Years ago, before Jamie Erdahl was a co-host of Good Morning Football and delivering creative and fun commentary on the NFL, she played softball and basketball at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
The Twin Cities native transferred to American University in pursuit of a broadcasting career that led her to SEC sidelines and eventually New York and Los Angeles.
Along the way, she did small tasks for The Chad Hartman Show during an internship at KFAN her junior year at Breck School. The 35-year-old was born in Bloomington – and she's coming home.
We buried the lead.
Erdahl will sound the Gjallarhorn at U.S. Bank Stadium on Nov. 3 before the Vikings play the Colts.
She covered her mouth in disbelief and was moved to tears when Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, who woke up Thursday with GMFB, relayed the news. Co-host Kyle Brandt nicely teed up the moment.
"Apparently, you come bearing gifts," Brandt said to O'Connell, his fellow hosts looking perplexed about the messaging. "I heard that you have a surprise, and I would like to give you the floor to present it."
O'Connell said he's got love for Brandt, Peter Schrager and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, "but Jamie, obviously, you hold a special place within this building as a Minnesotan and a former resident of the Twin Cities. We figured what better time to bring you back home than when we play the Indianapolis Colts."
Seconds later, O'Connell asked Erdahl to partake in the game-day tradition that launched Aug. 10, 2007. Her teammates and O'Connell applauded. Gbaja-Biamila joked that O'Connell was "acting like Oprah!"
The sweet interaction happened at the end of O'Connell's appearance, which included talk of the team's undefeated start and preparation for Sunday's division game against Detroit. Watch its entirety below.
Best of the best?
ESPN NFL Nation reporters unpacked the division leading football right now.
The NFC North is 17-5 combined. The four teams are in the top half of the conference. None greater than the Vikings, who were pegged preseason as the worst … and are 5-0.
Kevin Seifert assessed Minnesota's success so far and the potential to sustain it through the lens of four topics: 1) the quarterback situation; 2) X-factor player; 3) biggest concern and 4) reason for optimism.
On perhaps the most shocking MVP write-in through six weeks, Vikings QB Sam Darnold, he wrote:
Darnold ranks second in the league in touchdown passes per game (2.2) and has followed coach Kevin O'Connell's aggressive approach with the NFL's third-highest air yards per attempt average (8.8). He hasn't been perfect by any means, and his average of 1.2 turnovers per game — tied for third most in the NFL — is worth monitoring. But overall, the Vikings couldn't ask for much more from a player who has spent a long time in the quarterback wilderness since being picked No. 3 by the Jets in 2018.
A majority of Darnold's stats pose as career bests – completion percentage (63.5%), passer rating (103.4) and touchdown throws through his first five games of a season (11) – but there's way more to the story.
During Minnesota's undefeated start, Darnold has gracefully handled pressure and circumstances that might break weaker people or cause them to shrink in high-stakes moments. He has stood taller. Darnold visited his first home field, MetLife Stadium, in Week 1 and completed almost 80% of his passes. He outdueled San Francisco's Brock Purdy, the player he backed up last season, in Week 2; tossed four touchdowns in a rout of then-undefeated Houston in Week 3; went to Lambeau Field in Week 4 and was key to Minnesota building its 28-7 halftime lead, then faced the team which drafted him and secured a fifth straight win with a muddy but gutsy effort, missing more than half his throws but nailing a couple the Vikings badly needed. Darnold is the biggest surprise on the most surprising team.
Seifert dubbed two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson the Vikings X-factor, likening his eventual return to action to the type of boost that some teams score in a player acquisition at the trade deadline.
Hockenson will most certainly add a layer to Minnesota's offense. Seifert noted that in his absence, the Vikings have targeted tight ends only 3.6 times per game this season, second fewest in the NFL and a huge pivot from 2022-23, when Kevin O'Connell's offense extended the second-most looks to tight ends.
The biggest concern going forward, according to Seifert, is the availability of running back Aaron Jones, Sr.
Jones left the Vikings Week 5 game in London because of a hip injury, and their offense looked much different without him in the lineup. Darnold finished with a completion percentage of 45.2%, and backup Ty Chandler had 30 yards on 14 carries. The injury does not appear to be a long-term issue, but it was a reminder of Jones' past health history and confirmation of how important he has become to the offense.
Jones said Wednesday that he plans to practice in some capacity Thursday to gauge how he's feeling. In four and one-fourth games this year, Jones has rushed for 350 yards (4.9 avg.) and added 167 receiving.
Across the ball, there's all the reasons in the world to be optimistic.
The Vikings defense is off to one of the best starts in the 45-year history of the DVOA metric, and even if the group's performance drops over the rest of the season, it will still rank among the league's best. Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores has added several layers to the scheme he installed last season, and a host of veteran newcomers — from cornerback Stephon Gilmore to linebackers Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel — have added playmaking and a deep understanding of his approach.
Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships!
Read what other NFL Nation reporters said about the teams they cover here.
