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 16: Nodell in Prime Time: The NFL Strikes Back!

(Yes, I realize the title has nothing to do with the Vikings, I just wanted to make that joke.)

It is a not-so-dark time for the Vikings.  Although injuries threaten the playing time of superstar Adrian Peterson, Vikings fans have noticed the potential return of Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph in time for Sunday Night Football.

Led by Teddy Bridgewater, whose late-season emergence has delighted everyone except the most jaded of hearts, the Vikings welcome the New York Giants, whose playoff hopes depend on winning the NFC East.  (Update: they now have nothing to play for, as Washington beat Philadelphia 38-24.) 

Odell Beckham Jr’s game-long war with Josh Norman did not go unnoticed.  The league suspended New York’s best player when it hurt the most; another chance to show off under the lights and potentially save the season with a win (now null and void).  That goal for the Giants gets tougher without Beckham.   

Packer fans lie in wait for week 17.  Unless the Vikings lose and the Packers win, the regular season finale decides the fate of the North division.

I think we are all aware of the stakes by now.  If certain things happen, the Vikings can clinch a playoff spot before taking the field on Sunday night (hello again, 2009 parallel!).  The most important part, of course, is taking care of business that night if Green Bay wins.  We all want week 17 to turn into week 17 of 2012, except with the division on the line this time.

This game has gradually lost most of its luster since NBC flexed it.  Unless the Packers and Falcons both win, this Sunday night game will essentially become an exhibition for the Vikings.  A Packer win would keep the sense of urgency for the Vikings to win in order to have a chance to achieve Mike Zimmer’s goal of stealing the division title in week 17.  A Falcon win would keep the pressure on the Vikings to win because of a stupid tiebreaker I still can’t figure out.  Seriously, we whipped that collective butt; exactly how do they get into the playoffs over us if they tie us for the second wild card seed?

Of course, the Seahawks would have to lose for that scenario to possibly play out next week as well, and I don’t think they will.  The Rams beating the Seahawks came as a shock to everyone in week one.  Seattle laying a beating on the Rams in week 16 would shock no one. 

So let’s review; a Vikings win (necessary only if everything goes the exact opposite as we want) gets us in.  A Seahawks win gets us in no matter what Atlanta does.  If all else fails, a Falcons loss will do the trick.  Or, in the unlikely event that any of the three teams tie their opponent; that would work, too.

Back to our game; it’s hard to predict anything because we won’t know the situation until at least the Falcons and Panthers get done around roughly 3-3:15 or later.  The Rams and Seahawks follow at 3:25, so Minnesota’s pair of chances to clinch by doing absolutely nothing air back-to-back.

About the only thing I can say is that I hope the Vikings finally end the prime time curse, regardless of this game meaning anything or not.  Packers-Cardinals will play alongside Seahawks-Rams, so we will have an answer before kickoff.

One thing is for sure, with Nodell, things just swung in Minnesota’s favor if it comes down to win-and-in.  Hopefully Teddy continues his December surge as well.

Week 15: A New Hope?

Everybody else is referencing Star Wars because of the new film, so I’m just following suit.

It is a period of uncertainty.  A decimated Vikings team has won a moral victory by simply not getting destroyed on national television by the powerful Arizona Cardinals. 

During the battle, the young team appeared to regain the confidence thought lost in a devastating encounter with the Seattle Seahawks.

With the losses fresh in their memory, the Vikings strive to get healthy for a battle with the Chicago Bears… 

Anyway…to celebrate The Force Awakens, I will be doing a Star Wars-ish intro on the last three blog posts of the regular season.

In spite of losing two Thursdays ago, the Vikings may have re-discovered the fight within them that got them to 8-3 before losing twice in a row.  Here’s hoping it carries over into this week, because there are some important things on the line.

First off, because some teams have lost and kept the NFC playoff picture weak, the Bears are not yet dead in the hunt.  Therefore, I expect them to come after the Vikings with all they’ve got.  Jay Cutler, for the most part, is not making the same old mistakes on which he staked his claim to fame.  On the other hand, the Bears just lost to the Redskins.

Because of the way things have shaken out over the past two weeks, even in spite of losing twice, the Vikings can clinch a playoff spot as early as this week with a win and some help.  Typically, people balk at the mention of needing “help” to make the playoffs, but this is a situation where clinching early would definitely be welcomed with a prime time game next week (the place where Minnesota sports dreams go to die) and the looming showdown with Green Bay (which may or may not decide everything).

