Week 5: We Could Have Something Big Here. Also, winning tickets in random BWW drawings rules!

We are through a quarter of a season and the Vikings have a perfect record of 4-0. 

If you have been paying close attention to Vikings football over the past few seasons (and I’m sure you have if you’ve seeked out this blog to kill time before the noon kickoff against the Texans), by now I’m sure you have noticed some key differences from teams of the recent past; namely that this defense is really, really good.

I can say, with a sour taste in my mouth coming back from watching the 2013 Vikings defense, that the defense of that season (pre-Zimmer) would have allowed Sterling Shepard, Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. to all get loose for a huge combined game in either a close or blowout loss, because that’s what that Vikings team did in prime time.

The Vikings of 2016: nada.  Those three got about a hundred yards total and caught zero touchdowns.  Rhodes closed indeed.  This Vikings teams is 2-0 under the lights with two more games scheduled barring any sudden flexes as the season rolls on.  Moreover, they finally snapped an ugly Monday Night Football losing streak that dated back to 2009.

Aside from the defense, the offense did something that was rare for a Vikings team pre-Zimmer; they responded to the Giants scoring with a nice long drive and put one on the scoreboard to make the lead 14 points again.  How many times have we seen that old, familiar story of “Vikings play well, but can’t dagger the other team, and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as a result?”  Not this team. Not Monday night.

Next up: another home game against Houston.  The Vikings have faced Houston three times and have never lost to them.  The last game took place in 2012 (you know, the year Adrian Peterson went super saiyan), and the Vikes won 23-6.  In 2004 and 2008, the Vikings won by a touchdown.  2004 might be the most famous game of the bunch, as it saw the Vikings get up 21-0 only to need overtime to win.

This feels like another win for the Vikings.  They proved last week that they didn’t have to sack Eli Manning 10 times to get a victory.  All of the moving parts just need to work together, as they have in the first four games.  I’m feeling a couple of turnovers lead to points, but I’m wondering how long the Vikes can sustain the current no-offensive-turnovers run of 16 quarters.

All I know is I’m looking forward to doing the new “Skol” chant at the game.  And as always…

Fear the Zim Reapers.

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.