The season ended just the most appropriate way possible: with a loss featuring dumb penalties, inconsistent play, and a not-quite-NFL-record-setting sack total from Jared Allen, the only Viking going to the Pro Bowl this year.
Tom Pelissero is predicting some swift changes in the coaching staff now that the season is done, almost certainly starting with the firing (or demotion) of defensive co-ordinator Fred Pagac:
Oh, well: finished the season tied for 33rd spot in the AoSHQ pool. If the Vikings had developed the habit of covering the spread, I’d have finished at least ten spots higher in the pool. I’m reminded of the very first football pool I ever entered (I won third prize, which slightly more than repaid my weekly contributions): the winner knew almost nothing about football but she decided her picks based on the colour of the teams’ uniforms or the interest she had in visiting the two competing cities. I should say also that she won in a walk: several points ahead of the number two player who was a football fanatic (I don’t know if he ever really got over the loss).
√ Detroit 41 @Green Bay 45
√ San Francisco 34 @St. Louis 27
√ @Miami 19 New York (NYJ) 17
∅ @Minnesota 13 Chicago 17
√ @New England 49 Buffalo 21
√ @New Orleans 45 Carolina 17
∅ @Philadelphia 34 Washington 10
√ @Jacksonville 19 Indianapolis 13
∅ Tennessee 23 @Houston 22
√ @Atlanta 45 Tampa Bay 24
√ Baltimore 24 @Cincinnati 16
√ @Cleveland 9 Pittsburgh 13
∅ @Denver 3 Kansas City 7
∅ @Oakland 26 San Diego 38
√ @Arizona 23 Seattle 20
∅ @New York (NYG) 31 Dallas 14
This week: 10-6 (8-8 against the spread)
Regular season: 152-104 (120-126 against the spread: 10 pushes)
I’m hoping for a strong finish to the regular season, although I’m trailing the leaders in the AoSHQ pool pretty badly now. While I always pick Minnesota to win, this would be a good week — for draft positioning anyway — for them not to win against the Bears. If they lose today, the worst they’d be in the 2012 draft would be third: if they win, they could drop several spots.
Detroit vs @Green Bay (3.5) Sun 1:00
San Francisco vs @St. Louis (10.5) Sun 1:00
@Miami vs New York (NYJ) (2.5) Sun 1:00
@Minnesota vs Chicago (1.0) Sun 1:00
@New England vs Buffalo (11.0) Sun 1:00
@New Orleans vs Carolina (8.0) Sun 1:00
@Philadelphia vs Washington (8.5) Sun 1:00
@Jacksonville vs Indianapolis (3.5) Sun 1:00
Tennessee vs @Houston (3.0) Sun 1:00
@Atlanta vs Tampa Bay (12.0) Sun 1:00
Baltimore vs @Cincinnati (2.0) Sun 4:15
@Cleveland vs Pittsburgh (0) Sun 4:15
@Denver vs Kansas City (3.5) Sun 4:15
@Oakland vs San Diego (3.0) Sun 4:15
@Arizona vs Seattle (3.0) Sun 4:15
@New York (NYG) vs Dallas (3.0) Sun 8:30
Last week: 11-5 (9-7 against the spread)
Season to date 142-98
With the final regular season game tomorrow, the Vikings will close up shop until the run-up to the draft. John Holler looks at the current roster and points to obvious areas of need that must be addressed before the start of the 2012 NFL season.
A good outing this week, but still not enough to move me very far back up the leaderboard in the AoSHQ pool. I’m now sharing 34th spot with two others (15 points behind the group leader).
∅ Houston 16 @Indianapolis 19
∅ Denver 14 @Buffalo 40
√ @Cincinnati 23 Arizona 16
∅ @Tennessee 23 Jacksonville 17
√ @Kansas City 13 Oakland 16
√ @New England 27 Miami 24
∅ @New York (NYJ) 14 New York (NYG) 29
√ @Pittsburgh 27 St. Louis 0
√ @Washington 26 Minnesota 33
√ @Carolina 48 Tampa Bay 16
√ @Baltimore 20 Cleveland 14
√ @Detroit 38 San Diego 10
∅ @Dallas 7 Philadelphia 20
√ San Francisco 19 @Seattle 17
√ @Green Bay 35 Chicago 21
√ @New Orleans 45 Atlanta 16
This week: 11-5 (9-7 against the spread)
Season to date 142-98
The game at Washington was never going to change much in the playoff picture: neither team is going to the post-season this year, but both teams were playing for pride. In the end, the Vikings won despite losing their starting quarterback and all-world running back on sequential plays. The win was a bit of a palliative for a doomed season, but the injury to Adrian Peterson sets next season into question.
