After Heartbreak in The Windy City The Vikes Are Feeling Minnesota

Well the Vikes now have their first losing streak of the season.  Worst of all it came at the right arm of Jay Cutler and the lowly pathetic Bears.  Seriously, I can't even pronounce the name of the receiver who caught the game winner in overtime.

I mean I had to stay up until nearly midnight for that?  To watch a furious Vikings come back thus giving us all hope only to have my most hated villain in sports break my heart?  I mean that first half was like being kicked in the groin over and over again.  Then all of a sudden the Vikings were the Vikings of the first 11 games in the second half.  I mean we put up a 30 spot in the second half.

To top off the heartbreak the Bears kicker Robbie (not so good as) Gould missed that field goal in over time and Favre was pumped and threw off his jacket and said, "hell yeah let's do this." ( I don't know if he actually said that but that's what he looked like)  And then he gets sacked...twice...in a row.  The whole Vikings clan spiked that ball in frustration with him.  Then we get another chance, AP, up the right side, gets a first down and then....NOOOOOOO!  AP fumblitis strikes again!  You knew the game was over.  I should have just shut the TV off at that moment.  Then I had to watch Jay Cutler (pukes) throw a game winning touchdown.  He out Favred Favre! 

Poor Brett, he's watching his masterpiece fall apart in front of his eyes.  I mean you can't pin that loss on Favre.  In the first half he was a bit off, but he didn't get any help from the line or his receivers, though that fumble was a bit suspect.  But in the second half he was a man possessed.  He was on fire.  That game tying pass to Sidney Rice was money.  Favre was on fire but the blood in his veins was colder than the Chicago night.  Personally I think the change in the game was at halftime where I believe Chilly gave Brett more control over the offense.  Hopefully Chilly will give Favre control of the offense from here on out.  Favre is a master of this offense and Chilly and Bevell are clearly not.

Now we have lost our chance at the number 1 seed, which we were still in contention for after New Orleans inexplicably lost a 17 point lead to Tampa Bay at home.  We have now lost the ability to control our own destiny for the number 2 seed.  We now have to win and hope that Dallas beats Philly.  Dallas for their part should be plenty motivated because the winner of that game gets the NFC East.  We all need to hope that Dallas wins because no one wants to play Philly but if we do I shudder at the thought of playing them in Philly.

I think at this point if we want to make it to the big dance we are going to have to play Green Bay, it's inevitable.  I still don't buy Green Bay, they have one impressive win all year and that was Dallas at home.  They choked big time against Pittsburgh, surrendering a last second game clinching touchdown by Big Ben, that was of course the game their "vaunted" defense gave up 500 yards through the air.  They are fools gold if you ask me, but nonetheless I think we will face them at some point in the postseason.  That game would be too nerve-wracking to watch.  I mean that would be the ultimate nightmare scenario, losing to Green Bay in the playoffs.  I don't think I could get out of bed for a week.

The feeling that this team was bound for Miami is long gone.  Instead we have the normal feelings of doom and gloom.  I just don't buy that this team is a Super Bowl team today.  I am not saying that will change in the playoffs, I mean hey who saw Arizona last year or NY the year before coming?  I am just saying that if we continue to play this way we will lose in the first round no matter who we play or where we play.

The second half was immensely encouraging however.  I mean if we can play like that we can beat anybody.  No one in the NFC is unbeatable.  New Orleans is fatally flawed, they can't stop the run and they really don't play much defense.  Philly's defense is weak if the blitz gets neutralized.  I mean they give up a lot of points and yards, they just rely on their defense being more explosive than yours.  Arizona is a Jekell and Hyde team, you never know which team will show up each week.  Green Bay 's running game leaves a lot to be desired, I am still not sold on their offensive line suddenly becoming great and their defense can be exposed.  And Dallas plays good defense, but their offense is less than explosive.

On the AFC side I fear no one other than San Diego, they are playing the best football in the league right now.  Indy is flawed and they won't go anywhere in the playoffs, mark my words.  They have all the feels of the traditional Peyton Manning lead one and done team in the playoffs.  Has a great quarterback ever struggled so much to win any games in the playoffs?  Peyton Manning is the ultimate "all the credit none of the blame" player.  Some may say Brett Favre but honestly he has enough haters to fill a medium sized country.  People can't wait to heap blame and hate on Favre.