In case you care that much about “getting help,” the Vikings currently have seven, yes seven scenarios in which they could clinch a playoff spot.  I’m not going to list them here, so head to Vikings.com if you’re curious. 

Adrian Peterson owns the Bears, so I have no doubt he will get his yards and hopefully a couple of touchdowns, too.  What I really want to see is a continuation of the Arizona game from Teddy Bridgewater.  Despite the final play of that game, Teddy looked great throughout the evening and showed flashes of the quarterback we all hope he can be.  If he can come out and shred the Bears, there’s a good chance this team goes to 9-5 and possibly clinches a berth (surely one of those seven things has to happen, right?). 

Above all else, the Vikings need to take care of business on their own end.  All year long, the Vikings have been a team that knows how to take care of business…at least against mediocre teams.  The Bears are 5-8; this is no time for a letdown. 

The Force has awakened in theaters this weekend…let’s see if our favorite football team can do the same.  Is the Force strong in this family?

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.

Vikings vs Packers: Little Brown Jug 2.0? The slow and painful death of a once-great rivalry.

Well…that Vikings game against the Packers certainly…existed.

With the puke in my sink as my witness, I have to say that we saw one of the worst losses in all of Border Battle history on Sunday.

What made this one so bad?  Was it the fact that the Vikings were more than willing to be the slump-buster for a wounded Packers team that fell behind them in the standings after an inexplicable loss to Detroit last week, handing back the keys to the NFC North in the process? 

Was it the seemingly one-sided officiating?  Yes, the Vikings’ penalties were mostly self-inflicted, but the Packers got off scot free with quite a lot (like nearly decapitating Teddy on a facemask). 

Or was it the fact that at 7-2, the Vikings had finally begun to look like a professional football team for the first time since 2012 (possibly 2009), only to lose badly to Green Bay and make all of this progress seem like a total fluke? 

It’s likely a combination of all three.  That, and there’s the fact that with so many green and gold fans living in Minnesota, the taunting certainly won’t stop anytime soon.  “We have Super Bowls and you don’t!”  “We have Aaron Rodgers and you don’t!”  “You thought you could actually beat us?  That’s cute!”  They might even steal a great line from Dodgeball; “We’re better than you, and we know it!”

Ahem…getting back to my earlier point, I think the worst part about losing to the Packers for the 15^th time in 20 games since 2006 is that the Vikings proved once again beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are simply not ready for the spotlight (though let’s be honest, this team’s entire history is built around not being ready for prime time).

This team can win games.  They proved that by winning seven of eight after that awful MNF loss to begin the season.  You can say whatever you want about “getting fat” on mediocre/bad teams; the Vikings are finally decent at winning games again.

What we wanted to see was progress.  A win against the Packers would have sent the Vikings’ playoff stock skyrocketing.  As I said last week, even a win over a wounded Packers team would have been huge.  It would have also provided the confidence to beat just about any of the tougher teams on the back seven (Atlanta, Arizona, etc).  If the Vikings are going to become a premier team in this league, they must be able to defeat the team that has run the NFC North since its inception in 2002 when the realignment happened.

By choking away such a huge chance on Sunday with awful line play and inexcusable penalties that we weren’t taking in previous weeks, fans will surely enter this week moaning, “If we can’t beat the Packers, how can we expect to beat Atlanta or Arizona or Seattle?”

The biggest question the Vikings need to answer beginning next Sunday at Atlanta is this; are the Packers just an Achilles heel like the Yankees to the Twins or the BlackHawks to the Wild? Or is this team lacking the ability to beat the elite? 

If the answer to the first question is yes, the Vikes might be able to do just enough to avoid a season’s on the line situation at Lambeau Field in Week 17.  After Week 11’s pathetic showing, it's clear we want no part of that.

Rising Vikes vs Slumping Pack: Who takes first place?

And so it begins…the tough part of the schedule.  Green Bay twice, Arizona, Seattle, Chicago (which might get very interesting the second time around if the Bears keep winning games), Atlanta and the New York Giants.

After a 7-2 start, that schedule does not look as brutal as it once did.  However, those other games will have to wait.  After all, it’s Packer week.

Things have been going well for the Vikings lately.  Players seem to get nominated as “player of the week” after every game, and winning that honor quite a bit.  Terrence Newman is the most recent recipient on the defensive side after scoring two huge interceptions.  His second one came at a critical time, as a third Derek Carr touchdown might have given Oakland a late chance to come from behind and beat the Vikings.  Of course, All Day sealed the deal with another “HE’S LOOSE!” run for a touchdown.

