NFC Title Game: To go boldly where no (host) team has ever gone before!

So, it’s time to put the miracle in the rear-view.  Now there’s a phrase used in everyday life.

The 2017 Minnesota Vikings have already made history after one playoff game.  If you believe that there is a curse specifically targeting the Vikings, they may have destroyed it with the Minneapolis Miracle only to encounter another one: something called the home field curse.

As we all know, no team has ever had home field advantage in the Super Bowl, and no matter how hard the NFL tries to play it (AFC being designated the “home team” as per usual rotation), if the Vikings make it, they will be the home team.  There’s no way around it. 

The other part of the “home field curse” is that no one had ever made it past the divisional round of the playoffs in the year their city hosted the big game; something the Vikings have already done thanks to Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs putting the Saints’ season through a table Dudley Boyz style.  The Vikings already conquered one part of the curse by being one of the few host teams to make the playoffs in the first place.  This is uncharted territory.  

Minnesota’s opponent on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles, are not a victim of this curse, because Philly has never hosted a Super Bowl.  But they, like the Vikings, have also never won one.  That is the best thing about the championship games this year; three of the four teams have never won a Super Bowl, and one of them automatically gets that shot regardless of results.

The Eagles are definitely powered down without Carson Wentz, but I would not sleep on Nick Foles.  The Vikings defense will have to be up to the task of stopping Philly’s ground game and making them a one-dimensional team.  The Eagles only scored 15 points against Atlanta, but they seemed to make all of the right plays at the right times.  Meanwhile, we needed a rookie to falter at the worst possible time to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  Mike Zimmer said “there is no damn curse.”  If that’s true, I expect a win on Sunday.

There isn’t much more to say except I really hope this isn’t the last Vikings Cavalcade this season to review one game and talk about the next one. 

I hope to begin the next post with “THE VIKINGS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!” 

I also hope to be able to start a Skol chant in public whenever I feel like it.  It’s all up to you now, Vikes.

Minneapolis Miracle, or "Vikings fans finally allowed to have a nice thing" Edition!

“Vikings gonna Viking.”

Those three little words were my simple response to how things had played out with 25 seconds left in the second NFC Divisional playoff game; the last football game of the weekend.  Yes, it was only a one point game at 24-23, but come on…this is the Vikings.  A missed pass interference penalty in 1975 in this very round ended what many people say was that team’s best chance to win a Super Bowl.  Even if we get into field goal range, there’s no guarantee Kai Forbath makes the kick (with apologies to Kai…he’s still a better kicker than Blair Walsh).

This team has had a recently awful track record with clutch kicks in the playoffs.  Gary Anderson hadn’t missed a single kick in 1998, and missed one that would have likely put the NFC title game away against the Falcons.  Blair Walsh missed the easiest kick of his life in the last playoff game the Vikings had. 

With all of that on our minds, why was this game any different?  We were about to lose to the freaking New Orleans Saints, the team that put a bounty on Brett Favre and were allowed to get away with it.  Of all the teams to lose to, only the Saints or the Packers (if they had run the table) could have hurt this much. 

But then, Stefon Diggs caught that pass and somehow stayed on his feet as two Saints ran into each other, giving him a free path to the end zone.  Before the game, if you had told me one of these teams would win like that, I would have assumed the Saints.  Because a receiver breaking free for a last-second winning touchdown after two defensive players collided seems like a vintage Vikings choke moment that may or may not have happened at some point.

Somehow, some way, the Vikings now have their miracle playoff moment, like Pittsburgh and the Immaculate Reception, which turned that franchise’s entire history around.  The Steelers won four Super Bowls in seven years following Franco Harris’s immortal play, so perhaps there are greater things in store for the Vikings even if they are unable to “Bring It Home” this Sunday with a win over the Eagles.

Then again, how do we know that the Minnesota/Minneapolis Miracle wasn’t the start of such a thing?  There’s only one way to find out; by tuning in to the NFC Title game at 5:40 p.m. on Sunday.  Here’s hoping if we win, we don’t need another miracle to do so.

And here's the miracle itself, one more time, because I will never get tired of this.

https://youtu.be/OKgUiBOpsZ4

Divisional: The Exorcist Edition!

