8/2

[purplefaithful]

Pretty crazy and they havent all been pretty, thats for sure. Thats probably too much to expect in the NFL. 

Honestly, I was more excited about this years squad earlier in the year than I might be now (and now their 8 and friggin 2!)

There are just enough things about the team that give me pause about their being able to go toe:toe with some of the heavy weights in the conference and even the division. 

Is this a team that can beat GB or ATL at home? Sea on the road? Win at Chicago???  We'll see...I gotta keep reminding myself I didnt have high expectations this year - and they have for most weeks entertained me. 

Lots of NFL fans would kill to have their team 8/2 right now.

[ncvike]

Pretty crazy and they havent all been pretty, thats for sure. Thats probably too much to expect in the NFL. 

Honestly, I was more excited about this years squad earlier in the year than I might be now (and now their 8 and friggin 2!)

There are just enough things about the team that give me pause about their being able to go toe:toe with some of the heavy weights in the conference and even the division. 

Is this a team that can beat GB or ATL at home? Sea on the road? Win at Chicago???  We'll see...I gotta keep reminding myself I didnt have high expectations this year - and they have for most weeks entertained me. 

Lots of NFL fans would kill to have their team 8/2 right now.

I don't disagree with you.  Love the 8-2 start and especially as all the pundits and "experts said the Vikings would win 6 at best.
However the last few wins have been ugly but I also know a win is a win.
  Allowing Levis to beat the secondary deep on more than one occasion even under pressure is concerning. Vikes are old in the back and it
shows.    Darnold is well.....Darnold.    Want to be excited about 8-2 and remain optimistic but we settled for 4 FG'S versus Jville and the Lions
hung 52 on them ( albeit was it necessary to run up the score? )       Is this Vikings team a premier team??  A team that could go deep in the playoffs?
 I'll take last weeks win and today but it seems like a mirage.

[FLVike]

Looking at the remaining schedules

Lions

at Colts
Bears
Packers
Bills
at Bears
at 49ers
Vikings

Vikings

at Bears
Cardinals
Falcons
Bears
at Seahawks
Packers
at Lions

I think we have a chance.

[StickierBuns]

The Vikings leave points on the field every game. Titans made some very opportune penalties that bailed out Minnesota. Darnold played better, a real gutsy performance. Not sure Risner made any kind of difference replacing Ingram. Our run game leaves a lot to be desired. Hero ball got some plays for Levis.

[MaroonBells]

The Vikings leave points on the field every game. Titans made some very opportune penalties that bailed out Minnesota. Darnold played better, a real gutsy performance. Not sure Risner made any kind of difference replacing Ingram. Our run game leaves a lot to be desired. Hero ball got some plays for Levis.

As does every team in the NFL every Sunday. My biggest concern about the Vikings is their corners. I think the disguises, the pass rush, the very strong front seven, and even the above average safety group, has disguised just how vulnerable our corners are. 

Corner has to be job #1 in the offseason.

[StickierBuns]

As does every team in the NFL every Sunday. My biggest concern about the Vikings is their corners. I think the disguises, the pass rush, the very strong front seven, and even the above average safety group, has disguised just how vulnerable our corners are. 

Corner has to be job #1 in the offseason.

Well, KOC was also frustrated with that so its not just me. Some teams leave more points on the field than others. Your go to answer seems to be 'other teams do it too'.... doesn't mean the Vikings aren't suffering from this.

Mekhi Blackmon will be back and he's a legit corner, so that will help.

[pattersaur]

As said above, it's hard to watch the Lions blow the Jags out to high heaven a week after we got our ugliest win of the year over them, and think we're as good as Detroit. But we can beat anyone, and lose to anyone any week- same as always.

Looking ahead, we are getting a Bears team at exactly the right time. It's divisional but GB just found a way, we have to too. Our lead over GB is still just a game (+tiebreaker, currently).

After that we get Arizona at home and Kyler will probably give us fits. I do think the Vikings have shut him down at least once before though, if memory serves. This will be a tough game, which makes the Bears one all the more important. With all of our losses at Soldier Field (is it still called that?) over the years and it being in Division, I hope the team isn't looking past them. That'd be a huge mistake.

Then it's the Falcons and Bears again! NFC matchups galore. All winnable, all losable. 3-1 would be lovely, 2-2 would be ok.

[purplefaithful]

As said above, it's hard to watch the Lions blow the Jags out to high heaven a week after we got our ugliest win of the year over them, and think we're as good as Detroit. But we can beat anyone, and lose to anyone any week- same as always.

Looking ahead, we are getting a Bears team at exactly the right time. It's divisional but GB just found a way, we have to too. Our lead over GB is still just a game (+tiebreaker, currently).

After that we get Arizona at home and Kyler will probably give us fits. I do think the Vikings have shut him down at least once before though, if memory serves. This will be a tough game, which makes the Bears one all the more important. With all of our losses at Soldier Field (is it still called that?) over the years and it being in Division, I hope the team isn't looking past them. That'd be a huge mistake.

Then it's the Falcons and Bears again! NFC matchups galore. All winnable, all losable. 3-1 would be lovely, 2-2 would be ok.

