Minnesota Vikings Fans, Don't Buy Those Super Bowl Tickets Just Yet

The Minnesota Vikings went into Phoenix as road favorites.  They left town with their tail tucked between their legs.

The Cardinals took it to the Vikings Sunday night, beating them soundly 30-17.

Will this loss cost the Vikings a playoff spot?  No.  It won't even cost them the division title.

Even so, Sunday night's loss raises four huge question marks for those who favor the purple and gold.


1. The loss of middle linebacker E.J. Henderson .  Though no official word was given after the game, Henderson is undoubtly out for the rest of the year.  Anyone who witnessed the ugly injury knows it is not something from which he will easily bounce back.

His loss will leave a gaping hole in the center of the Vikings' defense.  If a running back breaks through the Williams Wall, who'll plug the gap?

Physicality aside, Henderson was the emotional leader on the defense as well.  While that may be easier to replace than his on-the-field play, it is but the first chink in the defense's armor.

2. The decline of Adrian Peterson .  A mere 19 yards on 13 carries?  It would be easy to chalk this up to something simple as a bad game in which the Vikings saw themselves trail early, but something's not right with AP.

In the two previous games versus the Seahawks and the Bears, AP saw 24-25 carries but gained less than 90 yards in both games versus less-than-stellar defenses.  His average in those games was under 3.5 yards per carry. 

He's only gained over 100 yards rushing in three games this season - and two of those games were against Cleveland and Detroit.

Those stats feed into his steady decline for his yards-per-carry average each season since his rookie year.  While he was toting the rock for a 4.7 yards-per-carry average prior to Sunday's game, the AP heading into Week 14 is not the AP of old.  That should scare you because...

3. Big Game Brett saw his own hands tighten around his throat Sunday night .  Favre threw two picks against the Cardinals and the tally could've easily been twice that.

The first interception was perhaps the most frightening because as replays showed, Favre wasn't even looking in the direction in which his pass traveled.  Favre looked to his left as he lofted the ball over the middle.  The result was something Packers fans sadly grew accustomed to late in his career in Green Bay.  "Gunslinger" Favre throwing away the game.

It doesn't help that Favre has a recent history of choking in big games when under pressure.  While Favre has been remarkably turnover-free this season, in the two games in which he played fast and loose with the ball (not so coincidentally, these were also the two games in which he felt consistent pressure), the turnover bug infected Favre.

Favre's interception and fumble against the Steelers cost the Vikings the game earlier in the season, and Sunday night, his two picks did nothing to help the team's cause against the Cardinals.  This should be a major concern moving forward because...

4. The Vikings have had a cream puff schedule this season .  Seattle, Cleveland, St. Louis, Chicago, and Detroit twice—those are six easy wins.  Couple that with two victories over a hit-and-miss Packers team that was likely rattled playing against their former hero, and the Vikings tallied eight wins without thinking about it.

Their other two wins were barely eeked out.  A last second miracle catch pushed the Vikings over the top of the mediocre 49ers, and a last second missed field goal gave them the win over a solid, but not spectacular Ravens team.

The Vikings losses have come against last year's two Super Bowl teams.  That would be impressive if the Steelers weren't a .500 team this season and the Cardinals made the playoffs last year by default (someone had to win the NFC West). 

Yet these are the only two playoff quality teams the Vikings have played all season (though the Packers are likely to stumble into the playoffs this year).

All of this adds up to trouble ahead for Minnesota fans.  Expectations may have taken a hit Sunday night, but perhaps not as big of a hit as they should have as the Vikings were out played up and down the field. 

The Vikings record makes them contenders, no doubt, but the reality of the situation may prove them to be something else entirely.