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The next 5 games are going to show us what we have in our 2017 Vikings. At 5-2 we are sitting a top the NFC North and amongst the top records in the NFC.

Next 5 games:

@CLE in London
Bye Week
@WSH
LAR
@DET
@ATL

Cleveland should be a win, but going to London is always stressful. This is a must win game in the sense that we should win it. It would be stupid to rack up a L against arguably the worst team in the NFL.

The game against WSH will be the first strong test. WSH has smart coaches and is a gritty team. They have beaten tough opponents this year, including the LAR and OAK. Their defense is going to game plan well for us. The offense will make plays against our D. We will need to come to play to beat them. Great game to take a barometer of this team. Also, this will be the first game coming out of the bye. Will Keenum still be our QB? Major, major implications for our season there...

LAR are the surprise team of the NFC this year, but they have played a fairly cake schedule. They got beat by SEA and WAS which are also the two best teams they've played. They did beat DAL, but I as I've said before, I do not feel like DAL is a legitimate SB team. Everyone else they've beat up on has been highly dysfunctional. They have the feel of a one and done wild card team this year, likely winning 9-10 games due to the ease of their schedule. As a home game, if we are a contender, then this is a game we should win.

@DET: Huge game for us. Probably the most important of these five. DET got us when at a good time with Keenum having a terrible game. Can we rebound in Michigan and beat them? We should be beating teams like DET, so this is a huge statement game. Also, this game likely will determine if we win the NFC N.

@ATL: Before the season started, this was a game that most everyone rated as a loss. It is still going to be a tough matchup given the potency of the ATL offense. However, ATL really missed Kyle Shanahan this year. Their offense is not as precise or as confident as it was last season. This is a game we can take if the defense can play a great game. The Patriots basically pitched a shut out against them last night for 3 1/2 quarters. They'll fix some of their issues before we face them, but this is no longer a game where we should feel outclassed. Far from it.

All in all this a pivotal stretch for the season and should be a lot of fun to watch. Heck, just the state of the QB position going into WSH is high drama.

I think this should be for the 5 games after the BYE. 4 tough road games and probably our toughest home game.

Next week should be a win, good teams beat bad teams, but we have already been doing that this season so next week shouldn't show us anything as long as we win convincingly. I think by the time we get through the game @ Carolina we will know the answer.

1 vote to shift your 5 games back one.

Ahem.... The next 5 games are the next 5 games. By the time we get to Carolina we are going to know who this team is. The fact that CLE is in there as what should be an easy win is irrelevant, thank the NFL schedule makers for putting them on the schedule and thank the CLE front office for maintaining a pitiful organization.

More to the point though, if we lose to WSH, LAR, DET, and ATL, then it doesn't matter what we do vs. CAR, we are at best an 5 or 6 seed in the Wild Card and are going to need DET to lose some games if we want a shot at the NFCN crown. What interests me is who we are if we go 2-2 or 3-1 vs. that group. (and how we do it.) That will tell us a lot about this team.

Also CAR is a shell of what it was in 2015. Their OL woes are ongoing, (How is that Matt Kalil deal now?) plus Cam Newton is not playing close to the level he was at two seasons ago. On the Defensive side of the ball they still haven't recovered from letting Josh Norman walk. We dismantled that club last season, it wouldn't surprise me if we do it again. We'll learn a lot more against the LAR defense, the WSH coaching staff, playing in DET, and on the road vs. the Falcons. So let's talk about that stretch please.

If it is that important to you, you can make your own thread about the CAR game.

Cleveland will not be an easy win. Idk why people keep saying that. They will play with Nothing to lose and who knows what could happen during the game.

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Apologize, my comment was not meant as a slight.

you just said yourself that the Browns are irrelevant, so maybe you should have done the next 4 games after the bye. Those are the games that your post is truly about. And I agree with the premise of your post as it pertains to those 4 games. I am excited to see where we end up after those 4 games.

I only suggested sliding the the games back to stick to the "5 games" in your title. In response to your response, I believe that playing Carolina in Carolina is going to be a much tougher game than playing the Browns in London. Also, it will be interesting to see if after that tough stretch of games if we come out of it still able to beat the teams that we should beat. Obviously if we come through 3-1 we should roll right through the panthers but if we go 1-3 will we be able to bounce back and beat the inferior team?

Why are you posting in a forum if you are going to take such offense to someone replying to your post? Again, i was not trying to personally slight you in anyway, merely an attempt to engage you in conversation. I rarely post on here, when i do it is because it is a topic that interests me. I agree with you that the Browns game is irrelevant and was suggesting just looking at the games after the bye (4 games or 5 games, i do not care)

I didn't take offense, it just seems silly to go after my post about not including the game @CAR, but to fail to offer any view point on the 5 games preceding it. I agree, the CLE game is most winnable of the bunch. However, the next 4 are full of interesting story lines, far more so than the game in Charlotte immediately following them.

