Vikings @ Bills post game

[CharVike]

There is a group of fans who expect perfect rosters from top to bottom and no mistakes or losses all season. They demand decisive lopsided wins on a weekly basis. If a player errors in their eyes that player is a worthless POS who will never amount to anything for the remainder of their life. They constantly present combine measurables and PFF grades to convince us that we’re doomed and should just forfeit the rest of the season.

Everyone wants the best players but no team has a lock on all the statistical best, they all have strengths and weaknesses. Football is more like chess than checkers. If we threw in the towel every time we had a weak link we’d never win.

Mojo, magic, whatever you want to call it we seem to have that intangible going for us. I’ve seen teams ride this kind of magic all the way to championships over the years. Is it a guarantee that the magic will hang with us until the end? No, but I don’t want to be so negative and miserable that I miss out on enjoying it while we have it. I’ve seen every season, every playoff win and loss, every super bowl and every game this team has played since ‘61 except for a few years spend in the military. I don’t have any expectations or feel like I deserve a Super Bowl win because of my longevity. It’s fun to watch but I wish some could lighten up and enjoy the positives about this season.

I'm like you, Stan. Haven't been a fan for quite as long, since '69, but I totally understand what you're saying (by the way, I also missed a few years while I was in the military).

Kevin O'Connell has this team playing so well. Even more importantly, he has them so bought-in to what they're doing. They're fighting for each other. And in a strange way, I feel like he has them fighting for guys like us, who have been cheering on this team faithfully for so long, as well as folks who don't have as much time as a fan but are just as faithful.

And for the record, I place absolutely no stock in that Philadelphia game. None. Zero. That was Week 2. This is a different team now, hardened by 7 straight one-score victories since that night. The Eagles that night tried to give the game to us in the second half, but we melted down, especially Kirk. This is a different Kirk Cousins now. That was patently obvious yesterday, when he threw two bad picks but picked himself up and had one of the greatest fourth quarters of any quarterback this season. And that's two games in a row now where he's done that. The Bills are just as physical up front as Philly. The Vikings just beat the consensus favorite to win the Super Bowl on the road. Don't tell me they can't beat Philadelphia.

This team don't give up. They have each other's back. We won't go as one guy goes. Kirk was pissed when he missed Osborne for the pick but he still kept trying to hit guys. That's not easy. There's still a long way to go. I give our young HC credit. I don't think we are the most talented team but we play as one unit and are coached well with some great leadership guys like PP. I thought for sure we would get destroyed yesterday when things started to get away from us. We might get beat again but they will play till the end.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Kirk Cousins on 3rd & 4th down:
12-of-18
220 yards
12.2 YPA
1 TD
0 picks
127.1 passer rating

Josh Allen on 3rd & 4th down:
3-of-10
77 yards
7.7 YPA
0 TDs
1 pick
19.6 passer rating

Remind me again ... who's the MVP candidate?

Oooooo damn that's spicy Kapp!

[J. Kapp 11]

Kirk Cousins on 3rd & 4th down:
12-of-18
220 yards
12.2 YPA
1 TD
0 picks
127.1 passer rating

Josh Allen on 3rd & 4th down:
3-of-10
77 yards
7.7 YPA
0 TDs
1 pick
19.6 passer rating

Remind me again ... who's the MVP candidate?

Oooooo damn that's spicy Kapp!

Hot Takes 'R Us.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I can honestly say, if you're "not sold" on this team after that win, spare us and take a break from the board.

The Vikings....
-are 8-1 and have won 7 straight
-have a QB that has been the most clutch 4th quarter QB in the NFL this year
-have an immense amount of talent all over this roster (something I've been saying for quite some time) including the best WR in the NFL, top 5-10 RB in the NFL, top 5 TE, top 3 LT in the NFL, top 5 safety in the NFL and the #1 pass rushing duo in the NFL.
-have a defense that is making big play after big play each week and steadily improving
-have a coach that has completely changed the culture here and has this team playing as one complete unit game in and game out
-have an aggressive GM that is willing to go out and improve this roster by any means necessary
-just knocked off the #1 Super Bowl contender in the NFL ON THE ROAD in one of the most hostile environments in football to get their 7th win in a row

....and so on.

What more does this team need to do to "sell" someone? Like give me a break. A near perfect record, beat arguably the best team in the NFL, have won 7 straight and fans arent "sold"? Like are there weaknesses? Yeah. But the Bills were considered the #1 SB favorite league wide as well as Vegas and do they have weaknesses? Clearly. I get it, the heartbreak the Vikings have given fans is extreme. But there's something different about this team and this culture. That is clear and obvious at this point. Like I said, if you arent sold, spare us because the majority of fans are sold and we are going to continue to praise what's going on.

[chicagopurple]

that was a hell of a game......havent sworn that much in a long time!
this team is so fun to watch. Living and dying by last minute come backs is entertaining but not a very reliable plan. The next few games should be a good acid test of how sturdy our playoff plans are. I really hope our OL is able to raise it a notch on both pass protection and the run game. Everyone is talking that our front office is looking at picking up a certain prima dona WR, I think we would be MUCH better served by finding some OL tools.

