http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/Kyle-Rudolph-Named-Vikings-Community-Man-of-Year/def4417f-8d87-4e13-83a9-f5b0ea355e75

Kyle Rudolph Named Vikings Community Man of Year

 Kyle Rudolph is the Minnesota Vikings nominee for the WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD, it was announced today. Representing the best of the NFL’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact, Rudolph was selected as the Vikings Man of the Year and is now eligible to win the national award. Considered one of the League’s most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field as well as excellence on the field.

Think I'm ready to give the 3 and take the road team, and the under (41)

NE (-11.5) vs Phish!! 

https://sports.bovada.lv/football/nfl/ga...rket-group

Minnesota Vikings (99.9 percent)Playoff kryptonite: The kicking game
I'm truly sorry, Vikings fans. I don't want to dredge up old wounds by bringing up kickers like Gary Anderson and Blair Walsh, but with the Vikings executing in all facets of the game right now, their biggest concern is what happens on special teams. Minnesota was 19th in special teams DVOA heading into Week 13, but most of its success has come via solid punting work. Kicker Kai Forbath has been 2.6 points below expectation on field goals and extra points, which is 21st in the NFL, and just 54 percent of Forbath's kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks, which is 21st among regular kickers.
No team has the ability to control whether a team is likely to hit or miss field goals against it, so it's probably more realistic to worry about places where Forbath is likely to encounter wind or weather issues. I'd be nervous about the 30-year-old kicking on the road against the Eagles and Seahawks. The Rams, meanwhile, have been a league-best 8.8 points above average on kick returns, with Pharoh Cooper averaging 28.7 yards per attempt and producing one of the league's three kick return scores this season.


http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21690...p-14-teams

than they scored against us over 60 minutes.

That is all.  


Oh, and go Falcons!

“I think there are probably six or seven teams that are good enough to go to the Super Bowl, and I think this team is certainly as good as any team playing right now. I think we’re rock-solid,” Tarkenton said. “Our defense is great. Our offensive line is so much better than a year ago. Our receivers are terrific. Even though we lost the great rookie running back [Dalvin] Cook, we’re getting [Latavius] Murray and [Jerick] McKinnon and the running backs we have are playing really, really well. Case Keenum is just playing lights out, my gosh.
“What you have to respect is Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater being well again, I think it’s great. He knows this is his team, but he got hurt. He is playing a great support role. He’s not a distraction. We’re lucky to have both of the quarterbacks.”
When asked if Keenum could lead this team to a Super Bowl, Tarkenton said there’s no doubt.
“Case Keenum is playing great, and he’s the hot hand and he deserves to play,” he said. “I think they can win a Super Bowl with Case Keenum, and I think they can win a Super Bowl with Teddy Bridgewater.”

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-quart...462421523/

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...concussion

See if the Saints can do without Kamara what the Vikings are doing without Cook

Keenum had a breakout game in his second start, a 34-17 victory against Tampa Bay in Week 3, completing 25 of 33 passes for 369 yards and three scores. It was his best statistical game of the season thus far, but he was still working to get more comfortable in the offense.
Shumur said that what has distinguished Keenum lately is his steady improvement.
“We knew he was a good player when he came here and our hopes were he could come in and back up,” Shurmur said. “But as we worked with him and he got a chance to go and work in games, you can see he’s a bona fide starter.
“You never can anticipate how good a guy is going to play, but he has done a tremendous job of leading our team, staying within himself, not trying to do too much, and he has played really, really good football.”
Shurmur said he hasn’t necessarily created new plays for Keenum but instead adjusts the offense to fit whoever is behind center.
“We’re running our offense that we have developed throughout the year,” Shurmur said. “I try to veer towards some of the plays that maybe fit him better than Sam, but not a lot of difference. We just try to kind of focus on the plays that [Keenum] does better.”
https://vikefans.com/discussion/#/post/d...e-longship

He’s already tripled his production from Sunday just in the first quarter. The Vikes D is legit. 

For the better part of a decade, left tackle Matt Kalil battled right defensive end Everson Griffen in practices at USC and with the Vikings. Now they’re ready to meet for the first time in a game.
Kalil left the Vikings as a free agent in March to sign a five-year, $55.5 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. They play host to Minnesota  at noon Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
On Thursday, Kalil offered a bit of a challenge to Griffen, who is fourth in the NFL with 12 sacks. Kalil noted that he often wasn’t healthy in final few seasons with the Vikings.
“I’ve played against (Griffen) a lot, but a lot of those practices I wasn’t 100 percent; I was injured,” Kalil told reporters in Charlotte. “So this will be a little bit different from my point of view as far as the things that I can do. I’ll definitely get after it, and I’ll probably be a different guy than (the Vikings were) used to the past few years.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/07/pan...h-vikings/

The Minnesota Vikings rank second in the NFL in both total yards and points this season. If they finish there, it will be the highest spot of Mike Zimmer’s tenure in Minnesota, improving on top-five defensive rankings from the previous two seasons.
As the Vikings get set to face the Carolina Panthers on the road, Ron Rivera – a defensive coach himself – said he’s impressed by the growth of Zimmer’s defense.

“I will say this: In the last couple of years, you’ve noticed that they’ve gotten progressively better,” Rivera said. “They’re very consistent. They are a very aggressive, attacking defense. But the hallmark will be if they win their division, win in the playoffs and get themselves to the Super Bowl, I think people will talk about them in the same breath as a the really great defenses.”
Rivera credited the Vikings’ talent on the defensive side with their continued improvement. Last year, Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith all went to the Pro Bowl and Danielle Hunter, who had 12.5 sacks last season, was left off the Pro Bowl roster.
“I love the personnel, I think they’ve done a really nice job, I think Rick Spielman’s done a great job with the personnel,” Rivera said. “I think what coach [Zimmer] has done in terms of developing it, getting to understand and have a feel for what they do.”
The Panthers’ head coach was particularly complimentary of the Vikings’ secondary, which sports the No. 1 safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus rankings in Smith.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...ng-better/