The Vikings have been running a "bring it home" campaign detailing everyone for whom they want to win the Super Bowl.  With this weekend's opponent, I think a certain quarterback should be added to that list.  Yeah, you know the guy.  The guy Bountygate hurt the most; Brett Favre.

But enough about the past.  Today is about exorcising some demons.  Neither Atlanta or Philadelphia should have struck fear into the heart of either team playing this afternoon at USBank Stadium.  Therefore, it's my prediction that the winner of today's game will go on to beat the Eagles next week and represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

It's a pretty simple task, beat the Saints and go on to play a severely weakened Eagles team.  It has been eight years since the Vikings beat the Cowboys in the divisional round, and they haven't won a playoff game since (thanks, Blair Walsh).

But, it's also the Vikings, a team that is 17-28 all-time in playoff games.  I'd say it's time to turn things around.

Week 17: Eyes in front edition

Personally, I would have liked to see a blowout over the Packers, but 16-0 works just fine as a Christmas present.  It got us a win, and unless Philadelphia gets its mojo back in the playoffs, the Vikes possibly won't play outdoors again this season. 

But that of course means the Vikings need to win today.  I'm putting down today as a must-win, even though there's a chance Atlanta beats Carolina to accomplish the same thing.  Today's Cavalcade is going to be a short one, because there are not 86 different scenarios to visit.  Instead, we have just one: win and claim a bye.

There might be some scoreboard-watching today, but if the Vikings win, none of it will matter because they would get an extra week of rest and be prepared for the divisional round of the playoffs. 

I will share my thoughts on why this team has me believing again next week, whether they end up slipping to Wild Card Weekend, or they come through and get the bye.  Either way, as division champs, they'll play at home.  You just need to beat the Bears, and this defense has given up 7 points since losing to Carolina.  I've got to think we'll be fine.

It's a nice feeling to be going to the playoffs no matter what happens this week.  Beats the crap out of the alternative (2016, anyone?).  Skol!

Week 15: Win and In, quite literally.

I think we had a collective freakout on Sunday.  It’s amazing how stressful a Vikings game can be, even when the team has 10 wins more than a week before Christmas Day.

(Speaking of which, Vikings-Packers, however much it ends up meaning, is on the 23^rd, not the 25^th.)

There are several ways to look at Sunday’s loss…the first since early October.  The first way is sheer panic.  We didn’t think much of it when the Vikings lost that ugly game to…Carolina in 2009, did we?  We already had the division sewn up; it didn’t matter.  Or so we thought.  The next week brought an unfortunate overtime loss to the eventual 7-9 Bears.  And the rest is history.

Another way to look at it is that this year’s game went better than that.  The Vikings got handled for much of it, but they overcame a bad performance to come back and tie the game late in the fourth.  If not for a long Cam Newton run on which Matt Kalil got away with holding, we might be talking about a nine game winning streak.  Overall, it was not a great game, as so many little things that hadn’t gone wrong for a while went wrong, and we can only hope the Vikings got a bad game out of their system.  Better now than in January, especially if the Vikings get a first round bye. 

The Vikings got a taste of losing, and it should hopefully keep them humble and hungry.  Adam Thielen even said that the team had forgotten what losing felt like, so the loss might be a good thing in the long run.  All I know is win this week and all is forgiven.  You’ll automatically clinch the division if you beat Cincy, meaning you wouldn’t have to play at Lambeau Field more than once this year.  If they end up making it, the Packers—who are the team it would hurt the most to lose against this postseason in particular (hypothetically)—would have to come to The Slatra House (Norse word for slaughter, meaning “to butcher”).  The same would be true for Detroit; a return trip to Minneapolis if they played the Vikings a third time at all.   

The media is probably looking at last Sunday’s game as the “Vikings aren’t for real” game, which is fine given that the team performs better when the media isn’t drooling all over them anyway.  Makes me wonder how the Packers or Cowboys handle it.    

Next week’s Cavalcade will be going up on Friday, as I am busy with Christmas stuff on the day of the Vikings-Packers game.  Hopefully I’ll be typing up a description of a division championship.

Week 14: Eight straight feels great, but how great?

