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 16: Have a holly, jolly Christmas, and kick the Packers in the rear!

The Vikings had been Kings of the North since beating the Packers and continuing to win week after week until Carolina, but Sunday the 17^th made it official.  The Vikings showed no mercy, pounding a team that clearly had no answers.  We even got to see Teddy step onto the field to a massive ovation.  It was a goosebumps moment.

Everything seems to be lining up for the Vikings to take one of the top two NFC playoff seeds by force.  With the Super Bowl being hosted by Minneapolis this year, it goes without saying that home field advantage is as important as it possibly could be.  However, you also have to have faith that this team could go on the road to defeat someone.  The next two weeks will be very intriguing.  I feel like the Vikings finish with no worse than 12 wins, and that’s if they slip up against a Packers team with no Aaron Rodgers.  The only two things tipping the scales in Green Bay’s favor for that game are the game being at Lambeau Field, and the fact that it will be very cold there tonight.

Zimmer should have the Vikings prepared to take this one.  A Vikings team that wasn’t quite as good as this one beat the Packers at Lambeau Field to take the division two years ago, and that was with a fully healthy #12.  Brett Hundley is going to have to play like Brett Favre for the Packers to have a chance in this game.  However, we should not count our chickens before they hatch.  The 1988 Vikings were in the midst of a season much like this one and lost to a much worse (4-12) Packers team 18-6…on a cold night at Lambeau Field in week 16.  They finished second in the division to Chicago and eventually lost to San Francisco on the road in the second round of the playoffs. 

Which just goes to show you there’s always a bad Vikings loss somewhere to remind fans to keep their hubris in check.  Yes, the Vikes might win by 30, but Hundley might surprise everyone.  Here’s hoping for the former.

And have a Merry Christmas, Skol Nation.

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 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. 

Week 17: ...we should all be used to this by now...

With apologies to Little Orphan Annie, it truly is a hard knock life for Vikings fans.

Ah, 2015.  David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, and a bunch of other people were still alive, and the Vikings won the NFC North.  Good times, good times.

A year later, 8-8, over 9,000 injuries and a wasted opportunity to truly do something great is all we got.  Though let’s be honest, this season was stolen from Vikings fans.  Teddy Bridgewater falling down and destroying his knee was something that could only happen to the Vikings.  Sam Bradford was a good bandage, but somewhere down the line, it all fell apart and the Vikes could not stop the bleeding.

Despite all of that, the real reason it’s tough to be a Vikings fan is because…they did it.  As of this writing, the Green Bay Packers are division champions.  And unlike the Vikings last year, they’ll probably go on to win a fifth Super Bowl and we will never hear the end of it.  Admit it, fellow fans; you’re more upset about that than about the Vikings collapsing.  I think a lot of us would have forgiven a lost season if the Vikes could have knocked off Green Bay on Christmas and possibly kept them out of the playoffs.  But no, the Packers continue to increase the gap and get another year to make “empty trophy case” jokes.

And I don’t think the Vikings will ever catch up.  Indeed, as a wise man once said, "they have everything, we have nothing."

So farewell, 2016-17 season.  Maybe the draft will be good.  Perhaps the Vikings will find the missing pieces to do well next year.

Or, it could all turn to crap again because Winter Park was built over a sacred burial ground. 

At least the Vikings went 1-0 against the Packers in “our house” in 2016.  Of course, you know they’ll probably return the favor by winning the Super Bowl when we host it next February.    

Boy, it was fun when the Vikings were good last year and in the first five games this year.  How I yearn for those times to return again.  The silver lining is that there won’t be a Blair Walsh vs Seattle moment in this year’s postseason, and that’s about all we can be happy about. 

Ouch.

Well, we beat the Bears anyway.  Here's to 2017.  Maybe we'll be good?

For added effect, re-read this post with this video accompaniment...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Xm7s9eGxU