VIKINGS - COWBOYS MATCHUP

[Bowhunting Viking]

We made our mistakes today no doubt about it. But anyone who who watched the game and doesn't come to the conclusion that it was one of the most .. if not the MOST... one sided officiated game ever, well I find it hard to believe they were watching the same game.
The reffing crew took every single opportunity to throw a flag on the Vikings to eliminate our big plays and to help Dallas when they needed it.
How the hell can the officials be so close to Cousins when he was stood up and blasted right in the face by the crown of the helmet, but yet call a holding penalty on the Vikings, that you couldn't even see, a ref who is 30 yards away??
How do u miss the Cousins hit , a blatant call, and call the BS call on Harry. I can't remember the last time I saw a ball carrier get called for a facemask while performing a stiff arm. Ih tea, because I have NEVER seen that call.
And alot of those calls resulted in points for Dallas, stopped a Viking drive or allowed Dallas to keep a stopped drive alive.
Sorry, but if the Vikings get beat fair and square I won't say a word. But when the refs blatantly and obviously call a game completely favorable to one team, and don't even seem to TRY and not make it obvious, well I just go ballistic. The game chat was full if us who felt the same way.
It was like living the Saints Bountygate game all over again.
The league should get involved. But since they live the Cowgirls and hate us, they will send their usual So Sorry letter to Zim and nothing will be done.
I am getting ready to head into work. I am still pissed off about it. I gotta calm down. Because if a person says a smart #### comment about it I will A. Hit them in the mouth and get fired or B. Fire them, and wait for the Union to get them back. Lol.
I definitely am by passing on coffee this morning.
Screw the officiating crew and screw Jeruhh and the Cowgirls

[Frozen Rope]

We made our mistakes today no doubt about it. But anyone who who watched the game and doesn't come to the conclusion that it was one of the most .. if not the MOST... one sided officiated game ever, well I find it hard to believe they were watching the same game.
The reffing crew took every single opportunity to throw a flag on the Vikings to eliminate our big plays and to help Dallas when they needed it.
How the hell can the officials be so close to Cousins when he was stood up and blasted right in the face by the crown of the helmet, but yet call a holding penalty on the Vikings, that you couldn't even see, a ref who is 30 yards away??
How do u miss the Cousins hit , a blatant call, and call the BS call on Harry. I can't remember the last time I saw a ball carrier get called for a facemask while performing a stiff arm. Ih tea, because I have NEVER seen that call.
And alot of those calls resulted in points for Dallas, stopped a Viking drive or allowed Dallas to keep a stopped drive alive.
Sorry, but if the Vikings get beat fair and square I won't say a word. But when the refs blatantly and obviously call a game completely favorable to one team, and don't even seem to TRY and not make it obvious, well I just go ballistic. The game chat was full if us who felt the same way.
It was like living the Saints Bountygate game all over again.
The league should get involved. But since they live the Cowgirls and hate us, they will send their usual So Sorry letter to Zim and nothing will be done.
I am getting ready to head into work. I am still pissed off about it. I gotta calm down. Because if a person says a smart #### comment about it I will A. Hit them in the mouth and get fired or B. Fire them, and wait for the Union to get them back. Lol.
I definitely am by passing on coffee this morning.
Screw the officiating crew and screw Jeruhh and the Cowgirls

Great post BV. Most, if not all of us feel the same way. Those three calls were deciding factors in the loss.

[Dmizzle0]

We made our mistakes today no doubt about it. But anyone who who watched the game and doesn't come to the conclusion that it was one of the most .. if not the MOST... one sided officiated game ever, well I find it hard to believe they were watching the same game.
The reffing crew took every single opportunity to throw a flag on the Vikings to eliminate our big plays and to help Dallas when they needed it.
How the hell can the officials be so close to Cousins when he was stood up and blasted right in the face by the crown of the helmet, but yet call a holding penalty on the Vikings, that you couldn't even see, a ref who is 30 yards away??
How do u miss the Cousins hit , a blatant call, and call the BS call on Harry. I can't remember the last time I saw a ball carrier get called for a facemask while performing a stiff arm. Ih tea, because I have NEVER seen that call.
And alot of those calls resulted in points for Dallas, stopped a Viking drive or allowed Dallas to keep a stopped drive alive.
Sorry, but if the Vikings get beat fair and square I won't say a word. But when the refs blatantly and obviously call a game completely favorable to one team, and don't even seem to TRY and not make it obvious, well I just go ballistic. The game chat was full if us who felt the same way.
It was like living the Saints Bountygate game all over again.
The league should get involved. But since they live the Cowgirls and hate us, they will send their usual So Sorry letter to Zim and nothing will be done.
I am getting ready to head into work. I am still pissed off about it. I gotta calm down. Because if a person says a smart #### comment about it I will A. Hit them in the mouth and get fired or B. Fire them, and wait for the Union to get them back. Lol.
I definitely am by passing on coffee this morning.
Screw the officiating crew and screw Jeruhh and the Cowgirls

Hopefully you're still coping well. Good things Im off today so I just ordered some wings to drown my sorrows in

[chicagopurple]

any team that struggles and fails to beat the pitiful Cowgurls and bearly beats the Bears are by definition, a failing team. Whining about the refs is the last bastion of mediocrity. This Organizaion has fallen so low that its fans have slowly lowered their standards to rock bottom. We are pretty much becoming the Cleveland Browns........

