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Since the Vikings lost at Carolina, the defense has allowed just one offensive touchdown. Sunday, the Bears' offense produced zero points.Perhaps only Vikings fans could enjoy these words Sunday in the land of frozen nostrils:
The door is wide open.
With a 23-10 victory over the Chicago Bears on a frigid New Year’s Eve, the Vikings earned the second seed in the NFC playoffs, while the top seed, the Philadelphia Eagles, watched their quarterback throw the football as if it were soaked in cheesesteak grease and filled with shattered dreams.
Whether the Vikings are the best team in the NFC remains to be determined, but at the very least they appear to be the best team in the NFC with a high-functioning quarterback and a first-round bye. If the road to the Super Bowl runs through Philadelphia, the Vikings shouldn’t mind taking one more chartered flight to play for an invitation to their own stadium for Super Bowl LII.
The Vikings are the team to beat in the NFC.
Whether you view that as beneficial depends on whether your memory reaches past October 2017.
“I’m proud of this team,’’ Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “Thirteen wins is hard to get.’’
This being the land of wind chills and worriers, it is not contradictory to celebrate the second 13-victory regular season in franchise history, acknowledge that the Vikings dismantled their last three opponents, and ask whether they are properly primed for the playoffs...
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-are-t...467460633/
“We rode our defense the whole season,’’ receiver Adam Thielen said. “As an offense, we’ve got to take the pressure off of them.’’
That was the truest sentence spoken in the locker room Sunday afternoon. The offense has performed efficiently but cautiously the last three weeks. The Vikings haven’t played a good team since they lost at Carolina on Dec. 10, and haven’t beaten a good team since they were in Atlanta on Dec. 3.
By the time they play in their first playoff, the Vikings will have gone more than a month without trailing or needing to make a winning play on offense. In that time, they have made few big plays downfield, and on Sunday, the Bears gave Vikings quarterback Case Keenum trouble early in the game by blitzing and stunting to free rushers up the middle.
Keenum is an expert scrambler who throws well on the run. He’s also relatively short for an NFL quarterback and has trouble seeing over up-the-middle rushers. Expect to see defenses learn from the Bears.
“I thought we missed some things,’’ Zimmer said of Keenum, before praising his overall performance.
If you’re keen on franchise history, the Vikings’ new status as conference favorites may worry you. They have won one playoff game in the last 13 years and have lost their last five conference championship games.
“The last five years, one of the two teams that had the bye represented the NFC in the Super Bowl,’’ Zimmer said. “So that’s big.’’
Zimmer wasn’t hiding his ambition. When you win 13 games, there isn’t much use.
The Vikings are the team to beat in the NFC. In January, we’ll find out whether they can handle that kind of pressure.
I see the Rams as very dangerous. Yes, we beat them 24-7, but it was close until the 4th quarter. The Saints only bother me because their offense can light a fire, but their defense is pretty bad. Carolina can and should be beaten. Atlanta is not really very good. Philadelphia is in full retreat. Good defense, no offense under Foles.
We should be the favorites, but that doesn't mean we are a lock.
Minnesota should be the favorite to take it in the NFC. Legitimately. Crazy to say, but its the truth. The margins are slim in the NFC because its stacked, but no team has gotten what it needs more consistently in all kinds of situations than Minnesota.
Zimmer is right: one of the 2 bye teams in each conference have a strong shot to get to the Superbowl....who seems like the surer bet: Philly or Minnesota?
Yep. Buckle in, its going to be fun.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
Minnesota should be the favorite to take it in the NFC. Legitimately. Crazy to say, but its the truth. The margins are slim in the NFC because its stacked, but no team has gotten what it needs more consistently in all kinds of situations than Minnesota.
Zimmer is right: one of the 2 bye teams in each conference have a strong shot to get to the Superbowl....who seems like the surer bet: Philly or Minnesota?
Yep. Buckle in, its going to be fun.
This...Regardless of outcome in the playoffs, its been a hell of a ride and as fans, all we can ask for is a franchise with a chance to win.
We got that this January. I would not want to play the Vikings.
They get some much needed rest and us fans get a stress-free wildcard NFL weekend upcoming! <3
Quote: @Tom Moore said:
I see the Rams as very dangerous. Yes, we beat them 24-7, but it was close until the 4th quarter. The Saints only bother me because their offense can light a fire, but their defense is pretty bad. Carolina can and should be beaten. Atlanta is not really very good. Philadelphia is in full retreat. Good defense, no offense under Foles.
We should be the favorites, but that doesn't mean we are a lock.
Agreed - that game could have gone quite differently, but we ended-up owning them. I would be shocked if the The Falcons ended-up winning that game next week.
Fully expecting a rematch with the Rams and then we can post-up all the old films of the Vikings owning their asses. It will be a tough game against a very good opponent.
It is tough to beat teams twice in a year, but not impossible. Glad it's @ USB...That place will be nuts.
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