I am oddly comfortable right now.  Christmas 2017 is shaping up to be a great affair with a first place operation within the division and (as of this writing; Saturday night) a team ranking first place in the entire NFC.  Now, things could easily change, but that Vikings-Packers tilt on Christmas Night (not Christmas Eve) should be very enjoyable if the Vikes have locked up a quality playoff spot. 

The big question is, when do we have that moment where dissention within the ranks starts to show cracks in the armor?  The Vikings struggled a bit on offense against the Falcons, but were able to grind out an eighth consecutive victory; something that only the greatest of Vikings teams have done historically.  There wasn’t much dissent to be had.  We all remember the Sunday night game (oddly enough, against Carolina) where Brad Childress and Brett Favre got into it; a game which ended up being an ugly 26-7 loss.

How about the Monday night game against Chicago that same year where the Vikings fell down 23-6, rallied to tie the game, but lost in overtime?  In seemingly every big time Vikings season, there exists a moment where the “football gods,” if you believe such a thing exists, seem to slap the fandom in its collective face and taunt us just like a Packer fan about having no rings.  This has happened consistently ever since the team first started winning playoff games back in the late 60s.

Am I foolish for bracing in anticipation of such a moment on a week-to-week basis?  Or, should I just give myself up entirely to this team and enjoy the ride with a squad that very well could be good enough to finally get that elusive first Super Bowl trophy?  It is a question I will continue to ponder as the season rolls on.  Are you guarding your heart, Vikings fans?  Or have you given in to the hype train? 

Week 13: 9-2 and, uh-oh, here comes that old familiar pain...

The Vikings are having a really good season.  With a win against the Lions on Thanksgiving ten days ago, the division lead is three games.  A victory against Atlanta today would basically clinch a playoff spot.  Everything is going well…and it’s quiet on the drama front concerning this team.  Too quiet.

That old familiar feeling is beginning to creep up on us again.  It’s a feeling that is all too familiar to Vikings fans and a question we have all asked from time to time; how will the Vikes let us down this year?  We lost Sam Bradford after one game (Bears game doesn’t really count) because his knee decided to break down.  We lost Dalvin Cook in week four to an ACL injury.  And yet the team is 9-2, in second place in the entire NFC with only those red-hot Eagles who never lose ahead of them.

I feel like this is the position all of us wanted to be in, but we all secretly dreaded it at the same time because the other shoe always drops on this team.  You need look no further than the heyday of the Vikings.  This team made it to four Super Bowls in the 70s and I don’t need to remind you what happened in those games.  This year, Minneapolis hosts it.  I have not personally even entertained the thought of the Vikings actually playing in their own Super Bowl for good reason.

The best option is to continue taking things one game at a time.  At this point, Vikings fans should just be happy the Packers aren’t leading the division.  Let the media make the comparisons to 2009 and, much to our chagrin, bring up Gary Anderson, Blair Walsh, and Brett Favre throwing across his body in the Bountygate game.  Unfortunately, until we win a Super Bowl, those three things are the legacy of the Vikings. 

Thankfully, we have five games left of regular season football to just sit back and enjoy a 9-2 season that could turn into something more.  Let’s go get those dirty birds today.

Week 13: The "I'm done with predicting seasons forever" edition

Amazing how a run of bad luck can completely change one’s outlook on a season.

When this season started, I was so excited that the Vikings got to play on basically every major holiday; they were going to cause Halloween havoc against the Bears, they were going to have roast Lions alongside turkey for Thanksgiving, and best of all, they were going to give their fans a very merry Christmas Eve by potentially taking the Lambeau game for a second straight year.

Did any of that happen, and will any of it happen?  No and probably not.

I’m really starting to think Winter Park was built over some kind of sacred burial ground.  An injury list that would read like a V.I.P. guest list if the Vikings were nationally relevant and a starting quarterback who destroys his knee without even trying in one of the most fluke-ish ways imaginable.  

Every other team in the NFL makes finding a franchise quarterback look easy, except maybe Cleveland.  The Vikings finally get one, and wouldn’t you know it, he may never play again.  Darn the luck.

Chalk up tonight’s Dallas game as one that looked very exciting and even winnable when the season started.  Not anymore.  The Cowboys are a juggernaut this year.  They have found the next Adrian Peterson and Dak Prescott ain’t too shabby, either.  This wouldn’t be that big of a problem if the Vikings were still good.  But they aren’t.  How many more “save our season” games can the Vikings blow before there’s no more season left to save?

