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.) 

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.