Chiefs post game

[Tark]

Actually, I think the week following the Cowboys game is against Denver at home. Then they play the Seahawks (on the road, of course. In a primetime game, of course.)

Right you are. I overlooked the Broncos, just like I hope the Vikings don't. I think I'm glad they play Seattle after a bye... but then again, they may come into the game half asleep.

Not sure what to bet.

How about something therapeutic for both of us? If the Vikings beat the Cowboys, I come on here and be positive about their overall prospects for the rest of the season. If the Vikings lose, you come on here and be really pessimistic about them.

That hilarious. I love it. You're on!

But I do have to ask how you can be a fan of this team and not be "perpetually pessimistic"? At least when it comes to the Vikings, they have done absolutely zero to give their fans any hope, and in many cases, utterly destroyed whatever kernels of hope might have existed. This has happened over and over. It's now like an endowment, a tradition of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and failing completely in the biggest games and at the worst possible times.

You almost have to divorce yourself from reality to not be a pessimist with this team. You have to convince yourself of things that simply aren't true, or completely ignore their long, ongoing history of this kind of failure. No objective outside observer believes Kirk Cousins is going to do anything other than fall short against the Cowboys this Sunday night. His whole career is riddled with such failures. It's like believing in a fairy tale to think otherwise.

No objective outside observer is going to think, if it's late in the game and the Vikings defense needs a stop against the Cowboys they're actually going to make that stop. Zimmer will sit back in that situation and play prevent and the end result will be anything but preventing anything.

The saddest part of the above is that is not me being a pessimist. That's me relating the tried-and-true history of the Vikings under Mike Zimmer, Kirk Cousins, and this overpaid defense.

The truth is, I still suffer all that every game. I often expect the worst still, and rightfully so when it comes to this team. (My wife will attest to that, because I drive her nuts - Thank God she is as big of fan as I am).

I'm not a think-positive-and-the-world-will-be-great kind of guy. That's just being naive. I went into the 2017 NFC championship feeling pretty damn optimistic, and look what that got me.

I guess the bottom line is this: I'm not divorcing myself from reality, I'm simply not letting it eat at me anymore. It's a conscious effort, and it's something I have to work through during the games, but I find that being able to separate myself for a while afterwards gives me a little more perspective than I used to have. I will never miss a game unless I absolutely have to, and I'm starting to enjoy just being in the moment while watching. I love this fn team, but I'm not going to let it define me. But, I definitely want a Superbowl trophy, because that would be awesome for a while.

The Cowboys are a good team. They've underperformed and their record doesn't reflect it, but they're good. Better than KC (or at least more complete). They have an offense capable of big plays and run the ball better and more consistently than KC. Defensively, they are much more balanced and complete than KC. They're at home and they will also need the win as bad as KC. I don't think I'm being pessimistic to believe this Vikings team is incapable of meeting that challenge and coming out on top.

They are not a bad team, but they have not really beaten anyone either. Giants, Redskins, Dolphins and Eagles. Those are their 4 victories. Not exactly impressive. They lost to a horrible Jets team, and only gave up 12 to the Saints and lost.

I understand the Vikings haven't beaten much either. Again, I'm not over-confident, and far from claiming an easy win, but on paper this team is not as good as KC. They have some talent though. Cooper and Zeke are great. Dak... the jury is still out, but since Cooper arrived, he has looked much better. Would it surprise me to see the Viking's lay an egg in Dallas? Sadly, no. It also wouldn't surprise me if they blew out Dallas. (That's unlikely I think... unless we see Angry Kirk. )

Defensively they look better than KC, but against weak competition. They gave up 34 to GB, and 24 to the Jets a week later. But they did shut down Philly last week. That's something I guess.

In all, our wins have been more impressive. We are blowing out in most victories, and keeping tight in most losses. I feel good about this game. I didn't feel great going into the KC game. (I thought they would win that though, so maybe I'm just delusional.)


Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

[Tark]

Right you are. I overlooked the Broncos, just like I hope the Vikings don't. I think I'm glad they play Seattle after a bye... but then again, they may come into the game half asleep.


That hilarious. I love it. You're on!



The truth is, I still suffer all that every game. I often expect the worst still, and rightfully so when it comes to this team. (My wife will attest to that, because I drive her nuts - Thank God she is as big of fan as I am).