The only real hope is that this Vikings team has one more sucker punch left in them.  Indeed, with the way the NFL is, one punch could be all it takes, and we could be looking at an 11-5 team when the end of the season rolls around.

But then I remember this team is cursed.  Maybe it’ll lift when the Vikings move their operations to Eagan.

Week 10: Make the Vikings Great Again!

Well, the Vikings beat the Redskins in 2014, so today should be a breeze, right?

Uh...

There really isn't a lot to say about the last three weeks.  Oh, there is, but this blog would get a little PG-13 if I really did that.  

Let's just move on from the last three weeks.  The Vikings have a chance to get right against the Redskins.  There is still time this season to make the Vikings great again.  Here's a chance to get things back on track.

This is a must-win for the division chances of the purple.  Detroit has caught up, and there's no telling what they might be able to do over the final 7 weeks.  The Packers are the Packers and will probably get right before the Christmas Eve game, so there's always that to worry about.  Chicago is in the rear view mirror for now, but that can always change.

It's a road game, which was how this whole mess started, on the road against the Eagles.  

Anyway, I'm sick of talking about losing.  Let's talk about how 6-3 would help.

-It would hold off everyone for another week

-It would put everyone's minds at ease after blowing a 5-0 start

-It would possibly help the Vikings extend the division lead if Green Bay loses again.  Titans are not a cakewalk.

Minnesota really has no other choice; they MUST become great again, or face the consequences.  

It's time to get back on track.  #Skol

Week 17: Return of the Ted-i?

Here it is…week 17 is upon us.

The Vikings have returned to Sunday Night Football in an attempt to rescue the NFC North title from the clutches of the vile Green Bay Packers.

The Packers, fresh off the worst beating of the season (against a team the Vikings nearly pushed to overtime, by the way) need to regroup for a rematch that could result in them losing a treasure they have held for most of the season.

Vikings fans once again have a reason to feel confident, even if Week 11 was a disaster.  Packer fans…well, when you’ve ruled the NFC North since the NFC Central kicked Tampa Bay to the curb, you’ve got every reason to remain confident even when your team looks mortal for the first time since 2008.

Which side’s overconfidence will be its weakness?

It’s finally time for the big one.  All season, we’ve been waiting for the Vikings to beat a good team.  The win over Atlanta is as good as it got, as the Falcons at least were decent when we played them.  Eh, I’m going to count Kansas City as well.  Sure, they were down and out when we beat them, but it wasn’t by much.  The Vikings were the last team to beat KC…they are in the playoffs now.

But, every other chance they’ve had to beat a good team has gone badly with two close losses and a pair of not-so-close losses (Packer game wasn’t a rout; Vikes trailed by 6 in the fourth quarter). In other words, 10-5 is made up of roughly nine wins over mediocre teams, four losses to good teams and the still-inexplicable San Francisco loss that thankfully did not cost the Vikings the playoffs altogether.

Sure, we won in prime time, but this team still lacks that one win that would make people stand up and say, “You’d better watch out for the Vikings; they could win the NFC!”

They could get that win this Sunday.  Much like Week 11, even though Green Bay is wounded, it’s still Green Bay.  A win here would boost Minnesota’s stock exponentially.  Winning the division in Mike Zimmer’s second season would echo Mike McCarthy’s second season when the Packers did the same thing (though to be fair, McCarthy had Brett Favre that year).

The nice thing here is that the Vikings play next week no matter what.  Fans can relax, if only a little at the fact that Aaron Rodgers, if he bounces back here and the Packers beat us for the nine thousandth time in his career, cannot end our season and knock us out of the playoffs in Week 17.

Still, we want that win.  We want that division title.  We just want to beat the Packers, period.  It has 

been 3 long years since that magical game where Christian Ponder threw three touchdowns and 

Adrian Peterson ran through the Packers defense before Blair Walsh kicked us into the playoffs.  It has been so frustrating watching these games the past ten years.  They have been the better team consistently, but in 2015, I feel the Vikings are the more complete team, which made Week 11 all the more upsetting when we lost. 

