wadE and Wade have teamed up to give you the most indepth analysis of the upcoming 2009 NFL Wild Card Weekend… well… the most indepth analysis you’ll find on simpleprop.com at least…

wadE: I have no idea if this is a fact or not, but since I’m posting it on the internet makes it true. Never in the history of the NFL have 3 final games of the season resulted in 3 immediate rematches the following week in the playoffs. Two of those games will even be in the same location.

Wade: I know nothing about this NFL you speak of, except that I’ve been advised against ever going on a boat ride on Lake Minnetonka with any of their players. To your point, though, knowing nothing about a topic shouldn’t preclude one from writing about it. Especially on the InterWebS.

wadE: This sets up a very interesting wild card round. Let’s take a look at the game and make some predictions we can all laugh about later.

AFC:
#5 New York Jets (9-7) @ #4 Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
wadE: These teams met last week in the final (most likely) game in Giants Stadium. Unlike the Giants the Jets actually showed up to play their final home game and destroyed the Bengals. The Bengals defense here is that they had nothing to play for, but their starters were in for much of the first half and produced nothing. Ochocinco hurt his knee before the game started, Palmer was terrible, and the defense let the Jets march up and down the field. But this game will be in Cincinatti, the Bengals will have something to play for, and they got a good look at the Jets and what they like to do. Early line of the game is Bengals with a 2.5 point spread. My prediction is that the Bengals win by 6.

Wade: The J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS waltzed into the playoffs against the B-squads of two opponents; they must know this, and can’t feel great about it. Additionally, Mark Sanchez posted the following on his Twitter account a week ago: “Memphis on Broadway… Soooooo good! Music, lyrics, choreography, costumes all great… Overall a great show.” The Bengals, on the other hand, will likely be playing inspired football after the death of wide receiver Chris Henry last month. Will that be enough to combat the potential defensive holes if Domata Peko can’t play? I think so. Also, Cincy is at home, which is really about the only thing above that will affect the outcome of the game. Bengals by 10.

#6 Baltimore Ravens (9-7) @ #3 New England Patriots (10-6)
wadE: The one match-up that is “new” for wild card weekend. These teams played each other in week 4 with the Pats winning 27-21. The Pats are favored by 3.5 points this time around and that seems right to me. They just lost Wes Welker for the year, who is like a really talented version of Wayne Chrebet; but the Patriots still have Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Their defense ranks surprisingly well even though Belichick has no faith in them. But this game is really about the Ravens. Their last win over a playoff team was their only win over a playoff team in Weed 2 against the Chargers. They are a good team but not as good as last year. The offense isn’t as good, neither is the defense, and their kicker is suspect (more than suspect, he cost them 3 games this year). Unless there is a blizzard in Foxboro, Pats by 4. And if there is a blizzard, Pats by 1.

Wade: Are you knocking Wayne “The Flashlight” Chrebet, who was really just the football version of David Eckstein? Baltimore certainly has some talented pieces in place on offense, with Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and Derrick Mason. Their D is certainly less strong than it’s been traditionally, Ngata and Lewis notwithstanding. Talent-wise, I think they match up pretty evenly with the Pats, who are even more of a ghost of their former selves without Welker; the deciding factor in this one, though, is the fact that New England is playing this one at home. Randy Moss will have a monster game (because he’ll actually be, like, trying) and Tom Brady will do what Tom Brady does (no, I don’t mean having kids out of wedlock) and the Pats will advance. Side note: am I the only one who would become a huge Pats fan if they switched back full-time to their 1986-era throwbacks? Yeah, maybe. Pats by 6.

NFC:
6. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) @ #3 Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
wadE: The biggest game from Week 17 (and not just from the Vikings perspective) was the Eagles travelling to Jerry World (http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/Jerry-World-Has-A-NameKind-Of.html). Winner would be the NFC East champion, and in the case of the Eagles they would secure the number 2 seed. Thankfully for the Vikings, the Eagles imploded on both sides of the ball setting up a rematch 7 days later in the same spot. The Cowboys are a 4 point favorite and rightly so. This was a game the Eagles needed, not as badly as the Cowboys, but they needed the game. I don’t believe this game will be another blow out, but I do believe the Cowboys win by 6.

