7 Reasons to stop watching the Vikings Season and 1 Reason to Continue

First of all, I'd like to point out that this season has gone almost EXACTLY as I predicted nearly a month ago.

We had an electric game 1, a no-offense game 2 loss, a game 3 win (albeit not boring) and a should-have-won loss to Detroit.

Granted, I did not predict that we would lose both Bradford AND Cook, but I think all Vikings fans go into every season knowing full well that everything bad that can possibly happen probably will happen. (You might have to read that sentence twice.)

All that being said, I have the Vikings beating Chicago in a super boring game. It will probably be close, but there will continue to be very little offense, and Vikings will win because of the defense.

Vikings 19 - Bears 10

And now....7 Reasons to Stop Watching the Vikings

1. We all know how this season is going to end, and that ending does NOT include the playoffs.

2. No Cook. Let's face it. Cook is what made this season exciting. We won't see him again.

3. Quarterbacks: Even if Bradford comes back, he will probably get hurt again.

4. Worth watching just for the awesome defense? Nope. Nothing is worse than watching great defense nullified by horrific offense.

5. The 7-9 to 9-7 season will keep you constantly trying to convince yourself that we might make the playoffs, only to dash your hopes in the final three weeks.

6. Looking at Cook and Bridgewater both wearing street clothes will make you cry on a weekly basis.

7. It's week 5 and we're already talking about next year.

One Reason to keep watching

1. We're Vikings fans. Watching everything fall apart on a yearly basis, while still remaining true to our team is what makes us the greatest fans in the NFL.

A Emotional Night for Vikings Fans

Vikings fans have had a lot of emotional nights over the past two decades, and that's usually been a bad thing (3 NFC championship losses and a LOT of terrible Monday and Thursday night games).

But Monday night was the good kind of emotion.

First, it was a night to honor the great Randy Moss, who stole our hearts in '98 and caught the attention of the rest of the football world. It was also an emotional time for Moss, himself. That video choked me up a little too, and this highlight reel gave me goosebumps all over.

Second, we had the return of Adrian Peterson to US Bank Stadium...in a different jersey. It was strange and a little sad, but Dalvin Cook helped ease any sadness. In some ways, it was the perfect game for Adrian, because Vikings fans were never really worried about cheering against him. In fact, toward the end, a little part of me almost wanted to see him break for a big TD...just for old times sake. In the end, it was just nice to see his face again and remember the good ol' days.

Third, the Vikings absolutely annihilated the team that cheated their way to a NFC championship eight years ago. It's always a little emotional to play the Saints, and I love to watch them lose.

Lastly, it was pretty special to see a Vikings team light up the stadium BOTH through the air and on the ground. It really was an ode to the '98 team.

Three Observations from the game

It was extremely fun while it lasted, but come Sunday, Vikings fans will probably be hit with a big dose of reality. Not necessarily a loss -- just reality. This team is not the 1998 Vikings, and we saw that Monday night.

1. The Saints were really bad. This one wasn't hard to overlook. The young defense looked totally confused out there, and they made things even worse for themselves by committing costly penalties. Don't count on playing that bad of defenses all year long.

2. Our defense wasn't amazing. True, we held Drew Brees to a single touchdown (and we were obviously playing soft defense at that point), but the Saints marched down the field fairly easily four times. Luckily, we were able to hold them to field goals. If Aaron Rodgers marches down the field that easily, he is scoring touchdowns.

3. Missed extra point. You know how when you were a kid, touchdowns were worth 7 points, simply because the extra point was a gimme? In fact, I'm pretty sure back in 1998, they went to commercial, because the commercials were more exciting than the kick. Not today. At least not for the Vikings. How hard is it to kick a field goal?! It's literally your only job!

4. Sam Bradford. The guy looked like a #1 draft pick Monday night. He was poised, accurate and even showed the slightest bit of mobility when the pocket collapsed. And maybe we shouldn't be surprised. There's a lot on the line for Sam this year. A good season should secure him a starting job somewhere in the league next year. A great season just might land him a major contract in Minnesota with a young team putting the pieces in place to be a playoff team for the duration of that contract.

In Conclusion
If anything, I think Monday night might have confirmed that we are not the heaven-forbid kind of team I described in my last article. This team has weapons, and if they can stay healthy, they should, at minimum, be an exciting team to watch.

Three Possible Outcomes for the Season...Plus Season Record Prediction

BOOM...The season has begun!

