Week 12: Many Thanksgivings for a big Vikings win?

Case Keenum made a statement on Sunday.  Thankfully, whenever he makes a statement, the Vikings as a whole seem to follow, and they did in a 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams, whom everybody was hyping up as the next big thing prior to the game.

The game itself was a grinder; the Vikes only had a couple of great scoring opportunities prior to the fourth quarter.  One was a touchdown for Latavius Murray. The other two featured Kai Forbath doing his best Blair Walsh impression, which is hopefully just a phase. 

Regardless of how part of the game looked, the box score read 24-7 when it was all said and done, propelling the Vikings into the upper level of the NFL with an 8-2 record.  The Vikings already play again today (happy Thanksgiving, everyone) with a chance to go to 9-2.  If they win and indeed build a massive lead in the NFC North, the discussion will begin.  I don’t know about you guys, but I’m dreading this particular discussion: could the Vikings represent the NFC in their own Super Bowl?

I haven’t entertained the thought this entire year, and it’s a first for the team, as they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs the year that the Metrodome hosted Denver and Buffalo.  I’ve preferred to enjoy the season one week at a time, and it’s been a really good one in spite of knee injuries.  As far as the game today against Detroit, it’s a thrill to have the team play two years in a row on Thanksgiving after having not played since the game against Dallas years ago (no, not the famous Randy Moss game, there was another).

I’m simply hoping for a better result this time around.  I mean, half the team isn’t on IR like last year at this time, and the offensive line is simply better than the last two years.  I’m all for what Case is doing, but if this team ever becomes Teddy’s again, I think he’d do just fine behind an offensive line that won’t have him running for his life. 

Here’s hoping we can be thankful for a big Vikings win in a few hours.    

Week 11: Tune in this week for the next exciting episode; Spygate 2: Electric Boogaloo, or Keenum makes his Case!

Well, the decision to start either Case Keenum or Teddy Bridgewater just got a whole lot simpler.  It has been an interesting scenario, to say the least. 

Keenum came out looking like he knew this could be his last game if things did not go well against Washington.  If he was feeling any pressure like that, he handled it extremely well, two ugly interceptions aside.  My main concern coming out of this game is the defense.  Did Washington just give the rest of the league a roadmap to beating the Vikings defense?  The Vikings also thwarted the bye week curse from last season by winning after it.

The team is now 7-2, having won five games in a row.  If this feels vaguely familiar to you, it should; the team did the same under Teddy Bridgewater’s leadership in 2015, his last season in the league.  This team might be better than that team, given the injuries to leading RB Dalvin Cook and Sam Bradford, and they still racked up five wins to climb to first place in the NFC North.

The big storyline this week is the LA Rams.  They are also 7-2, which means they must fall if the Vikings are to be taken seriously as contenders.  This game will likely tell us a lot about both teams.  The other storyline is the fact that Greg Olsen, a future opponent of the Vikings, will be on the broadcast team.  It’s likely that nothing will come of this, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.  If the Panthers stomp the Vikings in a completely unrealistic way later this season (like 41-donut), we will all know why. 

It almost makes you wonder if there’s a conspiracy to stop the Vikings from hosting and playing in the Super Bowl this year.  Almost.  I mean, Bountygate happened.  So anything’s possible, really. 

Though, the fact that the team is actually good enough for a conspiracy to hypothetically happen feels pretty grand.     

Week 10: You say good bye week, now I say hello!

The bye week is over, and here we are.  Lots to talk about in this latest blog post.

There are rumors that Aaron Rodgers could come back for the Week 16 game, which works perfectly as a revenge angle…but the Packers had better win some games in the meantime or it won’t even matter.  There’s that pesky matter of the Vikings being 6-2, and the fact that two of their three NFC North opponents currently own tiebreakers.  

Before they worry about their State Farm Savior, they should think about winning some games first, especially since they would fall to last place if Chicago beats them this coming Sunday.  It’s hard to come back from three losses in a row, never mind four. 

The only way the Packers factor into any of this is if they win some games and the Vikings and Lions flounder.  As for our Vikings, we’ve got a sneaky tough one this week against the Redskins, who are only 4-4 but just upset Seattle.  It’s another important one, like every game, most of all because it’s a road game and the Vikes have a two-game cushion that we do NOT want to lose with the Lions having a tiebreaker over us.  If the Vikings can win these next two games, they will be in excellent shape.  I feel Detroit beats Cleveland, but wins this week and next week would put us a solid three games ahead.

The beauty of the NFL, however, is that nothing is certain.  Even at 6-2, there is a quarterback controversy brewing with the return of “Touchdown” Teddy Bridgewater.  Case Keenum has done an admirable job with the situation presented to him, and I still think the job is his to lose.  The rest of this season is going to be an interesting one, that’s for sure.  With the bad taste of last season post-bye week fresh in our mouths, here’s hoping that this year goes a lot better.

As a final point, I feel bad for Sam Bradford.  Thanks for giving us a chance in 2016, dude, and here's to a speedy recovery and possible return.

In the end, it’s all about winning YOUR games.  It’s a simple concept, really, and the Vikes are in a great place.  Now they need to fight to keep it.

Week 8: Insert clever London pun here!

Vikings vs Browns.  Perhaps the first early morning game in the history of the Minnesota Vikings, this one kicks off at 8:30 central time, and many people probably won't even read this post before kickoff.

The Vikes can't blow a game against a winless team...right?  Right? 

