule gets easier from here. But, the way the Vikings have been playing and losing these games, really anything can happen, especially without Jefferson. I can see either end, from finishing 10-2 to just beating the Bears the rest of the way, and you know what? I would take any of those results. But the Vikings will be Vikings and will probably finish 7-10, miss the playoffs and have a pick in the teens.
Buy - it's time to start rebuilding. I'm sure you've heard hundreds of people say it over the past few days, but this could be a great opportunity to rebuild and pursue a top quarterback in next year's draft. Sell โโassets, lose a lot of games, have a great draft and come out ahead in about a year.
Sell โโ- it's time to start rebuilding. This team, to me, still feels better than last year, despite all the mistakes. Depending on what his record is when Jefferson returns, I still can't rule out a playoff run. Can this team win the Super Bowl? Probably not. So is it worth trying to get back to the playoffs? Probably not. But would it be fun to watch? Yes absolutely.
Thank you for reading this week's Stock Market Report. Stay strong, friends.