Lets all enjoy watching the Packers get embarrassed on national TV soon!!! SKOL

[soflavike]

#20 Duke Shelley, Career stats: 1 tackle, 1 pass defended, Just another guy on the roster, elevated off the practice squad to help out, with Dantzler on IR. In the game, Akayleb Evans gets a concussion, and Andrew Booth, Jr. is struggling... Shelley goes into the game in OT... He knocks the ball out of Dawson Knox's hands in the end zone on what would have been a game winning TD for the Bills. The next play is the game clinching INT, courtesy of Patrick Peterson. EVERYONE plays a role.

Shelley

[CharVike]

There's not a team in the NFC that anyone can say will march right to the SB. The Packers are still alive and can play good ball and bad ball. I thought for sure the Bills would beat us. Like all teams we have weaknesses. Our interior OL sucks. Bradbury was shoved at Kirk's feet twice. He's the biggest whimp in football. I used to live and die with it but that ended a long time ago. This is a quality team who will pick each other up. If a player is having a bad game another guy will step up. If Stafford can win a SB Kirk can also. But the entire team needs to play well including our kicker Peg who sucked again yesterday. Couldn't even kick off. But we won against a very good team in their house. We haven't done that in..,..

Peg may have sucked again, but guess what? He kicked the game winner in OT. If he had missed we would have lost. Was it a short one? Yes it was, but he still had to make it.

Yes he did make it and was a clutch kick. He also helped with the tackle on his duffed KO.
I just hope he gets into a can't miss zone mentally. We will need him again.

[Texas Vike]

that was a hell of a game......havent sworn that much in a long time!
this team is so fun to watch. Living and dying by last minute come backs is entertaining but not a very reliable plan. The next few games should be a good acid test of how sturdy our playoff plans are. I really hope our OL is able to raise it a notch on both pass protection and the run game. Everyone is talking that our front office is looking at picking up a certain prima dona WR, I think we would be MUCH better served by finding some OL tools.

Lets all enjoy watching the Packers get embarrassed on national TV soon!!! SKOL

Yeah, I don't really want the mercenary WR with two ACL repairs, the most recent a mere 9 months ago. Maybe I should be open to anything in order to win a SB, but I just don't want to mess up the amazing mojo this team has going for it.

If Ingram steps on Cousins one more time, I think my head will explode. It's not enough that you're a damn turnstile? You have to also sabotage plays at crucial moments? The second one nearly ruined our comeback yesterday.

[Texas Vike]

There's some really good analysis of yesterday's game circulating. I enjoyed this read. The author's review of how the ending, before Allen's fumble in the end zone, COULD have been a classic Vikings deflating loss is absolutely on point:

This was so close to a catastrophic Vikings loss. If the Bills successfully completed that handoff and kneeled out the clock, we're talking about something close to the same old Vikings. After that Jefferson catch, they didn't score on a first-and-goal sequence from the 3-yard line, in part because embattled right guard Ed Ingram stepped on Cousins' foot for the second time in the game.

Jefferson came within a foot of scoring, only to be stopped short. Cook was nearly the goat for dropping a walk-in touchdown, but after a Bills offside penalty, Cousins was then at fault for coming up short on a quarterback sneak. And, as usual, a kicker figured into the blame, as Greg Joseph's missed extra point had meant that the Vikings needed to go for a touchdown on the final drive as opposed to being able to fall back on a field goal.

Thank goodness we didn't lose this one. It would have been extremely frustrating. We would have lamented our miscues and the missed calls (12 men, Gabe Davis non-catch, Bills DB with a handful of Hock's jersey, etc. etc.) and we would have dreaded the fact that we wasted that amazing 4th and 18 miracle catch from JJ. So I'm giving an early Thanksgiving shout out to the football gods that we pulled this one out.

The article I'm referring to is here: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/350 ... usins-rise

[J. Kapp 11]

that was a hell of a game......havent sworn that much in a long time!
this team is so fun to watch. Living and dying by last minute come backs is entertaining but not a very reliable plan. The next few games should be a good acid test of how sturdy our playoff plans are. I really hope our OL is able to raise it a notch on both pass protection and the run game. Everyone is talking that our front office is looking at picking up a certain prima dona WR, I think we would be MUCH better served by finding some OL tools.

Lets all enjoy watching the Packers get embarrassed on national TV soon!!! SKOL

Every fiber of my being wants to agree with you.

But 7 straight one-score wins? I mean, what's happening is that the Vikings are showing that they have more fortitude than every team they've played over the last 7 weeks.

It started relatively soft, with Detroit, New Orleans and Chicago, three weak teams. It ramped up at Miami, got even better against a talented Arizona team, then went to a new level against a very physical Washington defense.

And yesterday took it from the ridiculous to the sublime.

It's a dangerously thin rope to walk, but I'm starting to EXPECT this team to dominate 4th quarters.

