Ain't it a shame??

[purplefaithful]

Early division losses
By nearly every measure, the Vikings have put together a better season than the Packers. If they beat them at home Monday night, the two teams will have identical 11-4 records.
But the Vikings were really hurt by their 21-16 loss at Green Bay in Week 2 and their 16-6 loss at Chicago in Week 4.
The Packers are 4-0 in NFC North play and the Vikings are 2-2, which means the only way for the Vikings to win the division and earn a playoff game at home — where they are 6-0 this season — is if Green Bay loses to the Vikings and at Detroit the following Sunday while the Vikings win out.
How do you know the Vikings are the superior team this season? The Vikings plus-119 point differential is the second-best mark in the NFC, trailing only the 49ers (plus-161), and the fourth-best mark in the NFL. The Packers, by comparison, are plus-47.
The Vikings also rank 10th in total offense (372.6 yards per game) while the Packers rank 21st (336.6 yards). The Vikings rank 14th in total defense (338.9 yards allowed per game) while the Packers rank 23rd (371.3 yards).
But those two early losses have made the stats unimportant when it comes to potentially getting a first-round bye or home-field advantage.
And when it comes to road playoff games, the Vikings haven’t won one since January 9, 2005, when they beat the Packers 31-17 at Lambeau Field. In that game, Daunte Culpepper threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns, while Brett Favre threw for 216 yards and four interceptions
http://www.startribune.com/former-ucla-t...566329642/

[Guest]

Division losses hurt, nothing new about that. And obviously they are conference losses as well, which hurts in tie-breaker scenarios. They are the worst kinds of defeats to take for any team. The regrettable 'bite-you-in-the-ass' kind. Stats don't matter, wins and losses do. 

Big game coming on MNF for Minnesota. Green Bay has piled up wins and they are in the more fortuitous position. Can't cry over spilled milk now, just control what you can from this point on. 

[Guest]

They need to show up and show out on Monday night. Can't go back to what if and should of. It's the ultimate test. It's not even about Green Bay, it's about the Vikings getting out of their own way. They have to win division games, it's just that simple. 

[Guest]

Yeah but, if we don't lose those games, does the season turn out the same?  The loss in Chicago kind of was a watershed moment, spurring on the offense to adjust and grow.
The loss in GB really chaps me tho because the league in NY overturned a TD and then we still had the chance to win until a bonehead rookie throw by cousins.  But again, does that loss factor into the growth of the offense.
So just beat their ass on Monday and we will take whatever comes in the playoffs.

[Guest]

Damn shame. Low down dirty shame. You relive games like that in your head, it'll drive you crazy--the phantom OPI on Diggs, Cousins pass into double coverage on 1st down.

But ya never know how it all fits together until the end. Maybe those things help us in the long term. I was thinking about that on Sunday. How big an impact our our young DL rotation has had. Odenigbo, Weatherly, Watts, Johnson. They come in and we don't really lose a lot. They make a lot of plays. And it keeps our starters fresh. Not sure we have that right now if not for the lesson we learned in Philly two years ago. 

[Guest]

Can't live in the past. It's all right there in front of them. And though the road may be hard, champions are up to the task. These opportunities don't come along very often. They have worked hard to put themselves in this position. Time to take advantage of it. And that starts with a drubbing of the Green Bay pretenders.

[Guest]

GB should have lost to Detroit at GB. The refs (how often do we say this?) gave that game to GB with some horrible late calls against Detroit. And nobody really says much about it. That's the difference. If a call goes against GB, the NFL comes to a stop. There are calls for impeachments and investigations. But when GB gets the benefit of a terrible call, oh well, the refs aren't perfect. ... And if GB had lost to Detroit, a Vikings win on Monday night would give the Vikings a better record and both teams would have 2 losses in the division.

[Guest]

At the beginning of the season, both the Bears and Packers were playing better and won.  Sure the Vikes got screwed on the called back TD, but they spotted GB 21 points before waking up.  The Bears D shut down the entire offense again, and earned that win too.

The Vikings are much more comfortable with their new offense and Kirk is certainly playing at a way higher level now.  If the Vikings are better than the Packers, then prove it Monday night.  Personally, I think they're about an even pick.
The Bears obviously got worse after the Vikings played them, but as timing would have it, they're starting to look pretty good now.  Again, if the Vikes are truly the better team, then they should win that one too.
No excuses, and let the better team win.

[Guest]

@dadevike said:
GB should have lost to Detroit at GB. The refs (how often do we say this?) gave that game to GB with some horrible late calls against Detroit. And nobody really says much about it. That's the difference. If a call goes against GB, the NFL comes to a stop. There are calls for impeachments and investigations. But when GB gets the benefit of a terrible call, oh well, the refs aren't perfect. ... And if GB had lost to Detroit, a Vikings win on Monday night would give the Vikings a better record and both teams would have 2 losses in the division.

All three of the NFCN rivals of the Packers took a hosing by the refs at Lamblow. Each call was a call that had an effect on the outcome. The league does nothing about it.