[Bowhunting Viking]

any team that struggles and fails to beat the pitiful Cowgurls and bearly beats the Bears are by definition, a failing team. Whining about the refs is the last bastion of mediocrity. This Organizaion has fallen so low that its fans have slowly lowered their standards to rock bottom. We are pretty much becoming the Cleveland Browns........

We each have our opinions. You call it whining, I see it as stating facts. And by the posts from alot of the members on the game chat they saw it the same way. So if you think we are all whiners, have at it. Still doesn't change the pathetic display of favoritism yesterday. And remove those plays and the results the score would be the other way around. When your getting flags thrown on you for literally nothing ,and watching your opponent NOT getting flagged for worse offenses it tends to mess with you and make you a little more hesitant.
You stick with your opinion and I will stay with all us other whiners and whine away on this one.

[chicagopurple]

Do you really believe that some of our wins werent assisted to some degree by bad calls....just squeaking out one against the CareBears, we had some lucky calls....without them, maybe we lost. Bad calls have ALWAYS been a part of the game and they dont always work against one team. In the end, its like blaming the weather....and its NO excuse. This team just sucks, cant overcome mediocre opponents and normal challenges like officiating.

[VikingPaul73]

It's so confusing, chicagopurple and bowhunting viking both have the same logo. It's like watching Bud Grant argue with Bud Grant

[Pondering Her Percy]

Do you really believe that some of our wins werent assisted to some degree by bad calls....just squeaking out one against the CareBears, we had some lucky calls....without them, maybe we lost. Bad calls have ALWAYS been a part of the game and they dont always work against one team. In the end, its like blaming the weather....and its NO excuse. This team just sucks, cant overcome mediocre opponents and normal challenges like officiating.

The bears are 5-5 and you're acting like they are the NY Jets. And yeah every game has a bad call or two in it. However this game wasnt just "a bad call or two". This was multiple calls and non-calls all game. Cousins literally got speared in between the eye balls right in front of a refs face. Now given it was an obvious helmet to helmet and given how much this league protects QBs now, that's a MASSIVE missed call. Because that resulted in the Cowboys first TD. If that happened to Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, are you going to say that call would be missed? NEVER. You couldnt convince me in a million years. Defensive lineman are getting flags thrown on them for grazing a QB's helmet with their hand. But ours can get his neck snapped backwards and we're going to pretend nothing happened? Come on.

Then you have Harrison Smith put a shoulder directly into Lambs chest and a penalty is called? So is Smith suppose to let them bobble the ball and catch it before he tackles him? THAT's a penalty but our QB getting spearheaded isnt?

I wont even get into the other calls right now because I'm busy at work but I could go on and on. And I'm not one to harp on the refs but that was the worst officiated game I've seen in quite some time. And you could just tell it was going to be that was from the start with about 3 flags thrown to open the game.

[Bowhunting Viking]

It's so confusing, chicagopurple and bowhunting viking both have the same logo. It's like watching Bud Grant argue with Bud Grant

LOL !!! I didn't even notice we have the same logo. That's funny.
I'm not arguing with ChicagoPurple. We both have a right to our own opinion.
I realize that bad calls are part of the game. For sure. I also realize we have had some go in our favor. Fine.
BUT... Like Percy, and others yesterday said, when it is a whole games worth, and again its blatant that they are all to benefit only one team, then it becomes a different story. If it would have only been 1 or 2, and we got 1 or 2 I can live with it. Nope, like said, it started out right from the get go and kept happening all game at very suspicious times. That's where I draw the line.
I am cool with ChicagoPurple .

[J. Kapp 11]

My thoughts on the Dallas game.

The calls.
It's one thing for a pass interference to get called or not called, when it's bang-bang and it could go either way. But some of this stuff yesterday was just unbelievable.

1. The hit on Cousins. As PHP said, if the league is going to protect quarterbacks, then it needs to protect ALL quarterbacks. Not just those named Brady, Brees, Rodgers and Mahomes. That was an obvious helmet-to-helmet hit that actually caused the fumble. If the league has an ounce of integrity, they'll fine the guy, which means the call should have happened on the field. That led directly to Dallas' first touchdown.