The Vikings are on a five game winning streak.  The defense is becoming more legitimate with each passing week.  You can say what you want about “feasting on bad teams,” but I’ll take it because the Vikes used to lose to some of those teams (like in the opener this year).  The team is 5-0 since a game in which it had a legitimate shot to beat Denver way before Andrew Luck did.

Historically, this is the point where it all comes crashing down.  But, the Vikings seem to be adopting a Marty McFly attitude (“Yeah, well, history is gonna change”). 

One thing I doubt many people saw coming in the March to the Border Battle was what happened to the Packers the past few weeks.  As the Vikings beat Kansas City and Detroit, the Packers kept a steady hold on the division lead at 6-0 while the Vikings sat at 4-2.  The next week, the Vikings finally won at Soldier Field for the first time since 2007 while the Packers got stomped by Denver.  Minnesota won again in overtime against the Rams the next week to go to 6-2.  The Packers lost to Carolina 37-29, and suddenly Green Bay stared the “inferior” Vikings straight in the face.

Typically, Aaron Rodgers bounces back from one loss.  He usually doesn’t lose two in a row.  He most certainly doesn’t lose three in a row…right?  Wrong.  In a game that apparently wasn’t televised outside the Wisconsin and Michigan markets (Vikings fans see the Packers almost as often as their own team most seasons), the Packers lost at home against the previously 1-7 Lions for the first time since the first Bush administration.  The Vikings took care of Oakland, as previously mentioned, to claim sole possession of first place.

The Vikings come into the first Packers game in a rare position.  Green Bay is in a slump the likes of which Aaron Rodgers has avoided since his rookie year, when he suffered a five-game losing streak that took the Packers out of any possible playoff contention.  Yeah, as Vikings fans, we are used to losing to them and they are not used to losing period.

The rest, as they say, is history.  But, as we all know, you can throw silly things like records and history out the window whenever rivals play.  One thing is for sure, the Vikings need to smell blood and get after a limping rival.  The Packers are still the Packers, and they will be enraged after losing to the Lions last week.

Mike Zimmer has had his team fight and claw its way to increasing levels of respect.  The Vikings might very well be favored against Green Bay at TCF this weekend.  He sounds like he’s doing everything he can to keep his players’ heads on straight and not fall victim to believing their own hype.  That’s probably what happened against San Francisco, right?

This begins a test to see if the Vikings can stand up with the elite teams in the league.  7-2 is still 7-2 no matter how you got there, but that’s not enough for some people, including Coach Z.  A win over Green Bay, even a wounded Green Bay, would keep the respect coming and the Vikings hype train would keep rolling. 

Best of all, the Vikings would open up a two-game lead in the division.  It would also guarantee a winning record in the divison one year after losing all but one game within the North.  The Vikings are playing football as a fairly complete team right now.  Sure, Teddy Bridgewater could be throwing for more yards, but Minnesota is playing to all of its strengths, which has proven to be a winning formula.

If they can do the same against the Packers and get a win, watch out. 

On the flip side, a loss would prove that the Vikings are still a fringe team; good at beating the Detroits and St. Louis’s of the world, but not quite ready for the next level; something which has really defined the Vikings throughout their history. 

Could the Vikings make the playoffs without beating the Packers?  It’s possible.  Seattle’s looking decidedly less invincible than in previous years, and I’m pretty sure Eli Manning hates us by now.  If 7-2 was to drop to 7-3, that’s still a pretty record through the first ten games.  It’s likely the Vikings could still control their own destiny regardless of this game.

But, count on Vikings territory to be disappointed if it happens.  We’re sick of being pushed around.  If change is coming as soon as this season, a win against the Packers needs to become a reality.  Expectations have changed in a hurry for the purple and gold, and the biggest rivalry we have needs to turn the corner at some point, so why not now?    

Sunday, we find out if this team is ready to step up to the big stage.   

End of the ("Cupcake") Line: The Quest for 5-0

It’s finally here…the end of the five game “cupcake” portion of the schedule.

Though, let’s be honest here…none of these four prior games felt like cupcakes.  A six point win over the Chiefs the week after their best player went down with an ACL injury.  A nine-point win over the Lions where the Vikings couldn’t score much in the red zone and had to overcome an early 14-3 deficit.  The other two games left us to rely on formerly-much-maligned kicker Blair Walsh to claim victory. 

