The passing of Tuesday's trade deadline really underlined where we sit on the NFL calendar.

Forget the fact we're about one week into November already. A couple days this week of 60ish degree weather in the Twin Cities was a relief and makes winter feel distant, even though that's naïve thinking.

It's crazier we've reached Week 10, with half the 2025 season officially in the rearview. Maybe, the unusual scheduling of Minnesota's first seven games (three in prime time and two played overseas in separate countries) caused everything to fly by. Some normalcy, an extensive stretch of Sunday games at noon (CT), ought to help things feel slowed down. Perhaps that will bide our time against snowfall, as well.

Anyhow, at the midway point ESPN took a look at each team and offered tidbits on the 4-4 Vikings.

What was the definitive first-half storyline – and what's different down the stretch? What's a quarterback stat to know? And how about a Purple-centric Fantasy Football nugget? ESPN supplied it all.

The main storyline, of course, was navigating a surplus of injuries, including the high-ankle sprain that sidelined starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy for five games and contributed to Minnesota's rank (4^th) in the NFC North. The division, fortunately, is up for grabs; it's the only one in football with every team .500 or better. And McCarthy, who is fully healthy now and 2-1 in his career with wins at Chicago and Detroit, can speed up his development and provide the team direction about its future over the next nine games.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN pointed out McCarthy has run or thrown for every touchdown the Vikings have scored in his starts. He's delivered big moments confidently in both divisional road contests. But he also has experienced some growing pains that affect young quarterbacks. Seifert noted McCarthy is averaging 3.12 seconds before throwing, the third longest time-to-throw for any QB with more than five attempts.

Here's one more Next Gen stat, since it's easy to peep a box score and think McCarthy is overtly struggling in the passing game: In his return to action in Week 9, the 22-year-old clipped 14 of 25 passes (56 percent) for 143 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Layered in those numbers, McCarthy recorded a completion percentage over expected (CPOE) of +4.9%. In his debut he was at -1.7%, and in Week 2 he finished at -7.1%. Long story short, his improved lower-body mechanics boosted his accuracy.

Transitioning to fantasy land, ESPN's Eric Moody shared that McCarthy's rapport with wide receivers Justin Jefferson (six catches on nine targets for 47 yards and a TD) and Jordan Addison (four targets and two receptions for 48 yards) – no less his propensity to excel when his team needs it most – is a good sign for the rest of the way. Minnesota has the most favorable remaining schedule for fantasy receivers.

While these numbers can fluctuate greatly, ESPN listed Minnesota's current odds of making the playoffs at 11.9%, and its chances to outlast Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago for divisional bragging rights at 3.1%.

Check out the full ESPN article, assessing all 32 clubs and where they stand moving forward, here.

From sacking to curling

Two months ago, Jared Allen rode a motorcycle to centerstage at halftime of a Vikings game, finalizing a fun summer of festivities surrounding his induction as the 380^th member in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This week, the iconic quarterback-chaser and calf-roping sack celebrator is competing against the best in the world in an entirely different sport: curling. Allen made his Grand Slam of Curling debut Tuesday at the KIOTI GSOC Tahoe event in Stateline, Nevada. He did well but lost his first match in a shootout, 10-9.

Justin Arenburg of SportsNet recapped Day 1 and Day 2 of the tournament with details on Allen.

Here are snippets of what he wrote:

If Tuesday was any indication of how the matches for USA's Team Jared Allen will go the rest of the week, everyone is in for must-see TV.

Allen and his squad were given no 'easy match' in his debut as they had to take on World No. 5 Ross Whyte. Although after the first end, it looked like it might be too easy for the former NFL legend. …

Allen, who played defensive end his whole career in the NFL, found himself in an unusual situation, an offensive shootout where he was trying to get points on the board.

After Allen scored one in the fifth to take the lead, Whyte clapped back in a big way, and put up a rare four-ender to take a three-point lead with two ends left. …

Just like Allen did in his NFL career when he saw an opportunity to sack the quarterback, he pounced at the opportunity to score a big end and even the game against Whyte in the eighth end by hanging three on the board.

Allen's four-man team wasn't as competitive Wednesday, succumbing 11-1 to Sweden's Team Niklas Edin. Edin is a seven-time world champ and was touted by Arenburg as a future Hall of Famer in curling.

You can read about Allen's love for the sport, which he discovered after a wager with a friend on an Arizona golf course late in his 12-year NFL career, in this Forbes article. The backstory is Allen bet his buddy he could pick up another sport and become an Olympian. Seven years ago, Allen formed a team of retired NFL players – Marc Bulger, Keith Bulluck and Michael Roos – to compete in the Curt Mesabi Classic of the World Curling Tour. In the Forbes story, he said some of his football skills can transfer over.

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