OpEd: It wasn't a pretty victory for Vikings, but at this point who cares?
If there is a downside in terms of the entertainment value of this season, it's that the Vikings are making their surge to the finish line seem clinical.– The doors to the visiting locker room inside Lambeau Field opened, and a crowd flowed in. Teddy Bridgewater was the first player to walk down the hallway. He sang, “Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock.’’
Across the hallway stood Sam Bradford, wearing sweats and talking with a Vikings official. As the hallway opened onto lockers, the corner stall was occupied by Case Keenum, the guy who wasn’t considered a franchise quarterback, who may lead the Vikings to the second 13-victory season in franchise history.
In a year of odd juxtapositions and strange happenings, the Vikings experienced both on Saturday night. They shut out their archrival in a late-December game, on the road, en route to the playoffs, and yet the game felt … anticlimactic?
Maybe “routine’’ would be the better word. On the sloppy tundra, the Vikings defeated the Green Bay Passives 16-0, sweeping the season series. This wasn’t the Vikings’ finest hour, yet this is becoming one of their finest seasons.
“It doesn’t matter how,’’ Keenum said. “It matters how many.’’
http://www.startribune.com/it-wasn-t-a-pretty-victory-for-vikings-but-at-this-point-who-cares/466222503/#1
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Despite the injuries, the game reprised the story of the NFC North this season. The Vikings won big with their backup quarterback. The Packers fell apart without their starter. The Packers are 94-48 when Rodgers starts, and, since he became the starter, they are 6-10-1 when he doesn’t. The Vikings are 11-3 when Keenum plays.
If there were concerns raised in the game, you could pick on a few passes thrown by Keenum that could have been intercepted. In the first quarter, he underthrew Stefon Diggs, although that allowed Diggs to draw a pass-interference penalty.
In the third quarter, Keenum overthrew Adam Thielen down the left sideline on what could have been a long touchdown pass.
The Vikings hadn’t failed to score 14 points since an Oct. 1 loss to Detroit. They reached 16 with a field goal late in the fourth quarter, against a bad defense missing its best players and coached by a coordinator, Dom Capers, who may be on his way out.
“I felt like we left some plays out there,’’ Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
“There were a couple of throws I’d like back,’’ Keenum said, in agreement.
This was like watching the BBF Packers, before Brett Favre’s arrival led to 25 years of quarterback stability.
The Vikings are winning despite quarterback chaos. Late Saturday night, Bridgewater was singing, Bradford was chatting, and Keenum was planning to win No. 13.
Im not to concerned about them running up the points on Greenbay. The game was in hand, the field was a mess and it was freakin cold. Injuries were a big conern. Losing Easton was bad enough.
There are bigger games on the horizon. I liked that they concentrated on clock killing and limiting Greenbay’s opportunities to get back into the game.
I don't care how they win. It isn't always going to be pretty but who cares. A win is a win.
I thought it was a very pretty win. To shut out GB on their own frozen tundra blah blah and to see the Viking SKOL chant dominate the stadium at the end was very pretty and an early Christmas present!! A thing of frozen beauty. 2 NFC North crowns in 3 years, ya baby!!!
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