Christopher Gates dips into his history texts to find the best way to describe yesterday’s game:
Pyrrhic victory (PIR-ik VIK-tuh-ree) n. A victory that is offset by staggering losses
The term “phyrric victory” is named after King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who did battle with the Romans in the Battle of Heraclea in 280 B.C. and the Battle of Asculum in 279 B.C. In both battles, the Romans suffered greater casualties than Pyrrhus’ army did. . .however, the Romans had a significantly larger base from which to draw troops. So, in essence, Pyrrhus’ victories came at too high a price, as he even went so far as to say that another such victory would be his undoing.
That’s pretty much what we saw today at FedEx Field in Washington, D.C., as the Minnesota Vikings fought like hell when it would have been easy to roll over, and got themselves a 33-26 victory over the Washington Redskins. The victory guarantees that they will a) not be the single-worst team in Minnesota Vikings’ history in terms of win-loss record, and b) no longer eligible for the top overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
While I still think Christian Ponder will develop into a good, dependable NFL quarterback, I’ve been a fan of Joe Webb since he was drafted. I’m delighted to see that he is getting the opportunity to showcase his diverse skill set, and I’d be even happier if the team can work him into games more regularly.
It’s inexplicable why Indianapolis even tried to win Thursday night’s game, unless it’s a psychological ploy to play with the heads of fans in St. Louis and Minnesota (who suddenly have slightly more than a mathematical chance at the top pick in the 2012 draft due to the Colt’s unexpected win). Didn’t they get the message that they were supposed to “suck for Luck”?
∅ Houston 16 @Indianapolis 19
Denver vs @Buffalo (3.0) Sat 1:00
@Cincinnati vs Arizona (4.0) Sat 1:00
@Tennessee vs Jacksonville (7.5) Sat 1:00
@Kansas City vs Oakland (1.5) Sat 1:00
@New England vs Miami (9.5) Sat 1:00
@New York (NYJ) vs New York (NYG) (3.0) Sat 1:00
@Pittsburgh vs St. Louis (0) Sat 1:00
@Washington vs Minnesota (6.5) Sat 1:00
@Carolina vs Tampa Bay (7.5) Sat 1:00
@Baltimore vs Cleveland (13.0) Sat 1:00
@Detroit vs San Diego (2.5) Sat 4:05
@Dallas vs Philadelphia (2.0) Sat 4:15
San Francisco vs @Seattle (2.5) Sat 4:15
@Green Bay vs Chicago (13.0) Sat 8:20
@New Orleans vs Atlanta (6.5) Mon 8:30
Last week: 6-10 (6-10 against the spread)
Season to date 131-94 (including Thursday’s result)
Early game results (which seemed to augur well for the rest of the picks):
√ @Atlanta 41 Jacksonville 14
√ Dallas 31 @Tampa Bay 15
The Sunday and Monday games (which totally contradicted the auguries):
√ @Buffalo 23 Miami 30
√ @Chicago 14 Seattle 38
∅ Tennessee 13 @Indianapolis 27
∅ Green Bay 14 @Kansas City 19
√ Cincinnati 20 @St. Louis 13
∅ New Orleans 42 @Minnesota 20
∅ @New York (NYG) 10 Washington 23
∅ @Houston 13 Carolina 28
∅ Detroit 28 @Oakland 27
∅ New England 41 @Denver 23
∅ @Philadelphia 45 New York (NYJ) 19
√ @Arizona 20 Cleveland 17
∅ Baltimore 14 @San Diego 34
∅ @San Francisco 20 Pittsburgh 3
Last week: 6-10 (6-10 against the spread)
Season to date 131-93
A few weeks ago, I said “If you really want to have your team’s quarterback enjoy an early Christmas gift, there’s nothing better than setting up a date with the Minnesota Vikings pass defence: your quarterback’s stats will improve dramatically after just one game!” I also predicted “Next week, it’ll be Drew Brees racking up a personal best passing performance for the New Orleans Saints.”
Perhaps I should go into the predicting-the-future business:
Drew Brees’ performance against the Vikings on Sunday wasn’t just brilliant, it was historically brilliant. According to the experts at NFL.com (via @DanBarreiroKFAN), Brees on Sunday became the first QB in NFL history with a game of 400+ yards, 5+ TDs and an 80%+ completion rate with no INTs. In other words, Brees’ gashing of the Vikings’ defense today was arguably the most incredible such mauling in the entire long and storied history of professional football.
Update: To say that the Vikings secondary is awful is merely acknowledging reality:
Here is Quarterback A: 69.1 completion percentage; 31 TD passes, 6 INTs; 110.8 passer rating.