Yes, in theory, the Vikings needed to win at least four of these five to show improvement and stand any kind of chance against Green Bay in the division race.  As it stands, that’s exactly what this team has done.  

As of this writing (somewhere between the Packers game and the Vikings game), the Vikings and Packers are tied for the NFC North’s best record.  The Vikings actually have fewer points against, if that’s important to you.

Which is why, with “America’s Game of the Week” showdown with the Packers approaching, it goes without saying that it is in the best interests of the Vikings and their fans to go into next week tied atop the division as well.  The Packers get the easy route, as they take on the Lions at home, where they haven’t lost to Detroit in four straight presidential administrations.  For those keeping score, that’s before Brett Favre fell into their lap and made them good again.  So they’ll be 7-2.

The Vikings have a tougher road.  Ever since a few weeks ago, I have gotten more nervous about this game.  Carr is no slouch; he appears to be the real deal.  Some are discussing him as a sneaky MVP candidate.  The Raiders might be only 4-4, but they look like a much better 4-4 team then the Rams were.

The Vikings need to make the Raiders a one-dimensional offense like they’ve done with most of their opponents this season.  The defense will really have to get after Carr or he will carve them up.  They have done just fine over the past four weeks.  The question mark, once again, is the offense.  Adrian should get his yards, but can Teddy deliver in a game where he’ll certainly need to do so?

Oakland’s defense is not a strength like the Minnesota D.  They just got shredded by Pittsburgh last week.  If Teddy can have a big game and take care of the football, the Vikings should be able to go 5-0 to finish off the “easy” part of the schedule.  They need it, because everything ramps up after this week.

Week 9: Gurley vs Peterson; a tough one to call

I’ve been forced to re-think some things.

The Vikings are 5-2, on a three-game win streak, and conclude a favorable schedule run against the Rams and the Raiders; two teams that have had a recent history of being terrible (as have the Vikings).

The catch here is that these two teams seem to be coming out of that period along with the Vikes.  The Raiders will be a featured subject next week, but I’ve got plenty to talk about regarding this week’s opponent.

The Vikings have a long history with the Rams.  It’s been a fairly successful run, but they threw the biggest haymaker when they beat us in the 1999/2000 playoffs on the way to a very memorable Super Bowl win against the Titans. 

Lately, the series has been all Vikings. Brett Favre rolled to a 5-0 start in his good year with the team, a 38-10 blowout in 2009. Three years ago, Adrian Peterson ran for 212 yards near the tail end of his MVP season while Christian Ponder rode along just trying not to screw up anything. The Vikings held on for a 36-22 win.

Last year, the Vikings crushed the Rams 34-6; a victory that should have been a sign of great things to come for the purple and gold.  Instead, it wound up being one of just a handful of highlights from what we can really call a lost year.  Last season, Matt Cassel led the Vikings.  Some people thought Teddy Bridgewater should have started from the word “go” in 2014.

This year, Teddy gets his chance.  He has Adrian Peterson.  He has Charles Johnson back, which is good with Stefon Diggs limping along a bit.  But, this game will be no walk in the park.  The Vikings offense has struggled to close victories over lesser teams than St. Louis.  When I thought the Vikings might roll to non-nail-biting wins against the hapless Chiefs and Lions, they ended up having to grind and made all of Vikings territory (see what I did there?) squirm.

Last week, it looked like another loss to Chicago before Teddy turned back into Teddy after spending the game looking like someone else.  Resiliency has been a theme for this team all season.  They’ll need it against Todd Gurley, who has been a stud this season since being cleared for NFL action.

In fact, this Vikings-Rams game resembles the famous Chargers-Vikings game from 2007.  A comparison Branden and I have thrown around quite a bit this season is that the Rams heavily resemble the 2007 Vikings. Solid defense, stud halfback, but Nick Foles is a better quarterback than Tavaris Jackson was.

Overall, the Vikings look better on paper, but this team has been unable to score touchdowns in the red zone.  They’ve struggled to beat teams whose seasons are turning pear-shaped.  St. Louis is proving that solid defense + running game = better chance at victory.  The Vikings should win, but the cupcake portion of the schedule has ended prematurely.  

Oakland will be no picnic either.  Derek Carr is blossoming into a star quarterback before our eyes.

Mid-season bonus post: Flexing our muscles? How two "flex" games cost the Vikings everything.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

The Vikings are off to a fast start, or they have successfully rebounded from a slow start to put themselves in the playoff hunt.  A seemingly ordinary game awaits them at noon against an opponent they should beat if they can just take care of business the way they have during this recent run of success.

