Gästebuch » After a shaky start that had fans concerned

Eric Kendricks Jersey , the Minnesota Vikings seem to have found a small groove with a modest two game winning streak. Yet after six games and a 3-2-1 record, I’m still not sure what to make of this team. Hall of Fame coach (and Mike Zimmer mentor) Bill Parcells has famously said ‘you are what your record says you are’, and that usually gets to the heart of the matter for most teams in the NFL.For the Vikings this year, I don’t know if that phrase applies yet or not. I mean it does, but it kinda doesn’t, because they have been as schizophrenic a team as there is in the NFL so far in 2018. They beat the defending Super Bowl champion on the road, but lost to a bad Bills team with a bad rookie QB at home. They vomit up yards and points on defense against Buffalo, Green Bay and Los Angeles, but they pretty much shut down the Eagles, Cardinals, and 49ers. So how they play Sunday against the Jets should give us an idea of what we’re dealing with from here on out.‘But Ted’, you say, ‘it’s just the Jets. How is this the barometer to determine how the season will turn out?’Maybe ‘do or die’ from the title is a bit dramatic of a phrase, as there’s plenty of football left after the Jets game, win or lose. And if you believe 538’s projections, the Vikings have a 57% chance to make the playoffs right now, and a 43% chance to win the division. So things are probably a little better than I personally think they are.Yet...this is a game that historically has been a tough one for the Vikings to overcome—outside, on the road, and it’s against an opponent they’ve never beaten as the visiting team. Ever, in franchise history. A loss here doesn’t doom the season, but it more than likely confirms that the Vikings as a serious Super Bowl contender are probably gone with the wind, barring a dramatic turnaround.Yes, yes, I know what happened in the 1980’s or whatever doesn’t apply to today, and under Mike Zimmer the Vikings have really slayed a lot of the underachieving demons this team was generally known for, like winning outside on the road, for example.Even though the Vikings were 6-2 as they headed to the bye last year, we really weren’t sure what to make of them yet.Well Trae Waynes Jersey , at least I wasn’t quite sure. They had defeated one good team (New Orleans), lost to another (PIttsburgh), and had beaten a slew of mediocre to bad teams (the Green Bay win was the famous ‘Rodgers walks into A Barr game, and Brett Hundley took over). They were working with a backfield by committee and essentially a third string QB as well, so the vibe that team was giving off was a little different than the one the 2018 team currently has.But the game that made me think Minnesota had something going last year was their first game out of the bye, against, ironically enough, the Kirk Cousins-led Washington Redskins. At the time the ‘Skins were 4-4, playing at home, and very much in the discussion for a playoff spot. Minnesota’s historical performance in Washington is really up (Toby Gerhart goes HAM after AP had his knee shredded game in 2011) and down (Robert Griffith III is still running from 2012, Sam Bradford keeps getting sacked on the final drive from 2016). The Vikings took it to Washington early, opening up a 35-17 lead, and then managed to hold on as turnovers made the game closer than it should have. The Vikings managed to fight through that second half adversity, went on a game clinching drive in the fourth quarter, and won a big game.Sunday’s game has a similar feel for me. The Jets are 3-3, and rookie QB Sam Darnold looks like he’s a legit NFL starter so far. They’re holding their own in the AFC New England Division, and a win really gives them momentum heading into two big road games against the Bears and Dolphins.A convincing win by the Vikings and I think Minnesota is firmly back from the early season ups and downs, and will be riding a three game winning streak as they go home to face New Orleans and Detroit before their bye week.A loss? 3-3-1 probably means they’ll need to go 7-2 to get to 10-5-1 and assure themselves of a playoff spot and a home wildcard game. Would you have faith a 3-3-1 team with losses to two rookie QB’s could win seven of their last nine?I’m not sure I do. Happy Wednesday, everyone!We’ve made it to the peak of the week, it’s an easy downhill coast into the weekend, and the next big game for our beloved purple and gold. I hope they’re keeping their focus on Detroit, because we’ve seen the Lions dig deep and play well above their seasonal average when they play the Vikings. On paper, it looks to be one that the Vikings should be able to handle, but you can throw that paper out the window when it comes to divisional games, especially at this point in the season. It’s the end of the season, the Lions have nothing to lose, and they would like nothing more than to knock off a division rival who has their eye on the playoffs. So, the Vikes better be prepared Mackensie Alexander Jersey , and I am confident they will be. The Lions defense has had a decent year, they’re about at the middle of the pack in most statistical categories, with the pass defense slightly above average, and the run defense slightly below average. In a deviation from the norm, it’s their offense that has been hurting them, and that is mainly due to a rash of injuries. Their WR corps was bombarded with injuries early in the season, and it has shown in their production. The Vikings secondary is very good in coverage, so I expect to see Detroit try to get the ball out quickly. If they have Stafford sit back in the pocket waiting for a WR to get open, the defense may shatter that single game team sack record that they tied earlier this season. In looking through some stats, I see that the Vikings are 4 for 11 this year on field goals from 40-49 yards. That’s 36%. Might as well just go for it on 4th if the ball is between the 23 & 33 yard lines, the conversion % would likely be higher than 36%. They’ve also managed to miss at least one field goal in every 10-yard incremental category, with the exception of the 10-19 yard category. That’s right, we have not missed a field goal from 10-19 yards this year! We haven’t attempted one, either, but hey, no need to get bogged down in details, gotta celebrate the little victories. If we’re down by 2 points with 3 seconds left in a playoff game, and we line up for a 40 yard field goal to win it, I’m relatively certain that I’ll have a heart attack before he ever kicks it. My dying words will be something about kickers being the root of all evil.........and I’ll also likely blame Ponder, to the confusion of the attending paramedics.Around the DN since our last open thread:Luft Krigare posted Good Morning Gjallarhorn Episode 041 - In the Raw With the Grand Poobah.Ted takes a look at Brian O’Neill, who is quietly having a pretty good rookie year. That’s odd, I keep hearing doomsday laments by some fans who claim we have the worst O line in the NFL and that Cousins will soon break in half.MarkSP18 looks at which college players are future Vikings. The lucky ones, of course.Four Minnesota Vikings have been named to the Pro Bowl, per Chris.Also from Chris, Dalvin Cook has been nominated for the Week 15 FedEx Ground Player of the Week.Kyle Rudolph has a huge early lead in the voting for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, Chris has the details on how you can cast your vote.Vikings news from other sources and news from around the rest of the NFL:From FoxSports, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are nearing a milestone where they will join some elite company.At Vikings.com, David Carr looks at the film to see how the offense got back on track Laquon Treadwell Jersey , the guys on Move the Sticks preview the Vikings-Lions match-up, and there’s plenty more to sift through in the media vault.Interim HC Joe Philbin isn’t planning to sit Rogers for the final two games, likewise for Rivera and Cam in Carolina, per NFL.com.Ray Rice is speaking out against domestic violence, and although he’s done with football, is looking to make a difference, per ESPN. Good for him. You commit a wrong, you own it, you take steps to become better, and you move on. That’s all you can ask of someone.We come to today’s media selection:Alright Vikings, you had aspirations coming into the season, and you can still get there, so finish what you started.Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:No discussion of politics or religionNo feeding of the trollsThis isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the doorKeep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tagsNo pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employerIf you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go awayWhile navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasmWith that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up and tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, and try the offense. No really, it’s actually pretty good, we finally replaced the former chef.