Once again, Vikings-Packers serves as a measuring stick for the purple.  They’ve proven they can play with anyone else.  The team’s progress the past two seasons has been remarkable if you think about where we were in 2013.  It’s time to purge some demons of the past and do something that even Detroit and Chicago (both teams we swept, in case you’ve forgotten) managed to do this season…beat the Packers at Lambeau Field.

If we fail, it simply isn’t our time yet.  I think we know better than to be overconfident.

Week 16: The prime time curse is over (for now)!

Boy did Sunday night feel good.  Yes, the Giants had nothing for which to play.  Yes, Odell Beckham sat out the game due to his own stupidity the previous week. 

When they eventually got started offensively, the Vikings outclassed the Giants and looked like the far better team.  Aside from a couple of touchdowns given up when the game was out of hand, the Vikings defense played brilliantly and for once, they buried a bad team like all of the other good teams do, instead of struggling to win like earlier in the season.  Well, to be fair, they beat the Bears by 21 last week, too.

Sure, this barely counted as a “big win” for the Vikings (according to some people) due to the quality of the opponent, but try telling that to most Vikings fans.  Personally, I will gladly take any game where my team can hang 49 on the other team.  Teddy didn’t exactly light the Giants up like many thought he might, but you don’t have to throw for 350 and 3 when you can run the ball like the Vikings can at their best.

Perhaps the biggest reason for jubilation after Sunday night is this; the Vikings finally won in prime time.  The Arizona game was the first time in a while that the Vikings did not embarrass their fans under the lights, and, though playing a much inferior opponent this time around, I think it’s safe to say fans are more than happy with Sunday’s victory over the Giants. 

But…there is another.

The Packers still loom large in that week 17 matchup which has (not surprisingly) become the feature game of the week.  That’s right, the Vikings become one of the few teams to play in back-to-back SNF games since its arrival on NBC in 2006 (I’m guessing there weren’t many situations like this in the ESPN days since they didn’t have flex scheduling in those years).

But, that is another story for another day.  For now, let’s just enjoy the fact that we’ve made the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Week 14: NFC West Blues

Here we go again…

Another Vikings game where I have absolutely no idea how it will play out.

The Vikings suffered their worst loss in years (no matter the opponent) on Sunday.  Now, on a short week, they travel to Arizona, a team that I believe will grab the second overall seed in the NFC regardless of Thursday night’s result.  We’re missing several of our core pieces on defense, and they look to be relatively healthy.  Teddy looks like a second-year pro, while Carson Palmer is having his Kurt Warner moment this season. 

This could be a doozy.

I’m still not sure of how this team works.  I suppose that’s part of the fun, the unpredictability of it all.  The patterns of the season are as follows

            

      1.  The 2015 Vikings have won the games they “should” win (bad to mediocre teams).  As recently as last year, the Vikings had trouble closing out games.  2014 was when they learned how to do it; 2015 is when they’ve done it more often than not.

          2.   Unfortunately, every time this team has had a chance to make a statement, they’ve failed…sometimes miserably.  Beating the 49ers wouldn’t have made much of a statement, but it would have gotten the Vikings off the hook for prime time losses.  Denver was a huge missed opportunity, and the team completely forgot how to do all of the things that led to its current record vs the Seahawks and Packers.

          3.  The final and perhaps biggest pattern of 2015 is that the Vikings have bounced back after every loss.  They followed the MNF loss with two solid wins over Detroit and San Diego.  They followed up the Denver loss with 5 straight wins after the bye.  After the Packers ended that streak, the Vikings beat Atlanta to go to 8-3…

…which leads us to Thursday night.  The thing that makes most Vikings fans squirm right now is that they haven’t faced this caliber of opponent after a loss all season, especially on such a short week.  However, it would take a complete collapse to miss the playoffs at this point.  There haven’t been many times in recent years where the Vikings have known the benefit of winning early.  Typically the team has a bad start and either rebounds for a shot at the playoffs or not.  Or, it’s the exact opposite…remember 2003?

(Coincidentally, up until they “won” against Detroit, I felt the Packers might have been heading in that direction.)

I feel like we are not yet in the position where we have to watch the scoreboard.  Even if the Vikings enter Week 15 at 8-5, there’s still hope, and that’s a position I will continue to hold until all hope is lost.

(Both members of Vikings Cavalcade will attend Vikings-Bears on the 20^th.  Pictures to come during that week’s reaction blog.) 