That is, until the NFL, though no fault of its own, decides that a game between teams that seem evenly matched on paper and have similar, relevant records is the game that everyone wants to see.  The Vikings go into the game and are blinded by the lights, and get trounced in front of the entire nation; an outcome that might not have occurred had the game stayed at its original time.

As much fun as it is to see the Vikings getting on the right track and maybe even getting taken seriously again, the recent trend of “flexing” games into primetime (that have gained importance based on the week-to-week happenings of the NFL season) has not been tremendously kind to our favorite team.  For the sake of this post, I’m only considering games that got flexed to Sunday night.  I don’t really consider moving a noon game to 3:25 to be a “flex.”  (The Giants-Vikings MNF game in Detroit was not really a “flex,” either, but more of a necessity move, so it won’t be detailed here).

In 2007, the Vikings had an 8-6 record and suddenly saw a meaningful game against the Washington Redskins get thrust under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football on NBC (in just the second year of SNF on NBC).  The result: 22-0 Redskins at halftime and a 32-21 victory for Washington, whose players and coaches (and fans) were mourning the murder of Sean Taylor at the time.  This game cost the Vikings a playoff berth because all the Skins had to do was win in Week 17 to get in thanks to the tiebreaker over Minnesota.

The 2009 season, for all the good it brought Vikings fans, featured one of these as well.  The Vikes faced Arizona, a team that had blossomed under veteran QB Kurt Warner (nearly winning Super Bowl 43, the most recent at the time).  The Cardinals steadily built a 30-10 lead and won 30-17.  It was just the second loss of the season (10-2), but the Vikings won just two more games in the regular season to get the #2 seed. 

And we all know how that turned out.

The most recent Vikings game to get this treatment was the Philadelphia game in 2010.  There was nothing remotely compelling about this game; The Eagles were good and we were trash.  Brett Favre had been injured against the Bears, a Monday Night game, and this game has the distinction of marking the end of his legendary games-started streak.  Apparently the game was flexed to Sunday night, but moved to Tuesday night because of a major snowstorm on the east coast.  It remains one of the few Tuesday night football games in NFL history.  

Fondly remembered as the Joe Webb game, a fun bright spot in an otherwise dismal season, the Vikings managed to get a late-season win over an Eagles team that would qualify for the playoffs the following week. 

I guess in the long run, 1-2 in “flex” games isn’t so bad…but the fact remains that national television stumbles are a big part of Vikings lore.  The diehard fans behind Vikings Cavalcade hope that the Zimmer era can change that.

Although I personally don’t consider it a “flex,” earlier this week it was announced that the Vikings-Packers game in Week 11 is now “America’s Game of the Week” on Fox.  If the Vikings play their cards right, they’ll be 7-2 (best case scenario).  The Packers could be 8-1 (also best case scenario).  

This will be, without a doubt, the most meaningful Vikings-Packers clash since Week 17 of 2012, regardless of record.

But I’ll save any more words about that game for Week 11.  The big question I have is this; can the Vikings shed this label of “eternal national stage fright?”  

Week 8: Does bear taste better slow-cooked or deep-fried?

There are certain clichés I try and avoid while writing, the key word being “try.”

Therefore, I have avoided using the famous line from the Wizard of Oz movie when playing the Lions and the Bears in successive weeks provided the perfect time to use it.

This also means I won’t be referencing the famous Chris Farley sketch about a certain group of superfans.

I’ll let everyone else make those references.

Now then, I have some things to say about last week’s victory against the Lions.

It was a solid victory, but it was still nerve-wracking that the Vikings had to erase a 14-3 deficit to win.  Starts like that must become a thing of the past if we are ever going to beat that green and gold team whose fans like to rub any success in everyone else’s faces.

As we all know, the team turned it around from there and the Lions scored just five more points the rest of the game.  There are still issues to resolve, but I think we all would have taken 4-2 if Doc Brown had shown up in the Delorean back in August and told us that it would be our record through six games.

Next up, the usual trip to Soldier Field and those awful field conditions to play a Bears team that is currently struggling at 2-4.  The Vikings have been inching toward a return to relevancy this season, having won four of the first six games of the season.  The best way to continue this run is to finally snap an inexplicable losing streak (we couldn’t even beat them on the road in 2009).

This game feels like it will go one of two ways.  Either the Vikings will roll into Chicago and fix up a hearty Bear dinner, or Chicago will win a track meet as the defense completely regresses and a huge day by the Vikings offense is wasted.  What I’m trying to say is that the Vikings will score a lot of points, win or lose.