Wade: Isn’t the definition of insanity akin to doing something repeatedly and expecting different results, or some such nonsense? Yeah, sure, on any given Sunday and all that, but why would we expect Andy Reid to get any smarter in the past seven days? Although, to be fair, I think it’s reasonable for Wade Phillips to get dumber in the same amount of time. (His name’s Wade; he’s quirky and irrational!) I believe Wade is playing for his job, the ‘boys are confident, Marion Barber and Felix Jones are doing a good impression of the Giants’ balanced running game from 2007, and that Miles Austin guy is pretty decent at catching the ball. The Eagles peaked too early and will enter an offseason in which they ultimately trade Donovan McNabb for Terrell Owens. (I made that part up, just to sound like I’m an insider. You believed it, didn’t you?) Dallas by 10.

#5 Green Bay Packers (11-5) @ #4 Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
wadE: I was so pleased as I drove to the Vikings/Giants game last Sunday morning and heard that the Packers game was being bumped here in the Twin Cities for the Eagles/Cowboys game. One more thorn in the side of Packer fans living in MN. The Packer fans will be especially rabid next week after the 33-7 shellacking of the Cardinals. However, the Cardinals tend to have their best games of the season after their worst games of the season. Lose the first game of the season at home to lowly San Fran? Come back the next week and beat up the Jags on the road. Get crushed by the Colts? Hold on the following week to beat the Texans. Get spanked by the Panters? Come back the next week and obliterate the Bears. Lose a tight one to the Titans? Come back the next week and beat the Vikings. Lose another game to the 49ers? Play the Lions the next week. Ok, that last one doesn’t count, but the fact remains that the Cardinals haven’t lost back to back games all year long. The good news for the Packers (besides wiping the floor with the Cardinals last week) is that Arizona is 4-4 at home. The Cardinals are favored by 2.5 points, but I see the Packers winning this game by 7.

Wade: It’s funny– a decade ago there was another person named Kurt Warner who was an NFL quarterback. Great story– undrafted, former grocery bagger at the Hy Vee, kinda goofy. Odd coincidence. Wait… what? Same guy? How many concussions? You’re freaking kidding me. Packers by 8.

Quite the big day for the Vikings yesterday. 487 total yards on offense. Only 181 yards given up on defense.

These totals weren’t surprising. The Vikings played a New York Giants team that was out of the playoff picture and couldn’t even be bothered to show up in their last game at Giants Stadium ever. In a game that mattered against Carolina the Giants gave up 41 points. In a game that didn’t matter the Giants gave up 44 points, and it could have been worse.

I would have preferred worse. Viking fans will never forget the infamous 41-doughnut game on January 14th, 2001. In the third quarter of yesterday’s game, with the Vikings ahead 34-0, when Childress went for it on 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line I was shocked. Taking the field goal is the safe thing to do. Taking the field goal is the right thing to do. But every Viking fan in that stadium wanted to look up at the scoreboard and see Vikings 41, Giants 0. I can’t believe that Chilly had it in him to be such an ass. It actually makes me like him a little… very little. In comments after the game players said the coaches emphasized “having a statement game” as they headed into the playoffs. When asked about the aggressive (read: pouring it on) game plan Childress responded “just wanted to stay on the gas”.

The most fun for me though was partying before and after the game. Through a relative of a friend I was able to tailgate indoors near the stadium prior to the game. Tons of free food and booze. A big screen TV, music, and quite the interesting crowd. The highlight of which was meeting, getting a picture taken with, and partying with 100% Cheese Free. We partied before the game and after we celebrated every Dallas Cowboys touchdown that delivered the Vikings the number 2 seed they so desperately needed.

Regardless, this game doesn’t solve all the Vikings problems. As I wrote last week the number 2 seed gives them a chance in the playoffs. They still have flaws and weaknesses, and they thrashed a team that didn’t seem very interested in playing the game (13 penalties!). But an extra week of rest, a home game, and no chance of playing outdoors until the Super Bowl gives the Vikings as good a chance as any other team. Here’s to hoping I have three more games to blog about!

Skol Vikings!

29-37
20-48
34-10
14-35
7-47
34-21

Those are the final scores of the last 6 games of the 2008 season for the Arizona Cardinals. I bring this up to illustrate that all hope isn’t lost for the 2009 Vikings. Although I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I already have one foot off of the bandwagon.

