Vikings-Cardinals: The First Game Of The Rest Of The Year

Originally posted by me at VikingVigil.com

Believe it or not, this upcoming game that pits the Cardinals and Vikings will be more than a battle between a little red bird and a Norse pirate. This game could decide the NFC North.

One team will hopefully be playing with all they have, the other team has clinched and will be more prone to mistakes. One team will play for at least 60 minutes, the other for 45 at most. One team will start Tarvaris Jackson, the other might see Matt Leinart taking snaps.

Does all that add up to an easy Minnesota victory? If only. This game will be an extremely physical duel between two tough teams that have everything to prove. The Vikings are obviously fighting for their lives, while the Cardinals are battling for respect. They have reached the point where they are guaranteed more than 16 games, but nobody expects them to exceed 17.

The Vikings will be lucky to get to Game Number 17.

With the unfortunate Chicago overtime victory on Thursday Minnesota cannot clinch their division, seal their envelope, or whatever cliche you prefer to use. This game, just like every other game for approximately two months, is a must-win game. If the Vikings fall, while not mathematically eliminated, will suffer a huge psyche blow and are basically done.

But if the Vikings can bring a solid (or even ugly) win back to the snowbanks that are Minnesota they are basically in…well, maybe not “in”, but certainly still leading the race.

Jackson looked very sharp in his limited time last week against the Lions, and everyone who has ever sported purple attire hopes that will continue in the desert. Frerotte is hurt, so it will come down to our beloved Tarvaris.

Isn’t that ironic? The player Vikings fans collectively cursed to the bench after just two starts now holds the future in his hands. Let’s hope he doesn’t hold grudges.

The Williams’ Wall will remain intact for the duration of the season. After that, if there is any after this, they will be powerless and forced to abide by an old man in a black robe’s opinion. (Let’s also hope he isn’t a Packer fan behind enemy lines.)

With Kevin and Pat leading the way, Cardinal running back Hightower isn’t looking at a career day. He’ll be lucky to top 100 yards. The Arizona pass offense, though, stands a much better chance. Consider every Cardinal who has the chance to catch a pass from Warner/Leinart a viable Week 15 fantasy option.

Jared Allen will be Jared Allen and have just another splendid day at the office. Almost nothing will be able to slow him down, unless it comes from the office of a certain Mr. Roger Goodell.*

*As a side note, (and excuse me for borrowing Joe Posnanski’s famous “side-note” feature, I am really getting sick of the constant penalties and fines against Minnesota. In case you weren’t aware, Adewale Ogunleye wasn’t fined for his late, cheap hit on Gus Frerotte. Unbelievable. To make matters worse, Fred Evans was fined $5,000 for a facemask penalty that never happened.

This is really getting out of hand. We have always known that the Vikings are not treated fairly, but Goodell is terrible at hiding his “hidden” agenda from everyone else. Seriously, being as fair and unbiased as possible, I cannot justify the way the league has handled anything having anything with the name “Minnesota” stamped on it this year. 

I won’t turn this into an all-out rant, but I will next week unless convinced otherwise.

If the boogy man is really out to get the Vikings and is doing everything possible to keep them out of the playoffs, they’re failing miserably. There are certain things that people can’t influence, and that is solid play on the football field.

The Vikings may not be able to control what goes on off the turf, but they sure can do their best to control their future while on it.

Sunday’s game against the Cardinals will have a huge impact on where this team will be after Game 16. It should be fun to watch.