LAR - A likely NFCW Champion, currently with a 5-2 record, best defense we'll see all season
DET - Biggest threat in the NFCN, and a road game
WSH - Very well coached and well balanced team, a tough opponent, they put up 26 points on our defense last season
ATL - The reigning NFC Champion, and until recently, widely considered the class of the NFC.

Carolina might not be as bad as CLE, but they are not in the same class as the four teams above.

Also, consider where we could be if they win the next 5 games: They will likely be the undisputed kings of the NFC, sitting with a 10-2 record and wins against 4 of the other upper echelon squads in the conference. They will have signature wins against other potential division leaders in the NFC in the Rams and Falcons, as well as a needed revenge vs. the Lions and an under appreciated victory vs. a strong Redskins club. They will also likely be on their way to a playoff bye and likely home field throughout the playoffs. It will also be very unique in that such advantage will also include the Super Bowl.

Next 5 games are huge.

We should take any game for granted especially Cleveland. Its something about London games that bring out the unexpected.

Also for ATL. I think a healthy Vikings team could be ATL even before the season started

There's not a game in that group that's not winnable. Not one.

I'm not saying we'll win them all. But with our defense, we can win any or all of them.

As for Cleveland, let's not be silly. No, we can't take them for granted. But we're the far superior team, and we'd darned well better beat them. We should be 6-2 going into the bye.

Cleveland game not to be taken lightly, but Joe Thomas gone for the season will hurt the Browns.

halfgiz wrote:Cleveland game not to be taken lightly, but Joe Thomas gone for the season will hurt the Browns.

Absolutely. And none of the three QBs seem to be very competent. Their running game isn't a threat. We just can't beat ourselves.

@mansquatch i was more probing for you to add to your post, im more of a lurker than a poster. But I posted about the Carolina game above, not much more to add.
As far as us being top of the NFL by week 13, tonite game could have a large influence on that.
It will be good to have a solid win going into the BYE and it's going to be a long two weeks waiting for the Vikings to start that stretch.
The NFL as a whole has been whacky this season, who knows where some of those tougher matchups will be. A lot of teams have been up an down already this season.

1 week at a time, " Any given Sunday" as they say. ALL of the teams on the schedule are equally dangerous if overlooked. Carolina included, they beat the Patriots in Foxborough a few weeks back. I don't understand how you can say they aren't in the same class as the teams you listed above?? That really makes no sense. A few Key injuries and a few rough outings doesn't take anything away from what they are capable of. Having said that, I agree with the premise of your thread; the stretch of games immediately ( 4, 5 games, it really doesn't matter) after the bye are going to be challenging and we are going to get to see what this team is made of

dead_poet wrote: Absolutely. And none of the three QBs seem to be very competent. Their running game isn't a threat. We just can't beat ourselves.

Obviously been a while since I've posted, but what's the pulse around here on optimism? Reddit seems to be inviting heartbreak with open arms, but I know the more tenured fans aren't as likely to welcome pain.

DK Sweets wrote:Obviously been a while since I've posted, but what's the pulse around here on optimism? Reddit seems to be inviting heartbreak with open arms, but I know the more tenured fans aren't as likely to welcome pain.

Good to see you back DK. Optimism? Depends on who you talk to.

Me? I think this is the most complete team since the Culpepper Moss days. Run D? Check. Pass D? Check. OL? Check. ST? Check. WR? Check. LBs? Check. RB? Good so far. They just have to get the QB position secure which looks like is coming just at the right time. Even if Case stays the starter for the rest of the year, I think they still make the playoffs and gain valuable experience for next year's SB run.

DK Sweets wrote:Obviously been a while since I've posted, but what's the pulse around here on optimism? Reddit seems to be inviting heartbreak with open arms, but I know the more tenured fans aren't as likely to welcome pain.

I'd be a lot more confident with Sam/Teddy along with Cook and Diggs healthy. As it stands, I'm cautiously optimistic. The offense is struggling but the defense is solid. This season hinges on quarterback play (and overall health of the team). We have the potential to play like we did vs. the Steelers and Lions so the floor is very low, with a mediocre ceiling absent those key guys on offense. The schedule doesn't look too terrible given how our opponents are playing right now. We should be "in" every game at least. I think we can make the playoffs (especially now with Rodgers out), but unless we have a healthy Sam and/or healthy and rust-free Teddy, I don't think we can expect an overly deep run.