Well...almost. Vikings fans have to wait one more day, but for a Monday night bout against A.P. and the team that cheated their way to a Super Bowl (I still think they deserve an * on that trophy), I'd say it's worth the wait.

As you twiddle your thumbs, bounce your knee or pee your pants in anticipation for Monday's game, I thought I'd provide three possible outcomes for the 2017 season. Let's call them the heaven-forbid woeful season, the miracle season and the probable season.

1.Miracle Season

"Favre back to pass, pumps to the left. Eight seconds left. He gets away from the pressure. Fires to the endzooooooone. It's caught! It's Greg Lewis! TOUCHDOWN! Oh my heavens!"

It was game 3 of the 2009 season that we all knew there was something magical about the Favre-led Vikings. The Vikings will need that same kind of magic to make a playoff run this year.

I'm talking Dalvin Cook has to run in a way that makes us say, "Adrian, who?" Sam Bradford needs to show us why he was picked #1 overall in 2010, instead of taking the sack the moment his first chuck-down option isn't available. And our defense needs to play like they did the first five games of last season.

None of this is out of the question. Cook probably won't pull a Kareem Hunt in game one, but he could deliver a special season, especially if Bradford is able to prove to defenses that he can throw. And while our defense isn't identical to last year -- it's close enough.

If all three of these come together for the bulk of the season...Sam Bradford and company could have some serious home field advantage in February.

Chances of this happening: 12%

2. Heaven-forbid Season

This one is pretty simple. Basically, if you watched the preseason...that's how the regular season team looks. The Vikings habitually fail to score TDs in the red zone.

This is a solid football team that could easily go 6-10 by kicking field goal after field goal. While this would be great for my fantasy team, field goals aren't enough to beat most the teams on the Vikings schedule.

Couple this with a defense that takes a step back without Munnerlyn and Greenway and the Vikings are in trouble.

Chances of this happening: 24%

3. Probable Season

Here's my prediction for this season. I think we have a much better running game, a similar passing game and a slightly worse defense.

A lot of 20-17 sorts of games making for a kind of boring season. One big upset victory. Two losses with time-expiring field goals by the other team.

Chances of this happening: 64%

Vikings Season Prediction

Week 1 (vs Saints): Electric game at home. Everyone says, "Whoa. These Vikings are legit. Win.
Week 2 (at Steelers): No offense. Everyone says, "Nevermind." Loss.
Week 3 (vs Bucs): An ugly...Win.
Week 4 (vs Lions): Deja vu from last season. A shoulda-won... Loss.
Week 5 (at Bears): Vikings take care of business in a boring game. Win.
Week 6 (vs Packers): The game that makes the whole season worth watching. Win.
Week 7 (vs Ravens): Back on track. Win.
Week 8 (at Browns): Rolling now...Win.
Week 9: NOT GOING ON VACATION
Week 10 (at Redskins): Hangover...Loss.
Week 11 (vs Rams): Back on track. Win.
Week 12 (at Lions): A new era has begun where the Lions always beat the Vikings. Loss.
Week 13 (at Falcons): Too distracted by the shiny new stadium. Loss.
Week 14 (at Panthers): The long road stretch really gets to us. Loss.
Week 15 (vs Bengals): A fairly fun game. Win.
Week 16 (at Packers): Don't bother interrupting your Christmas plans. Loss.
Week 17 (vs Bears): Out of the playoffs, so nobody really cares...Win.

Final Prediction: 9-7. I mean, come on, playing the Super Bowl in our own stadium was too good to be true.

That being said...there's still a 12% chance we go to the Super Bowl so...you never know.

An Open Letter to Vikings Bandwagon Fans

Let me tell you a story

I'll keep it quite brief
About a fan of Minnesota
Who gives me much grief.

He jumped and he cheered
When Moss and Carter played
But then he ditched the purple team
When Ponder, too long, had stayed.

He gave up his Sundays
For more free time and naps
He didn't suffer the 13 losses
Oh that terrible collapse!

Yet with eyebrow raised
He did eye Teddy last year
His heart did pump a little
When AP put it in third gear.

These aren't your Vikings
My dear friend of old
You gave up that right in 2013
When you abandoned the Purple and Gold.

You may jump the Vikings bandwagon
You may fill your whole houses with cheers
But the glory belongs to the boys and the girls
Who did suffer so long with blood sweat and tears.