There’s a huge difference between 5-2 and 4-3, and given that the Vikings have the chance to keep up with the Packers for the first time in almost five years, we need to snap this ugly losing streak.  I’m predicting an interception for Harrison Smith off of Jay Cutler.  Teddy just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.  Another 300 yard day from him (with no turnovers) would almost certainly equal a victory if Adrian can carve up the Bears like he usually does.

That’s all I’ve got to say for this week.  If you haven’t already, check out the latest podcast on Soundcloud where Branden and I reviewed the Vikings-Lions game and looked ahead to this week.

It’s time to turn Soldier Field into Skol-dier Field.

Get the Brooms! In other words, it's another podcast.

https://soundcloud.com/vikings-cavalcade/podcast-2-get-the-brooms

The next podcast from us!  We discuss the Vikings win over the Lions last week.

Vikings Week 7: Over .500, Underwhelming 'O'

After falling hard and never recovering post-Adrian Peterson scandal last year, it's quite encouraging to see the Vikings at 3-2 through five games in 2015. 

But...we may have put a bit too much stock in a Vikings offense still trying to find a consistent identity with Teddy Bridgewater under center.  With the way the Vikings came out rolling on offense, I think most of us thought an early 10-0 lead would turn into 17-0 would turn into 24-0 and...well, you get the idea; Blowout City: population Andy Reid.

Instead, the Vikings couldn't finish many drives and despite dominating the game, slipped away with a 16-10 win over a Kansas City Chiefs team missing Jamaal Charles.  If Charles had never suffered his injury against the Bears, he would have done just enough and the Vikings would have lost this game.    

What was a nice return to form for much-maligned (but not by this blogger) kicker Blair Walsh (1/1 PAT 3/3 FG) was overshadowed by a flat performance from the Vikings offense.  Adrian Peterson could not get it going as the Chiefs clearly keyed in on stopping him during their entire week of preparation.

The defense played well enough, making some big plays to ice the game where recent Vikings teams would have given up the go-ahead touchdown to lose.  Perhaps it's not a huge surprise that the team coached by a former defensive coordinator would have the defense far ahead of the offense in terms of productivity. 

I'm not sure of an answer.  What I do know is that the offensive line has to continue to round into form.  Teddy can make the throws just fine if he's not running for his life every other play.  He'll make some mistakes, but he's also a second year pro.  

There was some late breaking news before this post went up: Adrian Peterson is ill and is questionable for tomorrow.  I was all-aboard the hype train for a Vikings road win, but this throws a wrench into everything.  

The Vikings won six of their seven games without Peterson last year, and if he isn't 100% (his illness slows him down) or he doesn't wind up playing, I like the prospect of Matt Asiata, the human wrecking ball, pounding the Lions.  

The question is, if Peterson doesn't produce (or play), do the Vikings have enough in the tank to get a rare road win and sweep a divisional opponent for the first time since 2012?

Interview with Branden: Bye Week Special

Here it is, our first upload using Soundcloud!  Description is on the file on Soundcloud.

https://soundcloud.com/vikings-cavalcade/bye-week-12-questions-wbranden

Bye Week part one: Can a Vikings loss be positive?

In week four, the Vikings showed me everything I wanted to see against the Broncos.  Well, almost everything; I really wanted the upset victory.  But, I think the team will be okay even without it.

Some people in the Vikings football fandom will look at this loss and continue to be angry at the team for “not being as good as the Packers RIGHT NOW!”  I get it…we’re always the little brother in the NFC North.  But that’s another topic for another day (trust me…the pain of having to watch that team fall into two good quarterbacks over 25 years will be addressed soon).

But Sunday wasn’t about trying to get big brother’s attention.  Sunday was about planning our own future.

The old gunslinger managed to slip away with a victory after the Vikings fought tooth and nail to pull the upset.  There were some early moments that seemed to spell doom for the purple and gold, but the team continued fighting; a trademark of the young Mike Zimmer era.

You can’t be upset about Teddy Bridgewater’s effort.  The Vikings faced the top ranked pass defense in the league, and he faced pressure on just about every snap.  The result: a fairly accurate passing day, a touchdown and no interceptions.  He was sacked seven times and the Vikings still had a chance to win the game at the end.

 In short, Teddy looked like the guy we drafted, playing well in a big spot.  The loss itself will, in the long run, go on the long list of chokes in big spots, but I’m not mad about this one, because this team is only going to get better from here. 