Last week’s loss in Chicago wasn’t completely unexpected. At the beginning of the season I assumed the Vikings would lose in Chicago. Old Man Favre in cold weather, late in the year, hostile environment. Sounds like a recipe for a loss, maybe 17-16 with Favre throwing two or three interceptions. So what happens…? Favre throws for 321 yards, two TDs, and no picks. It turns out that the Minnesota defense lays a huge turd on the field and lets the hapless Bears and cry-baby Cutler throw for 4 TDs, with the last one coming in overtime from 39 yards out.

Now the Vikings are in danger of being the 3 seed in the playoffs. Missing a bye, and most likely seeing an outdoor game prior to the Super Bowl. I liked this team’s odds when they looked like the 2 seed. Playing a game at home and then traveling to New Orleans for the NFC Championship (playing indoors and on turf against a team they match up well against)… and if New Orleans fell (which is very possible) the Vikings would host the NFC Championship. However, going to Philadelphia will spell doom for the Vikings season. Playing outdoors is part of it. Playing against a good rushing (and overall) defense. Donovan McNabb is a Jedi. Chili facing his old team which he doesn’t “relish” doing. All of these don’t bode well for the Vikings.

I’m struggling to keep the faith. A strong showing against the Giants would help, but still won’t be enough. But I would still like to see them beat the Giants.

Skol Vikings!

Sports Illustrated ran an article this week about former NFL players who, frankly, aren’t doing very well. Carson Palmer, earlier this year, stated that his opinion was that someone would eventually die on the field. Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article about the alarming rate of concussions among football players, and a link from that to dementia. Gladwell, in a recent chat with ESPN’s Bill Simmons, also had this to say about the NFL:

“Yes, football has kind of been ruined for me, I’m afraid. Understand that I live for the game. But I’m increasingly of the opinion that it is screwed up — on a moral level — in a way that no other professional sport is.

Think about it. The league has a salary cap (which limits players’ pay), minimal health insurance for retirees and no guaranteed contracts. In other words, the owners reserve the right to limit the pool of money available to players, to walk away from contracts whenever they please and then hold no long-term responsibility for the health of the players whose contracts they have limited and declined to honor. Coal miners aren’t treated this badly. And now we strongly suspect a fourth fact: that some significant percentage of ex-players, as a direct result of playing professional football, will suffer from dementia in their 40s and 50s, in addition to all the known and significant other health risks of the game (severe arthritis, substantially elevated risk of heart disease, etc.).”

Gladwell finishes that exchange by wondering at what point does it become morally shaky to support an industry with these kinds of known negatives. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy watching football – but a part of me agrees with him. Playing football takes years off the players’ lives, and takes away the quality of life of what’s left. Yes, some of the players make substantial money, but at what sum is that ‘worth it’? The league minimum salary this year is $310,000. Is that worth it? And this is only for the minimal percentage of players who actually make it to the NFL. What about the vast majority of college players who get hit just as hard for four years and reap no financial reward?

Obviously, football’s not going away any time soon. Are there rule changes that would help prevent some of this? I don’t know. I know I would watch the game if there were less hitting, but I wonder if there is a certain segment of people who wouldn’t – who are just watching to see if, like in a NASCAR race, someone hits the wall.

Perhaps Robert Byrd could have expanded his focus to include the other sport here, too:

It was the best of times it was the worst of times. Yes, it truly was the tale of two games over the past two weeks.

The Vikings rebounded from their ugly loss at Arizona to dominate a good Bengal team. However, they followed it up with their worst loss of the season by getting destroyed by a woeful Carolina team.

What is a fan to believe? Is this team the one they saw beat up on an AFC division leader, or the team that laid down against an inconsistent Cardinals team and a Panthers team that was 5-8?

In reality they are both. The Vikings are a very talented team; I believe the most talented team in football. But they are also a very flawed team, with the majority of the flaws on the sidelines.

Questionable decisions riddled this game. Peppers hit Favre hard all game long. To the point where they pulled McKinnie in the 4th quarter… why not give him some TE help instead?

With only one decent receiver in Steve Smith, all the Vikings needed to do was cover Smith and force a rookie QB to beat them by checking down and hitting other receivers. Instead the Vikings leave Smith in one-on-one coverage all day long. No changes, even late in the game. Smith’s line: 9 catches, 157 yards, 1 TD

In the 4th quarter with the score 19-7 the Vikings had the ball at their own 35 with a little over 8 minutes left. They are down by two scores (neither score can be a field goal) and it is 4th and 5. The obvious choice is to go for it right? It’s only 5 yards and it’s your last chance to get some momentum and steal the game back. But no, Childress sends the punt team onto the field signaling that he had given up.

