RC's Honest Look At The Vikings Remaining Schedule

[Rhodes Closed]

Well ladies and gentlemen: we did it. The Vikings have beaten Matt Nagy's Chicago defense and dominated their offense. We've not only won three in a row, we did it against all three of our divisional rivals, twice at their own place. Call me crazy, but I think we have a chance at making the playoffs. Not only that, I think we have a solid chance of making double digit wins.

Our offensive line is dare I say borderline good, our defensive line even without Hunter is impeccably and positionally prepared, and our defensive backs, young as they may be, are hitting their stride. Cousins is managing the game with confidence these last few weeks, Thielen and Jefferson are guaranteed stars on offense, and Dalvin Cook is a god on the ground.

So allow me to look at the remaining games in the schedule and give my honest thoughts on how we could sneak into the playoffs:

Cowboys - Win. Zero reason to lose to a team like this, though it was the excuse for the Falcons and that ended poorly.

Panthers - Win. I think we exploit that not so great defense and leave Teddy Bridgewater gasping for passes. Gotta contain CMC though. He is dangerous.

Jaguars - Win. The Jags are just a bad team, man.

Buccaneers- Loss. I think the Bucs will break up the winning streak for us, but I doubt it will demoralize us much. They're an okay team.

Bears - Win. Beat them at Soldier Field, we'll beat them at US Bank Stadium.

Aints - Big Friggin Win. #### the Saints, and if Drew Brees is out for the season, things instantly becomes easier for us against that Interception Perfection, Famous Jameis.

Lions - Win. We beat the Lions and we cracked them over the skull. Need them to beat the Packers but other than that, they gotta fall under the feet of Mighty Dalvin.

With that, we should go 10-6, or even more amazingly, 11-5 or 10-5-1 and sneak into the playoffs as either the 6th seed or 7th seed. If this happens, let me be the first to say I think we need to give Zimmer and co. another year for the amazing turnaround. That's my honest opinion at least.

[Texas Vike]

We all said that the Bears would be the test and until we passed it, we were reserving judgment. To me, we barely passed that test, but we did pass it. Our OL was unable to open up holes for the running game until late in the 3rd when Hicks got hurt. That was the matchup I was most interested in seeing, since they had looked so surprisingly capable the previous two weeks. They did a pretty solid job in pass pro, however, and Kirk, JJ, and AT had solid games. For me, the jury is still out on our D. Undoubtedly, we look much improved. Wilson has emerged as a solid player, Gladney has really blossomed and brought some toughness to the position, Wonnum has also stepped up. Lots to praise and be hopeful for. I want to keep my eye on our D, but have some reservations.

ST is a dumpster fire right now, nearly costing us the last two games. Sooner or later, it will cost us a game. I'll go with 9-7, and we'll be right on the fence to get in or not.

[ERIK the PURPLE]

A great win over the Bears that almost wasn’t. That overthrown ball to the end zone by Foles was a gift that could have doomed the night and all the good things that happened. I really loved the way our corners came up and made tackles for losses or near the line of scrimmage.

I see 9-7 and unfortunately I don’t think that gets us in the playoffs. 1-5 is too big a hole to overcome I fear. How important was that Seattle loss? I was mad for days after that in a way I thought I had outgrown as I’ve gotten older.

[StumpHunter]

I think with the way Zimmer is coaching this banged up, mostly talentless defense and how well Cook is playing, 10-6 is looking like a real possibility.

That means at least one more season of Rick and 2 more seasons of a QB the coaching staff is afraid to let throw beyond the sticks on 3rd and 13.

We will beat a bunch of bad teams, lose to the one good team remaining on the schedule, and nothing will change despite the fact this team is not even close talentwise with the best in the NFL. Yay.

[J. Kapp 11]

OK, first of all, we converted a number of third-and-longs yesterday, so let's not go all "throwing short of the sticks" here. Cousins played his best game of the season. That pick was not on him. He put it right on Adam Thielen, who uncharacteristically had three drops last night.

This team can finish 10-6. Of that, I have no doubt. I believe the "win we're not supposed to get" is going to be against New Orleans. For one, I hate the Aints. For another, Jameis Winston is who he is. Unpredictable. And if they start Taysom Hill at QB, even better. He's a gadget man, like a slightly better throwing version of Tim Tebow. Drew Brees, even as old and weak-armed as he is, makes that offense what it is.

