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Lead Dive
Oct 26, 2026
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9 min read
The 6-0 Vikings are a good team, one of the best in the NFL. But they aren't the kind of team that can win it all, and they know it.
We’re halfway through the college football regular season and nearly there for the NFL season — which means it’s time for the first 2027 NFL Mock Draft of the cycle. James Foster uses his extensive scouting notes to construct his initial mock draft as we approach tank time for NFL teams.
Oct 21, 2026
17 min read
Five games in, we've seen five different protection plans to try and stop the Vikings blitz-heavy approach. None of them have worked. Why not? And can anything?
Oct 20, 2026
11 min read
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Two Gap
+1
Apr 22, 2026
4 min read
The 2026 Consensus Big Board is live. 300 players are ranked using data from 134 draft analysts. What makes this consensus board unique? What can we learn from it?
Feb 1, 2026
22 min read
The Minnesota Vikings, bafflingly, let go of their general manager in late January. It may have made sense to let him go at season's end, but the timing and reporting is puzzling. We break it down.
Sep 10, 2025
Neither did the NFL. Wide Left sent me anyway.
Longform
Aug 9, 2024
20 min read
Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo have announced their departures from Pro Football Focus, the company that they've been the face of for years. Is the foundational football data company in trouble?
+2
Apr 10, 2024
29 min read
I have a database of big boards from draft analysts going back years. Time to take a look at how they've done.
Outside Zone
Mar 20, 2024
41 min read
In 2018, a draft analysis website launched with the intention of improving NFL draft coverage. It changed the industry. And now it seems to be disappearing. What happened?
Socials & RSS
Oct 15, 2026
12 min read
James Foster presents his Week 6 Scouting Notebook, providing film to give us insight into his process. Which top quarterback's weak statistical showing was just noise and which quarterback's poor box score day actually represented serious concerns?
Oct 12, 2026
7 min read
Hey, let's look at some neat charts!
Oct 9, 2026
Davin Jackson spoke to undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels at the Shrine Bowl in January. Who Daniels was then prepared him for this moment — and he's the same kid he always was.
Oct 8, 2026
James Foster presents his Week 5 Scouting Notebook, providing film to give us insight into his process. Which top five draft prospect finally looked human? Did an injury opportunity vault an unknown into day two consideration?
6 min read
For all the woes on offense, the Vikings still demonstrated that they can master play sequencing well enough to craft the winning play. Matt Fries breaks it down.
Aug 11, 2026
32 min read
The Minnesota Vikings have named Kyler Murray the starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL season. What better way to mark this occasion than a 10,000-word breakdown? Matt Fries delivers.
Jul 27, 2026
25 min read
A post of mine recently went viral, earning over 100,000 likes across two platforms and over 7 million views. Why? And what can it tell us about civic design?
Jul 3, 2026
14 min read
We're about to — officially — celebrate 250 years of the United States. As the World Cup has engendered a new appreciation of Americana, it's worth asking what we're celebrating and what America really is
Jun 25, 2026
Luke Braun goes into the pattern-match rules of the aggressively modern Brian Flores defense, how Harrison Smith knows exactly how to break those rules, and why that's rare
The Vikings offense was filled with operational errors on Sunday. Those who've been watching the team for years know this isn't new. Luke Braun breaks it down.
Oct 7, 2026
The 2026 Minnesota Vikings are undefeated. No one trusts them. Is there good reason for that?
Oct 5, 2026
We've seen discussions surrounding Dallas Turner's statistically outstanding start to the season invite heavy disagreement on what it really means. Matt Fries breaks down whether Turner is actually playing well or if he's an unblocked pressure merchant.
Oct 2, 2026
Luke Braun broke down one of the worst Vikings offensive performances in quite some time to figure out what went wrong. It's because of a YouTube video? Unclear.
Oct 1, 2026
How did the Vikings contain early MVP candidate Caleb Williams? The answer lies in more than just smart coverage rules or reckless blitzing, but an eye towards play design and Caleb's unique strengths — and how to take them away.
Sep 23, 2026
James Foster presents his Week 3 Scouting Notebook, providing film to give us insight into his process. Which quarterback has moved himself firmly out of first-round contention? Which edge rusher was overhyped?
Sep 22, 2026
15 min read
The Vikings demolished the Bears in a showing that demonstrated that they may be more committed to sending extra rushers than almost any other defense in history. Let's investigate.
Sep 21, 2026
10 min read
James Foster presents his Week 2 Scouting Notebook, providing film to give us insight into his process. Whose performances have put them into Top 75 consideration? Which potential first-round quarterback should actually wait to declare?
Sep 17, 2026
Luke Braun examines the ... chess match? No, the Rock-Paper-Scissors game between Matt LaFleur and Brian Flores that authored the Vikings' comeback win over the Packers
Sep 16, 2026
The Vikings pulled off an unlikely win, another strange comeback from a franchise known for them. The heartstopping games aren't in spite of their best efforts, though — they're by design.
Sep 14, 2026
13 min read
Sep 11, 2026
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Analytics
Mar 14, 2026
The Vikings largely stood still in free agency, making just one splash move: signing Kyler Murray to a league-minimum contract. It's an improvement over their quarterback situation, but how much?
Mar 2, 2026
We’ve seen some position-best scores and position-best averages advertised by the NFL and posted across social media. But there may be more to than meets the eye with these kinds of scores
Feb 25, 2026
Wide Left has learned that Teamworks will acquire football charting firm Pro Football Focus.
Jan 30, 2026
8 min read
The Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl have tracked players during practices for years. Recently, the Shrine Bowl opened this data to their public analytics competition. Can it help project draft prospects?