But the biggest story from the game now tells us that Childress had given up long before his 4th quarter choice to punt. In the third quarter cameras caught a “heated exchange” between Favre and Childress. Today we now know that Childress wanted to pull Favre from the game. Was it because Favre was not playing well? Was it because he was getting hammered? No one knows except Childress, and I doubt he’ll divulge much as his next news conference.

Regardless, at the time the score was 7-6 with the Vikings leading. The Saints had lost a couple days earlier opening the door for a shot at the #1 seed. The Eagles are chipping at your heels challenging the #2 seed. And the thought is… let’s pack it in.

The only chance the Vikings have in the playoffs are to play their first game at home, and either play in a dome at New Orleans, or have the number 2 seed to host the NFC Championship if the Saints get knocked off. If the Vikings have to go on the road and play outdoors (like in Philadelphia) they don’t stand a chance.

All season I’ve said “we’ll know more next week”. At this point I don’t think we’ll know what this team is really about until that first playoff game.

In either case… interesting days ahead.

Skol Vikings!

After delivering three satisfying home victories by wide margins the Vikings got a taste of their own medicine last Sunday evening in Arizona. The question after such a debacle is (and should be): are the Vikings not as good as people thought they were?

Last week I talked about how the Vikings haven’t played anyone good; and I still feel that way. They played a very inconsistent Cardinals team that was consistent for one game. They hit on all cylinders and the Vikings misfired in all aspects of the game.

Vince Verhei, of Football Outsiders, provided this analysis on ESPN.com:

Despite their 10-2 record, the Vikings have their flaws, and those flaws were in full display in their 30-17 beatdown at the hands of the Cardinals. The bad news for the Vikings is that Arizona’s strengths match up perfectly with Minnesota’s weaknesses. Even worse, a playoff rematch between the two seems inevitable — and the Cardinals seem like a team designed in a laboratory with the specific goal of ending Minnesota’s Super Bowl run.

Verhei discusses (at length) that Adrian Peterson is the center of the Vikings offense, and while his raw statistics look great, his DVOA is terrible (he ranks 24th on their list). What is DVOA you ask? Well, it’s a proprietary statistic that Football Outsiders uses to judge running backs:
Defense-adjusted Value Over Average. This number represents value, per play, over an average running back in the same game situations. The more positive the DVOA rating, the better the player’s performance. Negative DVOA represents below-average offense.

Peterson ranked 22nd last year when he led the league in rushing and scored 10 touchdowns. Sammy Morris ranked 5th in DVOA in 2008.

Point being that it’s hard to trust any statistic in a vacuum.

Additionally Verhei nails Peterson on his fumbles. Yes, it’s troubling, and there have been some bad ones. But… The top 3 running back fumblers of all-time are: Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, and Walter Payton. They fumbled once every 33, 33, and 45 attempts (respectively). Peterson to date: one fumble every 44 attempts.

Verhei nails Peterson for his “Success Rate” (defined as percentage of runs that gain 40 percent of needed yards on first down, 60 percent on second down and 100 percent on third and fourth downs).
He also ranks just 28th out of 38 qualifying backs in Success Rate (percentage of runs that gain 40 percent of needed yards on first down, 60 percent on second down and 100 percent on third and fourth downs; 100 carries to qualify). Furthermore, Peterson has been playing behind an offensive line whose performance has not lived up to their reputation.

Finally Verhei makes a coherent point. The Vikings offensive line has played poorly this year, but I don’t know if I would go so far to say they have not lived up to their reputation. In my season preview I asked, “Will the Offensive Line step up in pass protection and run blocking with a new Center, suspect Right Guard, and rookie Right Tackle?” The answer has been yes and no. Farve has been sacked 25 times (though many of them have been his fault for holding onto the ball far too long). And they have struggled with run blocking all season. This shouldn’t be surprising. What should be surprising is that the Vikings have played as well as they have with an offensive line that is 3/5ths inexperienced. Specific to the Cardinals game the Vikings only had a healthy center. Hutchinson has been injured for several games; McKinney came out of the game briefly. Herrera sat on the bench, and Loadholt dislocated his shoulder.

