McCarthy trade talk dismissed as noise while Vikings' blitz keeps rolling

Minnesota's 9-3 win over the Chicago Bears was sealed on the goal line, with Dallas Turner sacking Caleb Williams on the final play to protect the lead, according to Yahoo Sports.

Turner has been a standout through two games, leading the NFL in pressures with 20 and QB hits with eight, and topping PFF's pass rush productivity score, Yahoo Sports reports.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell singled him out after the win. "DT being our closer, finishing the whole thing," O'Connell said. "DT just keeps showing up."

The defence behind Turner has been built on an extreme reliance on pressure. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores blitzed Williams on 27 of his 33 dropbacks, an 81.8% rate, according to Next Gen Stats figures cited by Yahoo Sports. The week before, Flores sent extra rushers on 40 of Jordan Love's 46 dropbacks against Green Bay, 86.9% by Pro Football Focus numbers.

That puts Minnesota's blitz rate at roughly 80% across the opening two weeks of the season, a figure Yahoo Sports describes as astonishing by NFL standards, and one that has left opposing offences struggling to settle.

The Vikings' own offence has not matched that defensive form. It sits last in the league in total yardage, and quarterback Kyler Murray has managed only 11 snaps so far this season, including one interception thrown on a poor decision, per Yahoo Sports.

Murray is expected to return from concussion protocol in Week 3 against Tampa Bay, a game in which the Buccaneers, still winless, will be eager to end their own losing run.

Behind Murray on the depth chart, speculation has built around third-string quarterback JJ McCarthy's future with the club. Reporting from Gary Myers linking McCarthy to a possible trade has since been picked up and repeated elsewhere as rumour, Yahoo Sports notes, though the piece questions whether any team is genuinely interested in taking on his remaining salary for this year and next.

Elsewhere in the build-up to Sunday, defensive lineman Caleb Banks has drawn praise for his performance against the Bears, including from analyst Brian Baldinger, who highlighted his work against All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, according to Yahoo Sports.

With the defence carrying the team to 2-0 and the offence still finding its rhythm, Minnesota's next test comes against Tampa Bay, a fixture in which the returning Murray is expected to feature more heavily than at any point so far this season.