I'm not sure we're catching the Bears at the right time...At Soldier Field is never the right time for the Vikings and Caleb looked better against GB with his OC gone. 

GB got super lucky walking out of there with a win yesterday. 

My $ is on Chicago winning this game.

---

NASHVILLE – Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells long ago provided a philosophical quote that will live for eternity as a means in evaluating a team’s season.

“You are what your record says you are,” Parcells said.

That’s a pretty good reminder in assessing another Vikings performance that was equal parts dominating and underwhelming.

If Sunday’s 23-13 win over the Titans was graded on style points, the Vikings would’ve been docked on cleanliness. But NFL games are decided on the scoreboard, not by optics, and finding a way to win on imperfect days reveals something about a team’s makeup along with its flaws.

The Vikings have played 10 games and won eight. And even though they cause fans to reach for the antacid and grumble in frustration, winning ugly is a lot more appealing than losing ugly.

News flash: The Vikings currently are tied for the fourth-best record in the NFL.

The final score was closer than it should have been. Same as last week in Jacksonville. And the game before that against Indianapolis.

The Vikings could have and should have made those games far less stressful by putting away inferior opponents with a cleaner performance. But the Vikings can continue to chase improvement while still putting themselves in playoff position by winning games.

“It’s hard to get a pretty win,” linebacker Blake Cashman said..

Said Smith, a 13-year veteran: “There are no homecoming games out here. It doesn’t matter what people’s records are. Everybody has Pro Bowlers. There are no easy buckets.”

The tone and message inside the locker room reflected a mature understanding of how to process a less-than-dazzling win. The Vikings were happy with the win but also realize the bar is much higher than what they delivered.

“I know that it would probably be really fun for us to just steamroll the NFL every single week,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It’s just not the way it’s going to go, which also, in my opinion, provides a lot of opportunity to grow and get better … and improve, and just constantly chase that progression, knowing that we’re a good football team.”

How good might that be? O’Connell wasn’t biting.

“I’m old enough to remember when nobody thought we were very good,” O’Connell said, sarcastically. “So, the same way that I answered that question, I’ll answer it now: We just got to continue to get better and prove it.”

The main takeaway from Sunday was a bounce-back performance by Sam Darnold, who showed a steady hand despite facing constant pressure.

The Vikings aren’t content with winning ugly, nor should they be, because they can play much better. The Titans are a two-win team that had 13 penalties, including a few of the most backbreaking ones you’ll see. The fourth quarter did not need to be suspenseful.

The optics of the performance didn’t create a wave of overconfidence. Fans probably felt more relieved than giddy, which is understandable given the opponent. A similar performance against a playoff-caliber team won’t be as forgiving. The good news is the Vikings see the picture clearly.

“We definitely have room to improve,” Justin Jefferson said. “We’re 8-2, which is great, but going into these next few games and, of course, leading into the playoffs, we got to change a little bit of things around.”

The record says the Vikings are one of the NFL’s best teams. They might not resemble it at times, but winning while trying to fix problems sure beats the alternative.

Source: Startribune

[MaroonBells]

Well, KOC was also frustrated with that so its not just me. Some teams leave more points on the field than others. Your go to answer seems to be 'other teams do it too'.... doesn't mean the Vikings aren't suffering from this.

Mekhi Blackmon will be back and he's a legit corner, so that will help.

It's not a go-to answer, because it's true. You think KOC is the only coach talking about points left on the field? Not sure if I've ever heard a coach NOT say that in a post-game presser. OK, Dan Campbell probably didn't say that last night. There ya go. 

It's just that Viking fans typically suck at context. I was again reminded of this last night when Justin Herbert, who gets almost zero criticism, had a guy open by a mile and threw the ball 4 feet over his head. Just sailed it. Now imagine Darnold doing that. Or Cousins. Or Culpepper. Or any Vikings QB in the last quarter century. Saw a ton of criticism of Darnold over the Jones fumble too. Did they even watch the play? Does it not fit the narrative to blame Jones? 

And I'm not talking about you, or even this board, but the prevailing chatter by Viking fans on social media. I get it. Viking fans have earned the right be skeptical, ornery and pissy about a lot of things, but at least TRY to be objective. But I'm probably asking too much of this post-truth generation.

[StickierBuns]

It's not a go-to answer, because it's true. You think KOC is the only coach talking about points left on the field? Not sure if I've ever heard a coach NOT say that in a post-game presser. OK, Dan Campbell probably didn't say that last night. There ya go. 

It's just that Viking fans typically suck at context. I was again reminded of this last night when Justin Herbert, who gets almost zero criticism, had a guy open by a mile and threw the ball 4 feet over his head. Just sailed it. Now imagine Darnold doing that. Or Cousins. Or Culpepper. Or any Vikings QB in the last quarter century. Saw a ton of criticism of Darnold over the Jones fumble too. Did they even watch the play? Does it not fit the narrative to blame Jones? 

And I'm not talking about you, or even this board, but the prevailing chatter by Viking fans on social media. I get it. Viking fans have earned the right be skeptical, ornery and pissy about a lot of things, but at least TRY to be objective. But I'm probably asking too much of this post-truth generation.

Fans are calling for Kyle Shanahan to be fired, so yeah its Dumbshit Fest with younger fans online.