Manning, well Manning on the other hand NEVER gets any blame...ever.  His whole legion of worshippers heap all the praise and adoration on him all season for how he "runs the team" and "calls all the plays" and (mistakenly say) "has anyone ever done more with less?" ( I hate that one!  Tom Brady did a whole heck of a lot more with just as little as Manning.  And it's not like for most of the decade Manning's teams were lacking in talent.  Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, need I go on?)  But come playoff time everyone will excuse away Manning's poor play and first round exit.  "Well he doesn't have anything around him!"  "No those 185 yards he threw were the best 185 yards ever, it's clearly...the defense or the running game!"  So all season he's "the greatest of all time" (No.  Just no.) and he does it all by himself, but in the playoffs he "needs more help?"  I have never seen such a brilliant regular season quarterback look so inept in the playoffs.  Seriously he lost at home two years ago to Billy Volek.  Who?  The back up on San Diego, playing with their third string running back...at HOME!

But no no no, it's not Manning's fault he's a choke artist, it's everyone elses!  Blame it on global warming!  Wow, sorry about that.  I digress, back to the Vikings.

The Giants, our week 17 opponents give the feel of a team that's mailed it in.  They rolled over and played dead against Carolina last week.  They were "fighting" (maybe pillow fighting, or tickle fighting) for the playoffs at the time.  This game is at home where the Vikings remember to play well so hopefully we can cap off our season with a victory.  Brandon Jacobs will be out for this game so that will be huge.

Who knows, maybe this week our defensive line will remember that it's "the best in football" and actually get some pressure on the quarterback or something.  That would be nice wouldn't it?  Remember back when we destroyed all the offensive lines in our path?  Yeah now we look like a bunch of kitty cats out there.  Jared Allen, what happened to that guy?  Is he still alive?  Someone take out a missing person's report because Jared Allen is nowhere to be seen.  The key on defense is always getting pressure on the quarterback, that's what our whole defense is predicated on.  If that fails well...we give up 36 points to the Bears.

On offense our line looked good in the second half.  Favre had about .9 seconds to throw instead of .4 so that helped out a lot.  They actually opened up some holes for AP who neared 100 yards, but I don't think he quite made it.  It was nice to Percy Harvin get back involved.  He will be key if we are going to make any sort of playoff run.  It was also nice to see our team play with some pride in the second half.  Instead of rolling over and dying when down by 16 or when down by 17 we fought all the way back to tie up the game.

Our special teams looked pathetic!  That was their worst performance since the New Orleans game last year.  We would have been better off just kicking it out of bounds every time.  Our punting game sucked, and Ryan Longwell apparently can't kick it past the 20 anymore.

Most important this week is winning.  I want this team to enter the playoffs on a high note, not to mention it would keep the Chilly pattern of increasing the win total by 2 every year, and I am all about patterns.  What happens with Philly is beyond our control, and honestly playing a wild card game wouldn't be the end of the world.  I remember watching our team after their bye week this year and we just looked sloppy.  Some teams benefit greatly from the bye week, or at the very least it doesn't affect them, like the Steelers last year.  The Vikings, much like the Colts I think, would probably benefit from playing in the wild card round.  I think a bye week can cause you to lose some of your momentum, and the Vikings are a momentum team.  We need to get a rhythm on offense, like the Cardinals or the Colts. 

The problem with a first round bye is that your first opponent is coming off a big win already and has some momentum established.  Granted, it would be nice to give Favre another bye week, but heck Monday night he looked good.  So much for that December swoon, Favre can't play in the cold.  Favre was money.  Favre is good, Favre is NOT the problem on this team.  With a gun to my head I would want the bye week, just so that we could avoid having to go to Philly in the second round, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.  Philly can be beaten.

Now, on to my Gunslinger Award.  I apologize for the slacking lately, but well I had work, and I traveled to Atlanta for Christmas, and well I was plain too depressed to write about the game yesterday.  So, my Gunslinger Award goes to....*drum roll*

The entire Tampa Bay team!  Congrats guys.  Down 17 on the road to the number 1 seed in the NFC didn't faze you guys.  You fought back, tied the game, made the Saints owner look like a fool after a celebrating when his team missed a field goal, and kicked the game winner in overtime.  Thank you, perhaps the Saints bandwagon will start to thin out again.  Honorable mention goes to the Jets for beating the Colts!  No more talk of an undefeated season, thank you!  Good Christmas gift. 

Well I'll be back at some point next week to recap the regular season finale.  Who knows whether or not I'll be recapping a victory or not.

Skol, Vikings.