Anyway…the team is on a bye for Week 5, which means the preview for the Kansas City game will come next week.  Branden and I may get together this weekend; if we do, you should get something else in addition to the blog post you are reading right now.

Road Warriors...or Legion of Doomed?

The Vikings seem to be finding an identity as a physical team.  Mike Zimmer wants this group to simply beat up whoever lines up as the signal caller across from his front seven.  One week later, I’m willing to bet Phillip Rivers is still feeling the sting from the Vikings-Chargers game.

I did not see a blowout coming.  San Diego is a solid team, and I think we’ll continue to see that throughout the rest of the season.  Of course, on the other hand, maybe this means the Vikings are a solid team, too. 

Do we dare buy into the hype?  I mean, it was only three short weeks ago that the Vikings lost 20-3 in the latest prime time game to forget.  Now, however, the Vikings look like a completely different team after a pair of solid victories at home.  The big test approaches; a late afternoon contest in Denver against one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.  Yes, Peyton Manning is several years older than the last time the Vikings faced him, but he is (to borrow a phrase) quarterback immortality.

I don’t expect the Vikings to win this game on the road, but if things continue to progress the way they have, look for Minnesota to play the Broncos close.  It will be interesting to see if either Peyton Manning, one of the best final-drive QBs in the history of this sport will get to lead one, or if the Broncos will leave too much time for Teddy.

Or, it could be an embarrassing beatdown for the Vikings, who will be thin at receiver.  But, I don’t like to think like that.  Here’s to a hopeful 3-1 start.  If the Vikings can beat Denver, I think it’s okay to get on the Skol Train. 

One and one...just as planned.

See? What did I say? 

Oh yeah, the Vikings will play much better once they escape the perils of prime time.

Told you so. 

I could just end the post right here, but I have other things to say.  A brief reality check: the Lions are still the Lions.  Teddy looked good, but we expect him to look good against Detroit.  Same goes for Adrian Peterson.  Speaking of AP, I’m a little nervous at his first serious case of Fumblitis (thank you Madden Football) in about five years.  He ran well, but I was having nightmares about a certain playoff game.

Take out the fumbles, however, and he gave the offense exactly what it needed.  Matt Asiata ran the ball well a year ago, but there is no replacing the freak of nature that Adrian Peterson is.  As mentioned earlier, Teddy Bridgewater looked like he’s supposed to look.  It feels good to say that with the quarterbacks we’ve stuck behind center the past several years. 

I find it interesting people are freaking out over one missed extra point.  Maybe they missed the part where Blair Walsh hit his next field goal try to put the Vikings up by 16.  I’m hoping he’ll be okay again soon, but it isn’t like he has cost the team any games yet.  The Vikings built a big enough lead and were able to sit on it for once and “hang on” to win by double digits.

Again, the Lions are still the Lions.  I’m not going to call the Vikings a playoff team because they beat Detroit.  The Vikings have to stand up and beat the Packers and Bears (preferably sweeps of both) before I would go that far.  But, anything can happen in the NFL.  That’s the beauty of watching every Sunday, Monday and Thursday. 

The Vikings play the Chargers Sunday for the first time since AP’s record-setting day in his rookie season.  It will be interesting to see what he can do eight years later for an encore performance.  Phillip Rivers has done well to start the season.  He’s tossed a couple of interceptions, but his completion percentage is ridiculous so far.  I’m nervous for this game because he is one of those quarterbacks who can hack and slash a defense that can’t get pressure on him.

I think the Vikings can play with the Chargers.  It will a fun, close game to watch, more fun if the Vikings pull out the win. 

Hopefully the Vikings come out and eat lightning and…well, you know the rest.

2015 Minnesota Vikings: The STILL Not Ready for Prime Time Players

Honestly, I’m not sure how to gauge Monday night’s game. 

The Vikings were obviously bad, yes, but the Vikings have been bad in prime time for a number of years now.  Monday’s loss was the sixth consecutive MNF defeat for the Vikings.  Not ready for prime time, indeed.

I looked back on some history, and even the memorable and quite good 2009 Vikings lost two out of three prime time games (beating Green Bay on Monday Night Football, which is one of my favorite Favre memories).  Three out of four if you count that Montreal Screwjob crap at the Superdome (that’s a wrestling reference, look it up if you want).  ’09 was the GOOD Favre year, mind you.  The team went 12-4 in the regular season, as I’m sure we all remember.