Here is Quarterback B: 71.5 completion percentage; 37 TD passes, 11 INTs; 109.1 passer rating.
Quarterback B is Brees. Quarterback A is a combination of everyone who has thrown a pass against the Vikings this season. Yes, that includes Brees and Aaron Rodgers (twice), who are having phenomenal years.
But essentially the Conglomorate known as Quarterback A is having — at the very least — a Pro Bowl season. And if you want to go deeper, the 110.8 rating would be the 8th-best single-season passer rating in NFL history were it one QB. So you could say QBA is having an historic season.
Update, the second: Christopher Gates on the toxic waste pit masquerading as the secondary:
If Sean Payton had wanted Brees to throw for six hundred yards and seven touchdowns, he could have, and there wouldn’t have been a damn thing that the Vikings could have done about it. Because this might be the worst secondary in Vikings’ history. Worse than the Willie Teal years. . .worse than the Wasswa Serwanga/Robert Tate years. . .worse than any collection of secondary players in the 51 seasons that the Minnesota Vikings have been playing football.
Of all the current defensive backs on the Vikings roster, I can’t think of a single one that should feel confident that they’re even going to be on the team next season, let alone playing a significant role. That may sound like hyperbole, but I’m really not sure that it is. I mean, I don’t count Antoine Winfield in that, because he’s done for the year, but really. . .and nobody’s a bigger Winfield fan than I am. . .the guy turns 36 before camp next season. How long can you rely on him?
Chris Cook? The odds are just as good that he’ll be in prison in Week One of the 2012 NFL season than they are that he’ll be in the NFL. Husain Abdullah? Possibly, but now he’s fighting a concussion, and you can never really gauge how well a guy is going to come back from that. Outside of that, there is not one guy in this secondary that should be under the impression that their job is secure. Hell, right now our best defensive back. . .by a significant margin. . .is Benny Sapp, a guy that was watching games at home on his couch three weeks ago.
Update, 20 December: This picture explains why it’s a bad idea for Minnesota to try to come up with trick plays:
Yep. That’s Joe Webb, backup quarterback, faking a hand-off to Christian Ponder, starting quarterback. On a team that includes Adrian Peterson, the best running back in football. I loved this comment at the Daily Norseman from dsludo:
CP7 and Musgrave convo
CP7: What’s the play call?
BM: Derp
CP7 What are you talking about coach?
BM: Derp Derpity Derp
CP7: Fuck it, I’ll be the running back
BM: Derpity Herpity Derp
CP7: Webb you shotgun this shit. AP get back to the sidelines where you belong, while fucking over everyone’s fantasy team. Loadholt pretend you’re an NFL caliber Olineman.
Ready break.
CP7: Damn coach that didn’t work
BM: Derp it again
CP7: Seriously?
BM: Do I look serious, I SAID DERP IT AGAIN BITCH.
Thursday was a good day, even if I forgot to post my early predictions:
√ @Atlanta 41 Jacksonville 14
√ Dallas 31 @Tampa Bay 15
I hope I can do as well in the remaining games:
@Buffalo vs Miami (0) Sun 1:00
@Chicago vs Seattle (3.5) Sun 1:00
Tennessee vs @Indianapolis (6.5) Sun 1:00
Green Bay vs @Kansas City (14.0) Sun 1:00
Cincinnati vs @St. Louis (6.0) Sun 1:00
New Orleans vs @Minnesota (7.0) Sun 1:00
@New York (NYG) vs Washington (7.0) Sun 1:00
@Houston vs Carolina (6.5) Sun 1:00
Detroit vs @Oakland (1.0) Sun 4:05
New England vs @Denver (6.5) Sun 4:15
@Philadelphia vs New York (NYJ) (3.0) Sun 4:15
@Arizona vs Cleveland (7.0) Sun 4:15
Baltimore vs @San Diego (2.5) Sun 8:20
@San Francisco vs Pittsburgh (0) Mon 8:30
Last week: 9-7 (5-11 against the spread)
Season to date 127-83
An okay week straight-up, but another terrible set of picks against the spread. I’ve tumbled all the way down to a seven-way tie for 35th spot in the AoSHQ pool, 15 points behind the group leader. I’m starting to suspect that I won’t be able to make up much of that deficit before the end of the regular season . . .