2. The facemask on the ball carrier. I don't even have the words to describe how ridiculous this call is.

3. The hold on Bradbury that negated a big run by Cook. The guy went down because his own teammate fell into him and took his feet out. Bradbury's hands were inside the shoulder pads.

4. The "illegal chop block." That was a cut block by Dozier on a D-lineman right in front of him — a legal technique. Another chunk play wiped out.

Every one of those calls were ridiculous, and all either led to scores by Dallas or wiped out big plays by the Vikings.

The Vikings yesterday.
I loved how Kirk Cousins played ... for 54 minutes.

Until 5:54 remained in the game, Kirk Cousins looked like an elite quarterback. He was making quick decisions. He was dropping dimes. He was even evading the rush.

But something happens to Cousins when the game is on the line. I can't put my finger on it, but he just can't come through. The graphic yesterday showed that he has 15 game-winning drives in his career. I wonder, though, how many of those came when his team was BEHIND LATE IN THE GAME, as opposed to being TIED, or taking the lead with lots of time left. For example, the overtime drive last year in the playoffs against the Saints came while the game was tied. There's less pressure if the game is tied. If he fails, the Vikings don't lose directly. The Denver game last year ... we were way behind, and Cousins did a great job bringing us back. But when we took the lead, it wasn't late. There was 6:01 left in the game.

Behind and late, we lose. Every time. I can't recall one instance in his nearly 3 years as the Vikings QB where we won a game that we were behind in the last 3-5 minutes.

Yesterday, the neck-tightening started even sooner. When got the ball with 5:54 to play and a 28-24 lead, we simply needed first downs to keep the clock moving and make Dallas burn time outs. We got one first down on the very first play. Then ... nothing. And the final drive was even worse.

Compare and contrast that with three other games yesterday.

• Behind with less than 2 minutes left, Rodgers takes the Packers from their own 4 yard line to the game-tying field goal.
• Behind 31-28 with 1:43 left and no timeouts, Patrick Mahomes drives the Chiefs 75 yards to the winning touchdown against the Raiders.
• And the one that hurts the most ... behind 28-24, Andy Dalton leads the Cowpukes 61 yards to the winning TD with 1:37 left.

But Kirk Cousins, with 1:37 left and needing only about 40 yards to get us into range for a field goal that would tie the game, goes 1-for-4 for 4 yards. Yes, Jefferson had a big drop. But the fact remains ... Cousins never seems to come through when we're behind late.

This is what kills me about Kirk Cousins. For 54 minutes, he looked like the best quarterback in the league. Then he just plain failed. I suppose it's a team failure, but some guys just have a knack for putting their team on their back and making plays when you need them the most. Kirk doesn't.

And you know, I really want to like the guy. If he were single and I had a daughter, I'd be thrilled if he wanted to marry her. He's a hard worker. He's got great integrity. His teammates seem to love him (except for Stefon Diggs). He's got skill. By all accounts, he's a good husband and father.

But he just doesn't have "it."

Going forward.
Where does that leave us? I have no idea. The defense, I get. We were in cap hell. We had to cut payroll. We lost Pierce, Hunter and Barr to injuries and opt-out, so we're playing guys who are inexperienced and/or not that talented. Dallas has a TON of skill players, especially at receiver. Our DBs simply aren't good enough or experienced enough to cover them all. Dallas isn't the Bears. It's hard for me to blame Zimmer and the defense in this one. You couldn't just blitz Dalton ... too many weapons to cover man-to-man. And it's hard to blame the offense when it puts up 430 total yards.

I just don't know if this team will ever get it together, as it's currently constructed. And if we thought we were in cap hell this year, wait until next year, when Cousins costs a fortune and the cap drops by 10-20%.

Conclusion.
Ugh.

[Thaumaturgist]

The refs made some pretty awful calls yesterday, and IMHO that factored into the loss... But, and this is a big BUT, usually when we lose, the other team is just more physical than us. We lost in the trenches, and it showed. Of course when we tried to be physical, we got penalized for it (Harry the hitman). I honestly think that the league/officials have put the other officials on notice about Harrys hard hits, and he's not going to get any leeway. Anything close, or that LOOKS bad he's going to get called. He'll have to adjust.

[psjordan]

This may rile some troops but I tend to think that the officials in this DAL game were, on the whole, no better or worse than most contests when all is averaged in. Sure we probably got the short end of the stick. I watched IND get called for NINE offensive holding penalties against the pack yesterday, so we were not the only ones who may have been on the short end of the stick on this particular weekend. Of course IND found a way to win.

Film shows that yes, Cousins got hit helmet to helmet during the turnover, but if you watched LV vs KC last night and watched Carr handle the SAME BLITZ that Cousins missed on that play (Cousins was surprised and coughed it up, LV play went for 16? yards), then you’ll know why I have no sympathy for Kirk on that play. Sure, DAL got away with one. Probably didn't decide the game though.