If this team doesn't go 10-6, it'll likely be because of either special teams or defense. Special teams have been scary for awhile now. I've been noticing bad snaps from Cutting for several weeks on FGs and XPs. Colquitt has saved him several times. But two blocked punts and the sh!tshow that was our kick coverage last night? It was a miracle that we somehow won both games. The defense showed up last night, but that is one of the worst offenses I've ever seen. Once Zimmer figured out how to get even a little pressure on Foles, it was over. The Bears ended up with 149 total yards and 10 first downs. They averaged 3.2 yards per play, which is unbelievably bad. Sorry to say it, but that's only partly due to our 29th-ranked defense.

Given the quality of the Bears' defense, I thought our offense played well last night. I loved that they didn't give up on the running game, which resulted in Dalvin putting up a respectable 66 yards in the second half as their defense wore down (and Hicks went out ... which can happen when you're out there for 70 plays). Cousins had his best game of the season, in my opinion. With the Bears shutting down the running game, he needed to make plays, and he did. We ended up with nearly 400 yards of total offense. And let's remember this. Both of our turnovers occurred deep in plus territory — Rudy's fumble was at the Bears 27, and the interception was at the Bears 22. Without those turnovers, we easily could have put up 30 on a quality defense last night. Our offense has gotten solid. Gary Kubiak seems to be hitting his stride.

To me the biggest questions are 1) Can Marwaan Malouf get these special teams headed in the right direction, and 2) What's going to happen if we get behind by more than one score?

And unless we finish 11-5, we're likely going to need some help to get into the playoffs.

[Maelstrom88]

Aren't most teams in the West 6-3 right now? Two teams are making it from that division. I also see the Bucs and Saints both making it. I'll take every win we can get though. You play to win the game and it's much more fun. You can have an exceptional draft no matter where you pick. JJ and Dalvin are two examples of players outperforming their draft slot.

[StumpHunter]

OK, first of all, we converted a number of third-and-longs yesterday, so let's not go all "throwing short of the sticks" here. Cousins played his best game of the season. That pick was not on him. He put it right on Adam Thielen, who uncharacteristically had three drops last night.

The Vikings had 5 3rd downs where they needed 7+ yards. They converted 1 3rd and 8, took a sack on another, threw short of the sticks on the other 3. The rest of the 3rd downs were 5 yards or under. 3rd and 20 I get throwing a screen pass, but the 3rd and 13 1 yard pass says a lot about what this coaching staff feels about their passing game without the threat of Cook running it.

I do agree that this was Cousins best game. He didn't make mistakes, hit open guys and played a solid game against a tough defense.

This team can finish 10-6. Of that, I have no doubt. I believe the "win we're not supposed to get" is going to be against New Orleans. For one, I hate the Aints. For another, Jameis Winston is who he is. Unpredictable. And if they start Taysom Hill at QB, even better. He's a gadget man, like a slightly better throwing version of Tim Tebow. Drew Brees, even as old and weak-armed as he is, makes that offense what it is.

Winston failing miserably would be awesome. The Saints organization has become the most despicable organization in sports, and the signing of the sex offender Jameis Winston, and how the fans there just embrace him, shows just how scummy that team and fanbase are. From their scandal with the Catholic Church's sex abuse cover up, to putting the name of a rapist on the back of their helmets in practice, to bounty gate, they just don't seem to have any sense of right and wrong.

[J. Kapp 11]

The Vikings had 5 3rd downs where they needed 7+ yards. They converted 1 3rd and 8, took a sack on another, threw short of the sticks on the other 3. The rest of the 3rd downs were 5 yards or under. 3rd and 20 I get throwing a screen pass, but the 3rd and 13 1 yard pass says a lot about what this coaching staff feels about their passing game without the threat of Cook running it.

I do agree that this was Cousins best game. He didn't make mistakes, hit open guys and played a solid game against a tough defense.

Actually, there were 7 instances of 3rd-and-7 or longer. We converted two.

