Vikings news: Darnold gets extra motivation vs. Jags, Cashman injury update, kicker reunion

Fresh off snapping their two-game losing streak with a win over the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings will play the second of three straight games against AFC South opponents in Week 10 as they square off with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They'll close the three-game stretch in Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans.

The Vikings, of course, have already played the Houston Texans, soundly defeating the division leader by a score of 34-7 back in Week 3.

So, it's gone well against AFC South foes thus far, and all signs point to that being the case against the Jags, who've played good football in recent weeks but are still just 2-7 on the season. And with there being a strong possibility that Trevor Lawrence will be sidelined with a left shoulder injury, the Vikings' chances of improving to 7-2 look pretty strong.

And since we're on the topic of quarterbacks, we'll kick things off with Minnesota signal-caller Sam Darnold getting a little extra motivation for Sunday's matchup with Jacksonville.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson took a mini-dig at Sam Darnold

While Darnold has been far from perfect for the Vikings thus far, he's easily exceeded expectations and is on pace to have the best season of his career.

Through his first eight games wearing purple, he's completed a career-best 69.5% of his passes for 1,900 yards and ranks in the top five among all NFL quarterbacks in touchdown passes (17) and passer rating (107.8).

Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was asked about Darnold's resurgence and offered up his reasoning on why the 2018 No. 3 overall pick has improved as much as he has. And that reasoning was just two words — "Justin Jefferson."

It was seemingly more of a joke than anything else, and Pederson did go on to compliment Darnold, calling him a "solid quarterback" who's "learning, maturing, and showing that he's capable of doing it." But more of his comments were about others as opposed to Darnold himself.

"I think the talent around him, that helps," Pederson opined. "Having the run game, the way the defense has played, being in Coach O'Connell's system and the way he calls plays, I think, is helpful."

There's no doubt that Pederson is speaking some truth here, especially about Jefferson, who's naturally going to make any quarterback better. But it's not as if No. 18 is the only guy out there catching passes.

Again, this was more of a joke than anything else, but it still gives Darnold a little more motivation. And with the Jags allowing the second-most passing yards per game in the league right now, don't be surprised if he has a monster outing on Sunday.

Blake Cashman is "trending in the right direction" and may suit up against Jacksonville

After missing the Vikings' last three games with a case of turf toe, linebacker Blake Cashman appears to be heading toward a return on Sunday against the Jags.

Over the past few weeks, the sixth-year veteran logged DNP (did not practice) after DNP leading into games. On Wednesday, however, he was a limited participant, which is nothing but good news for Minnesota. Even limited work is still work, so it was certainly noteworthy.

On Thursday, Vikings insider Darren Wolfson of KSTP told SKOR North's Mackey & Judd Show that Cashman was "trending in the right direction."

"Bottom line, it's looking good, even if he happens to be limited...It's looking good, after missing three games, that Blake Cashman will be back," Wolfson said.

Prior to his injury, Cashman was one of Minnesota's most consistent defenders, amassing 40 tackles, five passes defended, four QB hits, and a sack. His 75.6 PFF grade ranks 17th among NFL linebackers.

Vikings reunite with kicker John Parker Romo to replace Will Reichard

With rookie kicker Will Reichard, who missed a pair of field goals against the Colts (his first two misses as a pro), hitting injured reserve earlier this week with a right quadricep injury, the Vikings announced on Wednesday that they've signed John Parker Romo to replace him.

Undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2022, Romo has spent time with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears but has never appeared in a regular-season game. The most action he's seen over the past few years came with the XFL's San Antonio Brahmas, for whom he made 17 of 19 field goals in 2023.

The move serves as a mini-reunion, as Romo signed with the Vikings in March. But with Reichard proving to be the better option, Romo was waived in late July.