√ @Pittsburgh 14 Cleveland 3
√ @Cincinnati 19 Houston 20
∅ @Detroit 34 Minnesota 28
√ New Orleans 22 @Tennessee 17
∅ @Miami 10 Philadelphia 26
√ @New York (NYJ) 37 Kansas City 10
√ New England 34 @Washington 27
∅ Atlanta 31 @Carolina 23
∅ @Jacksonville 41 Tampa Bay 14
√ @Baltimore 24 Indianapolis 10
√ @Denver 13 Chicago 10
∅ San Francisco 19 @Arizona 21
√ @Green Bay 46 Oakland 16
√ @San Diego 37 Buffalo 10
∅ @Dallas 34 New York (NYG) 37
∅ @Seattle 30 St. Louis 13
This week: 9-7 (5-11 against the spread)
Season to date 125-83
The game seemed to be getting out of hand on the Vikings’ very first play: a defender got past Phil Loadholt to hit quarterback Christian Ponder before Ponder had any idea he was there and stripped the ball away. The ball bounced into the end-zone and Detroit recovered for the touchdown. The Lions continued to build on their lead, getting to 21-0 before the Vikings could put together a scoring drive of their own.
Between interceptions and fumbles, Detroit scored 24 points off turnovers, most of them unforced. Things were going so badly for Christian Ponder that he was replaced with backup Joe Webb early in the second half. That upset the defensive scheme that Detroit had been using (Ponder can run, but is still limited with a hip injury — Webb is an even better runner than Ponder), allowing the Vikings to mount a comeback that almost succeeded. The last play of the game saw the Vikings on Detroit’s 1-yard line, only to fumble away the ball which Detroit finally recovered fifty yards upfield.
Thursday’s game was a bit disappointing (for me), as Pittsburgh didn’t cover the spread (bad for my AoSHQ pool) but they did win (which is good for straight-up):
√ @Pittsburgh 14 Cleveland 3
Remaining games:
@Cincinnati vs Houston (3.0) Sun 1:00
@Detroit vs Minnesota (0) Sun 1:00
New Orleans vs @Tennessee (3.5) Sun 1:00
@Miami vs Philadelphia (0) Sun 1:00
@New York (NYJ) vs Kansas City (9.0) Sun 1:00
New England vs @Washington (8.0) Sun 1:00
Atlanta vs @Carolina (2.5) Sun 1:00
@Jacksonville vs Tampa Bay (0) Sun 1:00
@Baltimore vs Indianapolis (16.5) Sun 1:00
@Denver vs Chicago (3.5) Sun 4:05
San Francisco vs @Arizona (4.0) Sun 4:05
@Green Bay vs Oakland (11.0) Sun 4:15
@San Diego vs Buffalo (7.0) Sun 4:15
@Dallas vs New York (NYG) (3.5) Sun 8:20
@Seattle vs St. Louis (0) Mon 8:30
Last week: 10-6 (8-8 against the spread)
Season to date 117-76
If you really want to have your team’s quarterback enjoy an early Christmas gift, there’s nothing better than setting up a date with the Minnesota Vikings pass defence: your quarterback’s stats will improve dramatically after just one game!
The Vikings head to Detroit to challenge the Lions’ fifth-ranked passing attack with a depleted secondary that’s been embarrassing the past seven games.
How embarrassing?
Well, for starters, it’s allowed quarterbacks to complete 71 percent of their passes with 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. And the Vikings have one of the best pass rushes in the league.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the Vikings have used four left cornerbacks, three free safeties and been forced to use nine different combinations in the secondary.
“We talked in depth about it the last couple of days and what we can do to try and help our guys on the back end,” Frazier said Wednesday. “We’ll try some things. You can only do what you can do, but we’ll try to offset what’s happening with some of the quarterbacks that we’re facing. This is a pass offense that we’re facing (on Sunday).
This week’s lucky recipient of a possibly career record passing game? None other than Detroit’s Matthew Stafford. Next week, it’ll be Drew Brees racking up a personal best passing performance for the New Orleans Saints.
A mediocre result against the spread, but it moved me up a couple of spots in the AoSHQ pool . . . all the way to a three-way tie for 27th spot. I’ll need some really good selections to move back up toward the top of the pool in the last few weeks of the season.
√ Philadelphia 14 @Seattle 31
∅ @Buffalo 17 Tennessee 23
∅ @Chicago 3 Kansas City 10
√ @Miami 34 Oakland 14
∅ @Minnesota 32 Denver 35
√ @New England 31 Indianapolis 24
√ @Pittsburgh 35 Cincinnati 7
∅ @Tampa Bay 19 Carolina 38
∅ New York (NYJ) 34 @Washington 19
√ Atlanta 10 @Houston 17
√ Baltimore 24 @Cleveland 10
√ Green Bay 38 @New York 35
∅ Dallas 13 @Arizona 19
√ @San Francisco 26 St. Louis 0
√ @New Orleans 31 Detroit 17
√ San Diego 38 @Jacksonville 14
This week: 10-6 (8-8 against the spread)
Season to date 116-76
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