Let's hope so.  This feels like a major trap game being overseas playing three and a half hours before the rest of the league.  The good news is, the Vikings shouldn't have nearly as much trouble finishing drives against the Browns as they did against the Ravens.  If the Vikes finish even one more drive in that game, it's a blowout.

Much like the last game, I expect the Vikings to win this one handily.  However, this team likes to make everything much harder than it ever has to be, so I would expect more of a grind like the Ravens game.

Whatever way the Vikings get to 6-2, I welcome.  I only pray for no more major injuries going into a bye week that shouldn't ruin the season like last year.  This team needs every win they can get right now, because the schedule gets tough with five road games in the final eight weeks to close out the season.

As always, Skol Vikings.

Week 7 (2): The "did Packer fans not watch Bountygate?" edition.

Yes, last week was actually week 6.  Oops. 

Before we move on to discussing Baltimore, the initial question is in the title of the post.  Plus, it's hard for me to have too much sympathy for a fanbase that has been spoiled rotten for the past 25 years on quarterback play and quarterback health.  Without Rodgers to fall back on, possibly for the rest of the season, we get to see how good of a coach Mike McCarthy really is.

Seriously though, Packer fans...unless he makes a miraculous recovery, welcome to the world of practically every other NFL team that doesn't have a potential Hall of Fame quarterback to lead them.  Quarterback injuries happen; you've just been extremely lucky to avoid significant ones in most years.  Vikings fans felt their world come to a crashing halt when Teddy Bridgewater went down to a non-contact injury right before the season last year; there aren't many teams that are unluckier than us.

Anyway, onto Baltimore.  The Ravens at 3-3 are only a game worse than the Vikings, but they honestly don't scare me that much.  Not like the Packers pre-Rodgers-injury.  Also, the Bears beat them last week with a 113 yard performance from their rookie Mitchell Trubisky, which was by design.  Joe Flacco has been on the decline this season, and this is a very winnable game; though I know better than to guarantee anything as a Vikings fan.  Still, the Vikes should win this one as long as they stick to their fundamentals.

Teddy also came back to practice this week.  I think I'll be talking more about him in the coming weeks, though I doubt they'll rush him back to action unless Case Keenum starts to struggle. 

Then there's the London game next week with the Browns...more on that next week.  Here's hoping the next time this blog gets updated I'm talking about a 5-2 team.

 

Week 7: It's Packer Week! ...Yay?

Well, let’s dive right in. 

The Vikings enter the home portion of the 2017 Border Battle having endured about as much drama as a middle school theater club.  Despite feeling like half of the team is already on the Injured Reserve list, the Vikes are, in fact, over .500 at 3-2.

Were this any other week, I’d be thrilled at the prospect of a win, and 4-2 would look mighty fine after the way this season has begun for the purple and gold.  But, because of who we play, I am tempering my expectations as usual. 

The Packers are, again, winning games by the skin of their teeth this year.  This means that the Vikings, if they hope to win, need to control the clock and score the game-winning touchdown with virtually no time left in the fourth quarter.

We’ve got the defense to hold this team and this quarterback in check.  See last year, when the Vikings allowed just 14 points to Green Bay in the first-ever relevant game at USBank Stadium.  They’ve even done it at Lambeau Field, as evidenced in Week 17 of 2015, when they beat the Packers 20-13 after building a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.

So really, this game could go either way.  Seeing as how the team is still relatively healthy, there’s a chance.  A couple of turnovers could turn the tide in our favor.  After I spent a week shouting up at the sky, asking God why he hates Vikings fans after Dalvin Cook got hurt, McKinnon and Murray looked pretty good on Monday night, especially after Case Keenum came into the game and the passing game opened up a little.

Keenum and the Vikings’ offense should feast on this defense, but the Packers might just be able to rely on Rodgers to get a win.  It’s what they’ve done for the past nine years, and I’m surprised his back hasn’t broken from all of the times he’s had to carry an otherwise mediocre team. 

Anyway, here’s hoping the Vikings can put up a wall in this Border Battle and take a step toward keeping the Packers from invading Minneapolis in February.

Week 1: Villainizing the Saints, or, Cooking Up Trouble in Prime Time!

I promised myself that I would not go off the rails and predict a Vikings Super Bowl win in the one we host next February.  If the Vikings have a good year, we will hear enough steam on the subject from other people.

With that said, Monday’s season-opening game against the Saints was a lot of fun to watch.  At long last, the Vikings got some measure of revenge on the team that Bountygated the crap out of Brett Favre seven years ago.  Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs shredded admittedly one of the worst defenses in the NFL.  The really important part was that the Vikings kept one of the best offenses in the league from scoring the usual boatload of points they are known for.  Seriously, if the Saints had a defense that could rival a small college, watch out.  Considering they allegedly cheated to get their one and only Super Bowl, the fact that they have languished since 2014 despite an embarrassment of riches on offense is probably karma.

Many people would tell Vikings fans to slow their roll because playing such a horrendous defense is part of the reason 1-0 came surprisingly easy.  However, I say just enjoy the moment.  The Vikings are not known as the team that does the butt-kicking in prime time games, though they are 5-3 in such games since the loss to Arizona on Thursday Night Football in 2015.  Plus, for those who now hate Adrian Peterson, Monday’s game had to be especially satisfying as a certain rookie completely showed him up.

The true test comes against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, who will have a much better defense chasing after Sam Bradford, Dalvin Cook, and the previously mentioned Thielen and Diggs.  Minnesota should know where its beloved warriors stand after Week 2.  All in all, if the offensive line can actually block all season, this offense should be fine.