The Mediocrity that is Minnesota

Sorry new posts haven't shown up for a while. I was trying to emulate the Vikings offense.

It's frusterating. Every season I look at the Vikings roster, and I make myself believe that greatness lies therein. And every year I am blown away by mediocrity. There's always some good things (at the moment it's our defense holding teams below 20 points consistently). There's always something bad - offense. Okay, maybe it's not bad. But after watching Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning consistently destroy defenses, I don't feel so wrong using the word "bad."

Okay, I leave the depression behind me. There. It's gone. Let's move on.

Week 9 - Washington Redskins

This is a must-win.

As in...it's absolutely vital. It's not one of those games that we call must-wins and then next week say was actually more of a should-win. It's a MUST win, as in if we lose we might as well pack our bags, might as well start watching the Timberwolves, might as well take a nap on Sunday afternoons kind of must win.

When the season began, I predicted we would be 4-4, on our way to a 9-7 season. At 3-5, we are only one game behind that, but it could make all the difference. A 9-7 post-season ticket is very plausible. 8-8 is much less likely.

Facing the 3-5 Redskins team from Washington will be no picnic as they come off an exciting win in Dallas. That being said, it's also an extremely winable game.

Thoughts and Predictions

Thought 1: The Vikings need to thrive in two areas - quarterback pressure and special teams. With our offense struggling like it is, we need to win the game of field position. And  we need to keep RGIII on his back.

Thought 2: A win puts the Vikings at 4-5 going into their bye. With some key losses in the NFC, this could place the Vikings well within wild-card position going into their final 7 games - 5 of which are definitely winable.

Prediction:
In an evenly-matched game, the Vikings defense comes away with three turnovers, leading the way to a 24-20 victory.

Reaction to Last Night's "Game"

As A Famous Woman Once Said: Shake It Off
Last night's game was ugly. But it really doesn't matter much. Thursday night football has been a curse to the Vikings since it's inception. The Packers are a really tough team to beat at hom (on a short week). And Christian Ponder had three days to learn how to run a brand new offense. You can't even harp on turnovers too much becase...again....Christian Ponder. I wouldn't even write off our home game against the Pack as a loss, because the Vikings just stunk yesterday. It wasn't some grand display of talent from the green.

What you SHOULD Feel Bad About
The only thing I feel bad about is the fact that Christian Ponder had the world watching him last night - a.k.a future employers looking for a backup quarterback thinking, "Huh, maybe this Christian kid does have a future stil....wait...nope....ouch....nevermind." Ponder gave the Vikings some great games - even a playoff run. I hate to see him slowly fade like this. Sorry Christian, Minnesota isn't a great state for quarterbacks...or running backs.

My Advice
Pretend it didn't happen. Pray for Teddy.

Pull Out Your Old Jerseys - Ponder is BACK...Maybe

With the game 28-27 in the fourth quarter, I was terrified that the Vikings were falling apart because of me, and that my 31-27 prediction would come true. Thankfully it did not, and the Vikings won their way to a 2-2 record.

Reaons Why Falcons Win Was So Big (Based on my last post)
1. Teddy: What else is there to say. The kid is 21 and plays like a veteran
2. The Running Game: Some people have said, "No AP, no problem." I wouldn't quite go that far, but with no AP, guys McKinnon sure are stepping up. Performances like that make the loss of AP a little easier to swallow.
3. The Red Zone: Besides the field goal before halftime, I was pleased. But come on. You have to give that ball right tback to McKinnon - or at least Assiata.
4. Patterson: Apparently he's just not going to be a razzel dazzle guy. Oh well. Maybe we don'tt need that with Bridgewater.
5. My Wife's Stomach: Still no baby.

Overal, an amazing win. So many things to be excited about.

Quick Look at Tonight's Game
1. Christian Ponder: It makes me laugh. After all we did to put him at #3, Ponder may have found a way to start one of the biggest games of the season. Considering skipping the game if he starts? I wouldnl't. Ponder actually has a decent record against the Pack (including a major win to send the Vikings to the playoffs in 2012).

2. Defense: Christian Ponder isn't going to score 41 points, so the Packers can't score 38. Our defense needs to hold the Packers to 27 if we hope to win this one.

3. Turnover: We need at least turnovers and a clean game on our end to pull this one off.

PREDICTION: Packers win 34-23. BUT....I wouldn't be surprised if the Vikings pull off one of their best performances in years. My prediction stands, but I just have a hunch.