I'm not a think-positive-and-the-world-will-be-great kind of guy. That's just being naive. I went into the 2017 NFC championship feeling pretty damn optimistic, and look what that got me.

I guess the bottom line is this: I'm not divorcing myself from reality, I'm simply not letting it eat at me anymore. It's a conscious effort, and it's something I have to work through during the games, but I find that being able to separate myself for a while afterwards gives me a little more perspective than I used to have. I will never miss a game unless I absolutely have to, and I'm starting to enjoy just being in the moment while watching. I love this fn team, but I'm not going to let it define me. But, I definitely want a Superbowl trophy, because that would be awesome for a while.


They are not a bad team, but they have not really beaten anyone either. Giants, Redskins, Dolphins and Eagles. Those are their 4 victories. Not exactly impressive. They lost to a horrible Jets team, and only gave up 12 to the Saints and lost.

I understand the Vikings haven't beaten much either. Again, I'm not over-confident, and far from claiming an easy win, but on paper this team is not as good as KC. They have some talent though. Cooper and Zeke are great. Dak... the jury is still out, but since Cooper arrived, he has looked much better. Would it surprise me to see the Viking's lay an egg in Dallas? Sadly, no. It also wouldn't surprise me if they blew out Dallas. (That's unlikely I think... unless we see Angry Kirk. )

Defensively they look better than KC, but against weak competition. They gave up 34 to GB, and 24 to the Jets a week later. But they did shut down Philly last week. That's something I guess.

In all, our wins have been more impressive. We are blowing out in most victories, and keeping tight in most losses. I feel good about this game. I didn't feel great going into the KC game. (I thought they would win that though, so maybe I'm just delusional.)

[VikingLord]

I'm not sure what you're trying to argue here? My initial point was that Zim needs to be more aggressive with blitzes because teams cant handle them. And be more aggressive throughout the game, not just when it's crunch time. Then you went on a whole new tangent

My point is, whenever or whatever Zim did, late or otherwise, didn't work where it mattered - on the scoreboard.

[Tark]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

[StumpHunter]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

We beat Denver. 17-9 or something close to that.

Lose to Dallas, Seattle and GB and win the rest assuming Chicago has given up by then.

10-6 with a first round WC loss. Just enough to keep Zimmer and Spielman employed and keep the Vikings from seriously looking at upgrading at QB in the 2020 draft.

In other words, worst case scenario.

[Tark]

Unfortunately, I agree. I wouldn't count on the Denver game though.

[Dames]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

I get being down, but suddenly we're going to start getting blown out when it hasn't happened all year? (No, the Bears didn't blow us out.) Sure, we could completely implode and all that could happen, but nothing in the way they've played this year suggests any of that will actually happen.

Cowboys are a probably close to a coin flip I think. It could go either way. I believe we'll win. We'll see.

Denver offense is pathetic and it's @ home.

I do see Seattle giving us a lot trouble, but you never know what changes between now and then. I'll wait and see for a few weeks.

[Dames]

We beat Denver. 17-9 or something close to that.

Lose to Dallas, Seattle and GB and win the rest assuming Chicago has given up by then.

10-6 with a first round WC loss. Just enough to keep Zimmer and Spielman employed and keep the Vikings from seriously looking at upgrading at QB in the 2020 draft.

In other words, worst case scenario.

You are predicting a worst-case scenario of a 10-6 record and a WC game, and that's disappointing? I would have loved 10-6 last year. Of course I get it, I want to win the whole damn thing too, but I'd be glad to get back to playoffs after barely missing last year. That sucked much worse than losing in the playoffs, IMO. Your mileage may vary.

I get your point about the QB. I want them to draft a QB and groom him. I hate the way it's been handled since Rick got here. But, I'm not holding my breath. I guess that sums up what you are saying I suppose.

We're already 6-3, so we have basically no shot of getting a good draft pick... so we may as well enjoy the season this year. Maybe we'll strike lightning at the right time. A guy can dream.

[Tark]

Love your optimism.I have followed this team and been a fan for 30+ years and know to expect disappointment at every turn, sorry.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

lol and here come the overreactions following a loss.......

[Pondering Her Percy]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

We beat Denver. 17-9 or something close to that.

Lose to Dallas, Seattle and GB and win the rest assuming Chicago has given up by then.