Given that Chicago is first in the NFL in OVERALL first down percentage allowed at about 30 percent, converting 28.6 percent at 3rd-and-7 or longer is pretty good. For all third downs, we were 8-for-15, which is as good as anyone in the league has done against the Bears this year. That also means we were 6-for-8 on third downs of less than 7 yards. Hard to beat that.

Special teams and turnovers were the only things that kept us from blowing out the Bears last night.

[YikesVikes]

I must have watched the wrong game. All this praise has gotten to our heads. We barely beat a team that had 14 yards of offense in the 2nd half and could have lost if not for an overthrow. Thank God Hicks got hurt because we didn't have a prayer with him in the game.

The praise of us beating Green Bay is equally silly. The weather conditions took away their best weapon in Rogers. The football Gods gifted us turbulant weather, no crowd, and a few bounces.

We are still an average team. Our pass rush is terrible based on our ability to consistently apply pressure. We have 1 or 2 splash plays a game but on the whole, a good oline beats us down.

[RandyMoss84]

I must have watched the wrong game. All this praise has gotten to our heads. We barely beat a team that had 14 yards of offense in the 2nd half and could have lost if not for an overthrow. Thank God Hicks got hurt because we didn't have a prayer with him in the game.

The praise of us beating Green Bay is equally silly. The weather conditions took away their best weapon in Rogers. The football Gods gifted us turbulant weather, no crowd, and a few bounces.

We are still an average team. Our pass rush is terrible based on our ability to consistently apply pressure. We have 1 or 2 splash plays a game but on the whole, a good oline beats us down.

Pierce opted out, Hunter has a neck injury, and Vikings traded Yannick so it is not a surprise that the pass rush can not apply pressure

[S197]

This is a tough one for me. I'm still sticking with this is an 8-win team (plus or minus a game). Another typical Zimmer down year.

I agree that the weather helped a lot in GB and the Bears OL is in shambles. It's pretty bad when their fans are begging to pick up Elflein. But on the other hand, wins are wins and this team has had its share of obstacles as well.

I don't know that guys like Mata'afa and Wonnum are going to be winning as many battles in upcoming games but it would be great if they build on the last game (last two for Wonnum). Ifeadi is also doing well and could be a good compliment once Hunter returns. The OL is starting to look like, well, an actual line. Mack wasn't wrecking multiple linemen on the same play like last year. I think the interior still struggles with large NT's like Hicks but at least we're seeing progress. Gladney is looking a little more comfortable every week and his tackling ability is a big help to the team. I'm not sold on Dantzler and he's already missed a number of games. He's a pretty thin guy and I'm wondering if he can hold up long term in the NFL. I was also hoping to see more from Dye but perhaps he just needs more reps.

On offense, I think we go as far as Cook takes us. JJ is doing great and Thielen is Thielen but everything still goes through Cook.

[fiestavike]

This is a tough one for me. I'm still sticking with this is an 8-win team (plus or minus a game). Another typical Zimmer down year.

I agree that the weather helped a lot in GB and the Bears OL is in shambles. It's pretty bad when their fans are begging to pick up Elflein. But on the other hand, wins are wins and this team has had its share of obstacles as well.

I don't know that guys like Mata'afa and Wonnum are going to be winning as many battles in upcoming games but it would be great if they build on the last game (last two for Wonnum). Ifeadi is also doing well and could be a good compliment once Hunter returns. The OL is starting to look like, well, an actual line. Mack wasn't wrecking multiple linemen on the same play like last year. I think the interior still struggles with large NT's like Hicks but at least we're seeing progress. Gladney is looking a little more comfortable every week and his tackling ability is a big help to the team. I'm not sold on Dantzler and he's already missed a number of games. He's a pretty thin guy and I'm wondering if he can hold up long term in the NFL. I was also hoping to see more from Dye but perhaps he just needs more reps.

On offense, I think we go as far as Cook takes us. JJ is doing great and Thielen is Thielen but everything still goes through Cook.

I think this is where there is a line between being overly optimistic about guys who haven't shown anything yet, and being overly pessimistic about them. Sure, fans may have been 'wrong' about placing hope in guys like Samia, or Collins, but on the other hand, until they actually get into games its hard to rule them out either. We are seeing some of the young guys that fans were excited about finding their footing and starting to make some plays.