[J. Kapp 11]

#20 Duke Shelley, Career stats: 1 tackle, 1 pass defended, Just another guy on the roster, elevated off the practice squad to help out, with Dantzler on IR. In the game, Akayleb Evans gets a concussion, and Andrew Booth, Jr. is struggling... Shelley goes into the game in OT... He knocks the ball out of Dawson Knox's hands in the end zone on what would have been a game winning TD for the Bills. The next play is the game clinching INT, courtesy of Patrick Peterson. EVERYONE plays a role.

Shelley

Was listening to Nine to Noon on KFAN this morning.

Everybody Paul Allen asked about Duke Shelley said that he's an absolute DAWG. He's got tremendous confidence and really is a leader on the PS. Pat Pete said there was full confidence in this guy because of the way he goes about things in practice. Said Shelley doesn't believe there's a ball he can't pick.

It really matters the MAKEUP of the players on a great team.

[J. Kapp 11]

There's not a team in the NFC that anyone can say will march right to the SB. The Packers are still alive and can play good ball and bad ball. I thought for sure the Bills would beat us. Like all teams we have weaknesses. Our interior OL sucks. Bradbury was shoved at Kirk's feet twice. He's the biggest whimp in football. I used to live and die with it but that ended a long time ago. This is a quality team who will pick each other up. If a player is having a bad game another guy will step up. If Stafford can win a SB Kirk can also. But the entire team needs to play well including our kicker Peg who sucked again yesterday. Couldn't even kick off. But we won against a very good team in their house. We haven't done that in..,..

Peg may have sucked again, but guess what? He kicked the game winner in OT. If he had missed we would have lost. Was it a short one? Yes it was, but he still had to make it.

Not an excuse, but Garrett Bradbury was late getting on the field on that extra point. He was on the kicking team because Christian Darrisaw went out. So they rushed the entire operation, and Peg missed it.

Joseph still needs to have enough mental fortitude to play through that. But it was a moment of confusion that we haven't seen from the Vikings' special teams. Bradbury has to understand his role at all times, especially when he's the replacement for someone who's injured.

[fiestavike]

I can honestly say, if you're "not sold" on this team after that win, spare us and take a break from the board.

You really are a schmuck.

I have barely been active on the board at all, as I haven't been able to watch the games.

Show up to see what folks have to say about a fun game, share my thoughts, and have to deal with the likes of you.

I won't bother you again, but I hope you will reflect on what a dickhead you have consistently been on this forum ever since you arrived here and drove half the board away with your juvenile behavior.

[soflavike]

Here's the NFL Officials views on the Gabe Davis non-catch and non-review:

[VikingLord]

I can honestly say, if you're "not sold" on this team after that win, spare us and take a break from the board.

The Vikings....
-are 8-1 and have won 7 straight
-have a QB that has been the most clutch 4th quarter QB in the NFL this year
-have an immense amount of talent all over this roster (something I've been saying for quite some time) including the best WR in the NFL, top 5-10 RB in the NFL, top 5 TE, top 3 LT in the NFL, top 5 safety in the NFL and the #1 pass rushing duo in the NFL.
-have a defense that is making big play after big play each week and steadily improving
-have a coach that has completely changed the culture here and has this team playing as one complete unit game in and game out
-have an aggressive GM that is willing to go out and improve this roster by any means necessary
-just knocked off the #1 Super Bowl contender in the NFL ON THE ROAD in one of the most hostile environments in football to get their 7th win in a row

....and so on.

What more does this team need to do to "sell" someone? Like give me a break. A near perfect record, beat arguably the best team in the NFL, have won 7 straight and fans arent "sold"? Like are there weaknesses? Yeah. But the Bills were considered the #1 SB favorite league wide as well as Vegas and do they have weaknesses? Clearly. I get it, the heartbreak the Vikings have given fans is extreme. But there's something different about this team and this culture. That is clear and obvious at this point. Like I said, if you arent sold, spare us because the majority of fans are sold and we are going to continue to praise what's going on.

I was sure Cousins was going to melt down after throwing that 2nd pick. The first pick was bad, but didn't seem fatal and the ball might have been a bit slippery and just got away from him. The 2nd pick was a bad pick.

And then, Kirk found a way through all of that. His teammates helped him, I'm sure his coaches helped him, but Kirk found a way to dig deep and respond, making some truly amazing throws and staying aggressive. There was one play in particular where he moved in the pocket to buy time that I was particularly impressed with, as I was with his late run to like the 3 yard line. When he didn't get in on the sneak I felt really bad for him because of how far I felt he came as a player and a leader just in that 4th quarter. And the football gods were equally impressed I think.

In his postgame, he was happy, but I could see something else there that I don't think I've seen in Cousins before. He knew he'd played well and knew he'd been a big part of the comeback, but I think he also knows he can still play better and, more importantly, knows he is going to play better. It's hard to put into words what I saw and heard, but he could have been up there with a big smile on his face and just vibing on the win and he wasn't, or at least wasn't just that.

This team nearly put me in the hospital yesterday, but I'm all-in on them this year. They won't quit no matter how bleak things look. This team is every other team's nightmare.