The Vikings have paraded several mediocre teams on to the field in the last 15 years. That’s probably where this whole thing started.  Monday night looked like a potential turning point. You can imagine how upset I was at the realization that this simply wasn’t the case, which is exactly why I waited a few days to say anything on the subject that wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction immediately following the game. 

Silencing the Roar

I’m willing to throw all of it out the window if the Vikings can just pull it together and defeat the Lions in the final home opener before we move into our fancy new stadium in 2016.  If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m ignoring Monday night because of Minnesota’s tendency to turn their white pants yellow under the lights.  Strangely enough, most Minnesota teams share the same problem (except for the Lynx; playoff bound again and playing the night I’m writing this…go get ‘em ladies!).

The Lions defense appears to be weaker than usual with the departure of a boy named Suh (what’s his name again? Donkey Kong, or something like that?).  If only by virtue of not playing in the national spotlight, I think the Vikings do better this week.  The offensive line play has to be better, there’s no question about that.  Aaron Rodgers himself would have had a bad game by his standards behind our line Monday night.

By no means am I yet comparing Teddy to a solid veteran QB like Phillip Rivers, but if the line gives him time, he should be able to have a much better game in week 2.  The Lions secondary got lit up by Rivers.  If Adrian Peterson can get going to make the Lions respect the ground game, I would expect Teddy to guide the team to a 1-1 record.  Any kind of win this week would make up for another huge, embarrassing failure in prime time.

As this is just week 2, let me say this; keep calm and Skol on.

Dawn of the Cavalcade: and so it begins...

Hello, Vikings fans, and welcome to the all-new Vikings Cavalcade website and blog!

The preseason has come and gone, and what a relief it is.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching any kind of NFL football, but this preseason seemed to go on forever!  With every game that passed, we saw some key players go down for the season.  The Vikings had five games this past month, and fans surely sweat a little whenever the first teamers, primarily Teddy Bridgewater, went through their reps.

The only thing Phil Loadholt, Kelvin Benjamin and Matt Elam have in common is that they will miss the entire upcoming season.  The Bears lost highly-touted rookie prospect Kevin White, and the Packers lost star receiver Jordy Nelson (whom I spent significant money to draft in my first-ever auction league).

I think it’s safe to say we’re all glad the preseason is over.  There is truly nothing worse than losing a player to an injury in a game that matters as much in the long run as you beating your buddy in a game of Madden.

Preseason Review

The Vikings looked solid in all of the right places this preseason.  Thanks to having five games, Teddy Bridgewater was never in play for too long and both offensive coordinator Norv Turner and defensive coordinator George Edwards were able to run several players through their respective game plans and get a solid look at whomever they wanted.

Teddy looked about as crisp as any Vikings quarterback I’ve ever seen in the preseason and he should make good strides this year.  If the Vikings can protect him on pass plays, I see the returns proving to be huge because of how poised he continues to look in the pocket.  With Adrian Peterson returning, the defense will have to respect the running game, which could help Bridgewater immensely.  Our QB has nothing to lose and everything to gain with one of the best in the game lining up behind him.

The first team defense looked very efficient through four games.  There were some big plays given up, but nothing made me panic and declare the 2015 Vikings a three-win team.  Mike Zimmer and George Edwards continue to shape the defense into their ultimate image, which might just someday emulate the Purple People Eaters of old.

San Francisco

What a thrill it is to open the season on Monday Night Football.  This is a chance for Touchdown Teddy to begin writing his legend.  It makes me think of other great Monday night moments for the Vikes, such as when Randy Moss silenced Lambeau Field in his rookie year.  Will he dazzle a nation watching with a long strike to Mike Wallace?  Will Cordarrelle Patterson finally show signs of returning to the player he was the second half of his rookie year?  And, what will AP do to redeem himself?

It’s hard to place a prediction for the purple and gold this season.  If everything goes according to plan, the Vikings should have an improved year under Zimmer in season #2.  However, these things hardly go the way we want in Minnesota.  Still, count me in the camp of hoping for the best.  There is no doubt the Vikings are on the rise.

I don’t really do score predictions, but I feel like if the 49ers are as bad as people have said, the Vikes should have no problem dispatching them on the road.  They have a rookie head coach and lost several players in the offseason, but the lights of prime time have not been kind to the Vikings lately.

In spite of what I just said, I think the Vikings win and return to TCF Bank Stadium 1-0 when the Lions come to town a week from Sunday. Oh, one more thing...

Skol Vikings!