Week 13: The Vikings, the Seahawks, and the race to stay in first place!

Before I start the usual weekend Cavalcade post, I want to get one thing off my chest.

Regardless of how things went in that Green Bay-Detroit game, I want to ask the NFL one question: do you actually care about the safety of all of your players?  Or do you only care about protecting your sacred cow superstars?  I’m just saying, that facemask penalty on the Lions was the weakest I’ve ever seen.  Meanwhile, the Packers almost decapitated Teddy Bridgewater in Week 11…and nothing. 

Never mind…I think I just got my answer.

Anyway…let’s move on to more important things.  Are the Vikings feeling much pressure right now?  They are an up-and-coming team, whereas the Packers have been consistently good ever since the NFC North came into existence.  Everyone else has been up-and-down.  Thus, it’s always easy to say the Packers will win the division.  It’s clear the Packers are feeling pressure despite winning Thursday.

The Vikings are 8-3 coming into Sunday’s game.  It’s a huge one.  They’re all huge coming down the stretch, as the Vikes try to steal the division from the team that has owned it throughout its 13 year history.  Seattle appears to be finding its late-season form.  The defense ain’t what it used to be, but apparently the offense has hit its stride after shredding Pittsburgh.  On our side, we appear to be getting our hitman back, but Andrew Sendejo is still injured, which means we may get my personal wish of a Smith-Exum backfield.

Here’s a chance for the Vikings to make a major statement.  I’m not saying they have to win by 30 points…this offense isn’t built that way.  Just get a win to stay in first place.  I’m looking forward to an incredibly gritty game, because this Vikings defense has been consistently good this season.  As far as score…well, you know this blog never predicts scores; we leave that to everyone else.

I just know I do NOT want to hand first place back to the Packers after the “Phantom Facemask” incident, so the Vikings need to rise up and beat the Seahawks.  So let’s go, Vikings.  Show the league we are 8-3 for a reason and go to 9-3.  If the Vikings win Sunday, you’ve got to think only a major meltdown could keep them out of the postseason.  It’s simple…to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and the Hawks are pretty close to the best.  They should have been back-to-back champions.

Sunday is yet another chance for the Vikings (who have no doubt already pleased the fans just by winning enough games to start December relevant) to prove they are ready for bigger and better things.  

Let’s do it.  SKOL Vikings!

Week 12: Back in the saddle again? Can we keep it this time?

Did someone hit the reset button or something?

I distinctly remember being disappointed at having squandered a chance to open up a lead in the division last week.  Now, as we head into a showdown with the Falcons, suddenly we’re in first again with a chance to keep it, if only for another week?

I’m not sure if I should be ecstatic the Vikings got help from the Bears this week, or even more upset that they pulled one off against the Packers when we couldn’t. 

But, that’s okay.  All will be forgiven and forgotten, much like Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay (which made it even funnier when the Packers lost on the ultimate Packers night) if the Vikings can claim first with a win against the Atlanta Falcons.

There are warts on both sides.  Atlanta’s ultimate touchdown vulture Devonta Freeman is out with an injury on their side, but the Vikings might have the worst of it because we are missing our hitman; the best safety this team has got.  Antone Exum will apparently start in his place.  I’m excited for Antone to get his opportunity, but I’m prepared for the worst.

It goes without saying that if the Vikings want to be taken seriously as a playoff contender, they need to bounce back this week and get a win.  At 7-3, the Vikings lead the division, but they would currently have a game on the rest of the wild card teams if Green Bay had won to go to 8-3.  If the Packers want to continue melting down against every team that’s not the Vikings, that’s fine by me.  But, assuming the Packers find their late-season form again, the Vikings will definitely want to own the tiebreakers over the teams chasing them if they should happen to lose a couple down the stretch like they usually do.

A win Sunday might, dare I say it, put the Vikes in the driver’s seat for a wild card berth.  The remaining schedule is tough, but if the Vikings win half of their remaining games, that’s 10.  With how weak the NFC Wild Card hunt currently looks, 10 might be the magic number.  As for which three I’d pick the Vikings to win…uh, get back to me on that one. 

After all, anything can happen in the NFL. 

Here’s to a bounce-back win this time.