Longform

May 26, 2026

•

10 min read

The Cowardice of Political Incuriosity

The Athletic's Dan Duggan wrote about not writing about Jaxson Dart's appearance at a Donald Trump rally. It's journalistic abdication.

Arif Hasan

Two Gap

Apr 28, 2026

•

27 min read

Caleb Banks is a Swing for the Fences

The Vikings produced one of the biggest surprises of the NFL draft. By selecting Caleb Banks, they may have drafted the highest-ceiling rookie in the NFL. Or, they may have crashed their defense.

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

The Kwesi Konundrum: Why Did It Play Out Like This?

Feb 1, 2026

•

22 min read

The Kwesi Konundrum: Why Did It Play Out Like This?

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.

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Vikings’ Offseason Plan, Part 2: Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

Jan 26, 2026

•

14 min read

Vikings’ Offseason Plan, Part 2: Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how the Vikings can create enough salary cap space to operate in 2026.

Matt Fries

Lead Dive

Vikings' Offseason Plan, Part 1: How to Create $49 Million in Cap Space

Jan 23, 2026

•

20 min read

Vikings' Offseason Plan, Part 1: How to Create $49 Million in Cap Space

The Vikings are projected to be $50 million underwater against the cap. Is it as bad as it seems? What can the Vikings do to get out and is it that disastrous?

Matt Fries

Lead Dive

Dec 9, 2025

•

9 min read

Can Philip Rivers Defeat Time?

It has been reported that the Indianapolis Colts are meeting with Philip Rivers to see if they can coax him out of retirement. Alex Katson has thoughts.

Alex Katson

Analytics

J.J. McCarthy and "Waiting for the Cement to Dry"

Nov 19, 2025

•

17 min read

J.J. McCarthy and "Waiting for the Cement to Dry"

The Minnesota Vikings have pushed their chips into a quarterback who needs to develop. We explore if its remotely possible and why it is such a problem.

Arif Hasan

Analytics

Oct 16, 2025

•

39 min read

SumerBrain Claims to Revolutionize Football Analytics. I Will Not Be Using It

SumerSports released a new product last week claiming to change the way we watch, report on and consume football. They want to democratize access to football data. I don't think it can.

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Entering Mythical England, the Vikings Comeback Win Over the Browns Befit Their Folklorish Past

Oct 5, 2025

•

18 min read

Entering Mythical England, the Vikings Comeback Win Over the Browns Befit Their Folklorish Past

The Vikings beat the Browns, coming back from behind in London, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The seeds of this victory were sown centuries ago; both leaned on their cultural heritage to close the day

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Croke Park Disaster: History Haunts the Vikings, Rewards the Steelers

Sep 28, 2025

•

14 min read

Croke Park Disaster: History Haunts the Vikings, Rewards the Steelers

The Vikings lost to the Steelers 24-21. What does that have to do with the bloody history of Croke Park? Enough.

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Sep 10, 2025

•

21 min read

God Did Not Want Me to Go to Brazil

Neither did the NFL. Wide Left sent me anyway.

Alex Katson

Lead Dive

Sports Journalism Is Dying — And ESPN and the NFL Are to Blame

Aug 7, 2025

•

18 min read

Sports Journalism Is Dying — And ESPN and the NFL Are to Blame

The NFL sold off elements of its NFL Media arm to ESPN in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the Worldwide Leader's equity. Could this kill sports journalism?

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Guaranteed Money, the NFL, and What It Means for Labor Politics

Jul 8, 2025

•

22 min read

Guaranteed Money, the NFL, and What It Means for Labor Politics

A deep dive into the recent confidential decision regarding the NFLPA’s claim of NFL collusion to keep guaranteed money down.

Arif Hasan

Longform

Jun 22, 2025

•

21 min read

History Fatigue

“Just once, I’d like to live in precedented times”

Arif Hasan

Longform

How Catapult Sports is Killing Football YouTube

Jun 6, 2025

•

26 min read

How Catapult Sports is Killing Football YouTube

There's been a scourge slowly killing football analysis channels on YouTube. Unless something changes, football fans and creators will find a landscape barren of content.

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Justin Herbert and the Imprecision of Elite Quarterbacking

Jun 4, 2025

•

9 min read

Justin Herbert and the Imprecision of Elite Quarterbacking

Alex Katson looks at whether Justin Herbert can learn to color outside the lines in 2025 and finally live up to his "elite" billing.

Alex Katson

Analytics

Do Pass-Rush "Bags" Actually Matter for NFL Success?

May 18, 2025

•

18 min read

Do Pass-Rush "Bags" Actually Matter for NFL Success?

James Foster charted 2,797 QB pressures from 2023 and 2024 to determine which pass rushers have the most diverse skill sets.

Lead Dive

Katson: The Loneliness of the Left-Footed Kicker

Feb 17, 2025

•

10 min read

Katson: The Loneliness of the Left-Footed Kicker

The NFL Combine this year has an unusual attendee: a left-footed kicker. Why are those so rare and are there challenges to this dynamic? Alex Katson talked to Pitts' Ben Sauls to find out.

Alex Katson

Longform

Super Bowl Commercials and the AI Bubble — Why Investment Looks Dangerous

Feb 10, 2025

•

8 min read

Super Bowl Commercials and the AI Bubble — Why Investment Looks Dangerous

The Super Bowl commercial landscape is a fascinating cultural artifact. The prevalence of AI in this year's ads might tell us something about the Super Bowl: it's a bubble predict predictor.

Arif Hasan

Longform

Do Cities Benefit From Hosting the Super Bowl?

Feb 6, 2025

•

19 min read

Do Cities Benefit From Hosting the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LIX will be hosted in New Orleans once more, a product of a competitive bidding process that chose an NFL favorite. Is it worth it for cities to bid for the right to host the Super Bowl?

Arif Hasan

Longform

Jan 29, 2025

•

27 min read

What Happens At College All-Star Games?

The competition between the Senior Bowl and Shrine game has heated up and it has resulted in scoops and injury amidst a record year of opt-outs when the games are closer than ever.

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Dec 31, 2024

•

10 min read

The Spirit Of St. Darnold

Luke Braun breaks down the refined recklessness of Sam Darnold, a quarterback who can turn the dial to 11 and win your team some games -- if you let him.

Luke Braun

Analytics

Close Games and Sustainability: The Narrative Tricks of Statistics

Dec 18, 2024

•

5 min read

Close Games and Sustainability: The Narrative Tricks of Statistics

The Vikings, once again, have an astounding record in one-score games. Does that mean they're frauds?

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

The Brian Flores Defense: A Comprehensive Guide, Part 2

Dec 12, 2024

•

16 min read

The Brian Flores Defense: A Comprehensive Guide, Part 2

Luke Braun completes his two-part almanac on the Brian Flores defense, this time going over the intricacies of coverage and blitz design.

Luke Braun

Lead Dive

The Brian Flores Defense: A Comprehensive Guide, Part 1

Dec 4, 2024

•

14 min read

The Brian Flores Defense: A Comprehensive Guide, Part 1

Luke Braun begins the process of constructing his almanac for the Brian Flores defense. He starts by discussing one of the most influential tacticians in the world of chess.

Luke Braun