On the defensive side of the ball I agree that the Cardinals provide a bad matchup for the Vikings as they do not need to establish their run game to pass effectively. But the Cardinals also need to protect Warner to pass effectively. 9 of the 16 sacks that Warner has received have have been in their 3 losses (Warner didn’t play in the loss against the Titans). The most striking thing about the Vikings/Cardinals game wasn’t the lack of fireworks by the Vikings offense, but the lack of pressure by the Vikings defense.

The Vikings also played poorly on Special Teams and were outcoached (which isn’t terribly surprising). I was thinking/hoping the Vikings would play better in the second half. They have come out strong in the 3rd quarter in nearly every game this year. But Favre (by his own admission) imploded in the 3rd quarter. The defense and special teams played better, but it was far too late.

Losing a road game against a division leader (even one as mediocre as the Cardinals), who needed the win badly, isn’t the end of the world. Losing to the Bengals, badly, at home would be far more concerning. Should be a good match-up… especially with Ocho Cinco promising that if he scores a touchdown he is going to steal Ragnar’s horn (and possibly motorcycle).

In closing, the only thing I completely agree with Verhei on is that the Vikings and Cardinals will likely face each other in the playoffs; however I expect that meeting to be in the Metrodome. I think you’ll see a very different game that weekend in January.

Skol Vikings!

Unlike last week I have no holiday excuse for being late in posting. However, there wasn’t much to say about the Vikings asskicking of the Bears. The Vikings were a bit sloppy (a few penalties), but after the first quarter the Vikings dominated.

I went to the game with my friend Corinne. After the game we talked about how the Vikings haven’t played anyone who is especially good. The Steelers aren’t as good as everyone thought. The Vikings were lucky to beat the Ravens (who aren’t as good as they could/should be). Tonight the Vikings play the Cardinals… another team that really isn’t that good. Maybe the Bengals will be the first solid test for the Vikings? Maybe it’ll be the Saints in the NFC Championship.

We also talked about how we can’t shake the 1998 Vikings out of our heads. That was the last Vikings team to be 10-1. A lot of comparisons have been made to 1998 with the Saints playing the role of the Vikings and the Vikings playing the role of the Falcons… and there could be some truth to that. Although I can’t help but point out that the Falcons got destroyed by the Broncos on the Superbowl. But we both agreed that after the painful loss in 1998 neither of us are enjoying this season as much as we enjoyed that season; and it’s possible we’ll never enjoy a season that much again, even if the Vikings win the Superbowl. And if the Vikings fall short this year it won’t hurt as much either.

To end on a more positive note… The good news is that the Vikings have been playing their best football that last couple of weeks, and their next game against Arizona should give us a better idea if they can continue to stomp on inferior opponents. And the Saints looked terrible in yet another lucky win against the Redskins today. I don’t know if the Saints are blessed (pun intended) or if the Redskins are cursed.

Skol Vikings!

I am late in writing my wrap up of the Vikings v. Seahawks games for a number of reasons (Thanksgiving being a primary one), but what can be said about the game?

It was the ass-kicking that Viking fans has been looking for since they realized that the team was pretty good. While the Vikings weren’t perfect, they played their best game to date and dominated all facets of the game.

We even had a full quarter of Tavaris Jackson. He threw a touchdown, but also reminded us why he isn’t the answer. One could argue that he’s rusty, but in previous years when he had a number of starts you saw throws that were often errant and only the talent of the receivers allowed for them to be completions. Tavaris’ career record is due to the other talent on the team, not what he brings to the football field.

Tavaris’ appearance also showed how important it is for Brett Favre to stay healthy for the Vikings to make a Super Bowl run.

I am off to Metrodome for the Bears game this afternoon. Hopefully my next update will be just as short and glowing as this one.

Skol Vikings!

The Vikings chose the right week to play their sloppiest game of the season. Only against the Lions (and maybe the Browns) could the Vikings get away with so many miscues.

Let’s take a look at what the score could have been without the miscues (and questionable penalties and questionable play calls).

First drive of the game Favre marches the Vikings down the field and has 2nd and 2 at the 3 yard line. False start on Kleinsasser. Then a questionable call with Peterson running on third down. Why not pass it again? It’s the Lions! Field Goal instead of Touchdown. 4 point differential.