The fake punt? Seemed to me to be a penalty on us, poor execution.

Harry’s hit? In slo-mo replay not a penalty, but in real-time it certainly looked helmet to helmet. Maybe they had bias against Harry due to history, but I can’t castigate the refs for the call. When they watch film they will know they were wrong, but they won't beat themselves up over it, it was too close. Tough break for us but I don't think anyone in stripes was “out to get us”.

It would have been great if the refs were invisible, but they were not the ones manhandling us at the LOS all game long.

We had the ball at home with what, 1:30 left and needing a FG - and promptly fizzled like a wet firecracker. That was not on the refs. That was 100% on our coaches and players. Full blame for the loss should go right there on that non-drive. Home plus 90 seconds plus decent field position plus a $30M QB should result in a tie (at minimum) 99% of the time in the non-Jets NFL.

[psjordan]

As for “this teams sucks” banter, well, have at it but I won’t be joining in. My definition of fandom is not “loving the winners” (like most Yankee fans I know), it’s rooting for a team no matter the trials and tribulations. It took me 40 years of being a Red Sox fan before I got to see them win it all. I certainly poked frustration at them along the way, but never stopped rooting and enjoying the pieces of the team that were good.

Same for the Vikes. I may think parts of this organization need replacement and improvement, but IMO as a whole they do not currently “suck”. There are plenty of other teams worse off than this one, both this year and in average over the past 40 years. In fact if your definition of a “non sucky” NFL team to root for is based on your team “seemingly on the verge of winning it all”, well then, your choices of teams to root for are mighty slim.

As a Vikes fan I’ve been through what, five ownership groups? I always hope they’ll make the right moves to win it all, and sure, I hope they can replace Zim and Rick with better options when they feel the timing is right. But based on the current talent on the team and flashes of performance on the field, IMO neither one of those guys “suck” in any meaningful definition of the term. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be upgraded, even if a stab or two at upgrading does not work out.

I predict one more surprise win and at least one more WTF? loss before season-end.

The rollercoaster continues.

[J. Kapp 11]

As for “this teams sucks” banter, well, have at it but I won’t be joining in. My definition of fandom is not “loving the winners” (like most Yankee fans I know), it’s rooting for a team no matter the trials and tribulations. It took me 40 years of being a Red Sox fan before I got to see them win it all. I certainly poked frustration at them along the way, but never stopped rooting and enjoying the pieces of the team that were good.

Same for the Vikes. I may think parts of this organization need replacement and improvement, but IMO as a whole they do not currently “suck”. There are plenty of other teams worse off than this one, both this year and in average over the past 40 years. In fact if your definition of a “non sucky” NFL team to root for is based on your team “seemingly on the verge of winning it all”, well then, your choices of teams to root for are mighty slim.

As a Vikes fan I’ve been through what, five ownership groups? I always hope they’ll make the right moves to win it all, and sure, I hope they can replace Zim and Rick with better options when they feel the timing is right. But based on the current talent on the team and flashes of performance on the field, IMO neither one of those guys “suck” in any meaningful definition of the term. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be upgraded, even if a stab or two at upgrading does not work out.

I predict one more surprise win and at least one more WTF? loss before season-end.

The rollercoaster continues.

Solid posts.

See my take on the end of the game in my post above. For whatever reason, when we trail late, Cousins just doesn't seem to be able to lift his team. Totally agree with you. We had a chance, and we fizzled.

I'm also with you on the direction of the team, in general. This has been a wonky year. I think management went all-in to try and win a championship with the 2015-17 core group, and it didn't work out, leaving us in a difficult cap situation that has played out in a less-than-ideal fashion this season. And Covid has simply exacerbated things. But where we just didn't seem to have any fight a month and a half ago, this team is now playing hard and maximizing what they have, for the most part. As a result, I have to reverse my stance on Mike Zimmer from a few weeks ago, when I was afraid he'd let the game pass him by. We're competing, often with players who aren't really starting material (our entire defensive line, all our corners, including Gladney at this point). Coaching seems to be pretty solid. We're just not quite as talented as some teams. Talent beat us yesterday. Penalties hurt. I've also described the most egregious calls above. But you're right. Indianapolis beat the Pukers yesterday, even with nine holding penalties. Good teams find a way.

We're not quite good ... yet. Let's see how the cap plays out in 2021. That's going to determine a lot for this Vikings team.

[VikingPaul73]

I don’t want to speak for anyone else on the board but I think most of the “suck” talk is just emotional venting after a tough loss

Clearly this is an average team - nothing more , nothing less . The question is , does anyone think the Spielman / zimmer combo can really ever win a super bowl?

I don’t think either “sucks”. I just think neither is great. They are both maybe slightly above average and I don’t think they will ever win a super bowl. Ever.