If this team turns it around, some of those guys overly optimistic fans have been banking on are going to end up playing a big role in it. Maybe, in this strange, shortened, no preseason, covid colored year, it was just a particularly tough time to try to get so many inexperienced pieces up to speed, but we are starting to see it happen?

[Demarates]

IF we make the playoffs I hope we get to play the Saints again and end up pooping in their cereal for a third time.

If that happens I will personally drive down to N'orlans so I can stand in front of Sean Payton's house where I will perform the Skoll clap until I am forcibly removed by law enforcement.

I'll throw in a "You like that !?" every 15 minutes or so for good measure.

[Rhodes Closed]

This is a tough one for me. I'm still sticking with this is an 8-win team (plus or minus a game). Another typical Zimmer down year.

I agree that the weather helped a lot in GB and the Bears OL is in shambles. It's pretty bad when their fans are begging to pick up Elflein. But on the other hand, wins are wins and this team has had its share of obstacles as well.

I don't know that guys like Mata'afa and Wonnum are going to be winning as many battles in upcoming games but it would be great if they build on the last game (last two for Wonnum). Ifeadi is also doing well and could be a good compliment once Hunter returns. The OL is starting to look like, well, an actual line. Mack wasn't wrecking multiple linemen on the same play like last year. I think the interior still struggles with large NT's like Hicks but at least we're seeing progress. Gladney is looking a little more comfortable every week and his tackling ability is a big help to the team. I'm not sold on Dantzler and he's already missed a number of games. He's a pretty thin guy and I'm wondering if he can hold up long term in the NFL. I was also hoping to see more from Dye but perhaps he just needs more reps.

On offense, I think we go as far as Cook takes us. JJ is doing great and Thielen is Thielen but everything still goes through Cook.

I think this is where there is a line between being overly optimistic about guys who haven't shown anything yet, and being overly pessimistic about them. Sure, fans may have been 'wrong' about placing hope in guys like Samia, or Collins, but on the other hand, until they actually get into games its hard to rule them out either. We are seeing some of the young guys that fans were excited about finding their footing and starting to make some plays.

If this team turns it around, some of those guys overly optimistic fans have been banking on are going to end up playing a big role in it. Maybe, in this strange, shortened, no preseason, covid colored year, it was just a particularly tough time to try to get so many inexperienced pieces up to speed, but we are starting to see it happen?

It might be me shooting my mouth off here, but regardless of how this season turns out, I see us becoming a 10 win team at minimum next season.

[S197]

This is a tough one for me. I'm still sticking with this is an 8-win team (plus or minus a game). Another typical Zimmer down year.

I agree that the weather helped a lot in GB and the Bears OL is in shambles. It's pretty bad when their fans are begging to pick up Elflein. But on the other hand, wins are wins and this team has had its share of obstacles as well.

I don't know that guys like Mata'afa and Wonnum are going to be winning as many battles in upcoming games but it would be great if they build on the last game (last two for Wonnum). Ifeadi is also doing well and could be a good compliment once Hunter returns. The OL is starting to look like, well, an actual line. Mack wasn't wrecking multiple linemen on the same play like last year. I think the interior still struggles with large NT's like Hicks but at least we're seeing progress. Gladney is looking a little more comfortable every week and his tackling ability is a big help to the team. I'm not sold on Dantzler and he's already missed a number of games. He's a pretty thin guy and I'm wondering if he can hold up long term in the NFL. I was also hoping to see more from Dye but perhaps he just needs more reps.

On offense, I think we go as far as Cook takes us. JJ is doing great and Thielen is Thielen but everything still goes through Cook.

I think this is where there is a line between being overly optimistic about guys who haven't shown anything yet, and being overly pessimistic about them. Sure, fans may have been 'wrong' about placing hope in guys like Samia, or Collins, but on the other hand, until they actually get into games its hard to rule them out either. We are seeing some of the young guys that fans were excited about finding their footing and starting to make some plays.

If this team turns it around, some of those guys overly optimistic fans have been banking on are going to end up playing a big role in it. Maybe, in this strange, shortened, no preseason, covid colored year, it was just a particularly tough time to try to get so many inexperienced pieces up to speed, but we are starting to see it happen?

I think this is a good point, a more experienced team will definitely have the advantage in an extraordinary year like 2020 vs a team that is reliant on youth.