First drive for the Lions, they are stopped on the Minnesota 40 with a 4th and 4. On the punt Robison is called for offsides, giving the Lions new life. The defense steps back up and holds the Lions to a 48 yard field goal attempt, and surprisingly Jason Hanson misses the kick. Should have cost the Vikings 3 points.

Next drive Favre takes the team quickly down the field. The Vikings take the opportunity to get fancy and try a reverse. Peterson’s pitch to Rice is a little too hard and in close quarters… fumble… Lions recover. Should have had 7 on that drive.

Next Vikings drive Herrera is called for holding and Loadholt is called for illegal use of hands. Punt.

The Vikings picked up a touchdown on their next possession and the defense forced the Lions into another 3 and out. With the ball back Favre (again) marches the team down the field setting up a 4th and 1 at the Lions 8 yard line. I was happy to see the Vikings go for it and try to put the Lions away early. However, I was shocked and disappointed to see the handoff go to Dugan. I’ve read how Dugan has converted 7 or 8 short yardage plays this year. But on 4th and 1 the key is misdirection. Not going with what the defense would expect (run up the middle). Also, on a key down why wouldn’t you put the ball in the hands of your best players? This was illustrated perfectly by Belichick going for it on 4th and 2 in the Pats/Colts game Sunday night. While he should have punted, I’m not 100% against going for it. However, why run a 2 yard pass to Faulk? Why not run an extra yard, why not get it to Welker or Moss? When you need a big play, give it to your playmakers. On the Vikings 4th down ten men were in the box and Rice was split wide with one defender. Why not hit Rice on a slant, or a slant and go? Or, fake the handoff inside to Dugan and pitch to Peterson. Or fake the hand off to either Dugan or Peterson and dump the ball to a TE coming off the line. Considering that the Lions had been tough against the run all game and very susceptible to the pass, these are all better options than running up the gut with Dugan with ten defenders on the line. Another 7 points missed.

Next Vikings possession Peterson finally breaks through and is on his way to a 61 yard touchdown when he’s caught from behind (???) and fumbles the ball. The ball bounces into the endzone for a touchback. First off, have you noticed that Peterson isn’t pulling away from defenders like he used to? I don’t know if his leg injuries from the past couple of years have trimmed a little speed off of him, but I was surprised he got caught from behind. Second, after the fumble Peterson was horsecollared down; no call. Third, what is it about the Lions that causes Peterson to fumble? Over 50% of his career fumbles have come against the Lions. Another 7 points missed.

Third quarter the Lions have the ball down inside the Vikings 20. Blitz by the Vikings and Ray Edwards is undercut by the running back. He launches into the air hitting Stafford and causing a fumble, recovered by Minnesota. However Edwards is called for unnecessary roughness. Replays in the Metrodome made it look like no helmet to helmet contact was made, and the crowd got just a wee bit surly. Once I got home I checked out the play and on slo-mo it did look like there was some contact, though minimal. I’m not clear on the rules here, but it’s a tough call to make by Walt Anderson. The Lions go on to score a touchdown and make a game of it (17-10). The best part of the whole thing was after the PAT Childress called the refs over to the sidelines and spend the whole TV timeout bitching out Walt Anderson. Childress pantomimed what he thought he saw, which was Edwards hitting shoulder to shoulder with Stafford across his body without heads touching. Childress demonstrated this several times by actually lunging at Anderson and physically hitting him chest to chest. I was certain that Childress was going to be ejected. Somehow cooler heads prevailed.

In the fourth quarter Favre got burned (again) on taking so much time. As I’ve noted before Favre seems to be taking the play clock down near zero on every pass play. He’s using the time to see what the defense is doing, to see if they are blitzing. Favre has done this before, but getting hit with delay of game at home after a simple short incomplete pass is ridiculous. I can’t say that this extra five yards kept the Vikings out of the endzone and resulted in the field goal, but it’s a dumb penalty that you can’t have at home.

So by my count the final score could have been: 52-6

It’s probably a good thing that the Vikings are done with their One-Win portion of their schedule (Browns-Lions-Rams-Lions). While the Seahawks and Bears aren’t great teams, the Vikings need to crank up the intensity a notch as they move into late November and December when teams need to play their best football.

Skol Vikings!