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 12: Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy some hot, fresh...Lion? Okay.

Winning…I had almost forgotten what that felt like.

The Vikings finally took care of a team for the first time in over a month on Sunday.  However, in true Vikings fashion, they almost choked the game away.  In fact, the late game had an eerily similar feel to the 2003 game (the Paul Allen “NOOOOOOOO” game, in case you need a reminder).

Only this time, the Vikings closed the deal with defense; something which the 2003 team was awful at doing starting with the seventh game of that season.  Losing a game or two is a natural occurrence during the typical NFL season.  Losing four in a row is a sign of a team that perhaps wasn’t as great as everyone made it out to be.

So indeed, as soon as the Vikings got hyped to Mars and back, they started losing. 

However, the losing streak is now in the past.  Hopefully, the Vikings can replace it with a winning streak and take back the division lead.

The opponent: the Detroit Lions.  Loss #3 on the year and the correct answer to a trivia question; indeed they were the first team to hand the Vikings a loss at shiny new USBank Stadium.  The Lions got into this position simply by winning football games.  The Bears stumbled out of the gate and fell on their faces, and the Packers are surprisingly fading at the moment after a 4-2 start.

Which leaves the Vikings and Lions to fight over the division today.  The first game was ugly, and I’m not sure what to expect out of the second game.  I think Vikings fans are simply relieved that this game means something, as a loss last week may have been the death knell of a strange season.

This is the first time the Vikings have played on Thanksgiving since the less famous Thanksgiving showdown with the Dallas Cowboys in 2000.  The Vikes have played Detroit thrice on Thanksgiving and stand at 2-1; a 27-0 win in 1969, a 23-0 win in 1988 and a 44-38 loss in 1995.

So, how will this one go?

Happy Thanksgiving.  Lion is on the menu this year, and I’m starving for the division lead. Skol!