"Is This Real? The First-Place Vikings"

[Juice]

Good article by Bill Barnwell at Grantland

Last year, Minnesota was 3-13, but their point differential was that of a 5.5-win team, suggesting that the Vikings' record undersold their actual underlying level of performance by about 2.5 wins. That showed up in Minnesota's record in games decided by a touchdown or less; Minnesota was a dismal 2-9 in those games, including an 0-4 start that saw them blow double-digit halftime leads in each of their first three games. The last team that was so bad in those close games was the 1998 Panthers, who went 2-9 in those close games, 2-3 otherwise, and underperformed their Pythagorean expectation by 2.1 wins. The next year, Carolina went 8-8.

More at the link: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... ce-vikings