10-6 with a first round WC loss. Just enough to keep Zimmer and Spielman employed and keep the Vikings from seriously looking at upgrading at QB in the 2020 draft.

In other words, worst case scenario.

Dallas lost to the Jets. GB just got whooped by the Chargers. Seattle nearly lost to Cincy and Tampa at home this year. Your negative attitude is depressing....

[Tark]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

lol and here come the overreactions following a loss.......

Prove me wrong.

[VikingLord]

You are predicting a worst-case scenario of a 10-6 record and a WC game, and that's disappointing? I would have loved 10-6 last year. Of course I get it, I want to win the whole damn thing too, but I'd be glad to get back to playoffs after barely missing last year. That sucked much worse than losing in the playoffs, IMO. Your mileage may vary.

I get your point about the QB. I want them to draft a QB and groom him. I hate the way it's been handled since Rick got here. But, I'm not holding my breath. I guess that sums up what you are saying I suppose.

We're already 6-3, so we have basically no shot of getting a good draft pick... so we may as well enjoy the season this year. Maybe we'll strike lightning at the right time. A guy can dream.

10-6 and a wildcard round playoff loss for what? For a team that has as much invested into this roster, stadium, coaching staff, etc, that can be considered nothing short of a colossal failure.

But it's worse than just a colossal failure, because at 10-6 the team isn't going to be in a position to draft a great QB prospect. They could still get lucky and find one in the latter rounds, sure, but they almost assuredly won't have a shot at one of the better prospects unless one of those prospects has other significant off-field issues that cause him to drop.

I do agree with you about the blowout predictions. I don't think the Vikings are going to get blown out by anyone this year. The games will be close, all of them, including against the Broncos. Heck, I could see the Vikings being ahead late in all of them. I just think when the chips are down and they need even one of the offense, defense, or special teams to show up, one, or all, of those units will blow it. I have zero confidence in all of them in critical, must-have situations. The team needs a 1st down to drain the clock? 3-and-out. The team needs a key stop on defense? 1st down, probably off some short throw and run or even a simple "everyone knows whats coming" run. You need a good solid punt? Shank. You need that chip-shot field goal? Miss.

Yeah, I can see them losing by another late field goal to the Cowboys. I think they'll beat the Broncos, although it's going to be a low-scoring, kind of ugly win ala what they got against the Redskins. And then I fully expect Russell Wilson to beat them on a late miracle throw scramble to top off this 4-game stretch.

After that, they'll return home for 3 of the last 4, and I think they'll win all 3 of those while losing at a Chargers team making a late season run.

[Dames]

Love your optimism.I have followed this team and been a fan for 30+ years and know to expect disappointment at every turn, sorry.

Just was counting... and I'm almost at 40 years. Wow! I mean, sometimes I think it's a miracle I'm still a fan. That's lots of years of torture. That said, I totally get where you're coming from. I just decided to let it roll of my back a bit more than I used to.

I'll continue to torture myself as a fan... then take a deep breath, smile and ask for more. Kumbaya and all that #### brother.

[VikingLord]

Can I get in on that action? Dallas wins 27-10, Broncos win 24-17 and Seattle wins 28-13. Defense is highly overrated and, Cousins apologists aside, he sucks on the road, in prime time and against winning teams which means we may have an outside chance of beating Denver.

We beat Denver. 17-9 or something close to that.

Lose to Dallas, Seattle and GB and win the rest assuming Chicago has given up by then.

10-6 with a first round WC loss. Just enough to keep Zimmer and Spielman employed and keep the Vikings from seriously looking at upgrading at QB in the 2020 draft.

In other words, worst case scenario.

I agree with the final record, but I think they'll win the 3 home games and lose at the Chargers.

It is the worst-case scenario, and honestly, if it happens that way, what do they do? Do they blow the whole thing up? If I'm the Wilfs and I've invested everything they've invested in this roster and the team overall, how do they not consider doing exactly that? Or do they muddle through another season of Kirk Cousins, Zimmer and Spielman, knowing full well the outcome will fall well short of a Superbowl yet again?

There is the smallest of small chances the team wakes up and goes on a tear. It's not a reasonable thing to expect, but at the same time, the raw talent is there to do it. But what it is going to take to wake this team up at this point is beyond me.