Halfway Point - SB Contender or Pretender

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

[Dmizzle0]

We got cheated in 2009

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

A note about the '87 Vikings....this was the Replacement players year so I really didn't know how things were going to pan out at he mid point, but by the end of the season, even though they lost 3 out of their last 4, I was convinced that this team had gelled and was going to the SB. They entered Wildcard week versus NO as a 2 TD underdog. I put $500 on them and told every one that they were going to win this game. They did. More of the same against the 49ers. 2 TD underdog, $500, "They're going to win". They did. By this point I was convinced they were Super Bowl bound. Darrin Nelson crushed my dreams. Weird thing is I know I bet another $500 on them but I can't remember if they covered the spread or not. Didn't matter much to me.. I was devastated that they lost.

[Svt40]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

Was 1987 the year the Twins won the World Series? I do remember that thinking WOW the Twins AND the Vikings are going to do it this year!. Nope never happened.

50 years of being a fan and getting my hopes crushed...

[Bowhunting Viking]

We got cheated in 2009

You coulda added alot more adjectives to describe that. You were very civil there

[Bowhunting Viking]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

Was 1987 the year the Twins won the World Series? I do remember that thinking WOW the Twins AND the Vikings are going to do it this year!. Nope never happened.

50 years of being a fan and getting my hopes crushed...

Same amount of years here. Totally understand, and I really have no reason to feel that this will be the year.

[VikingLord]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

I'd say the closest they've been to actually getting to a Superbowl since their run of Superbowls in the 70's was 1998, 2009 and 1987. They went to the NFC Championship game in 2001, but I never felt like that was a championship team. The 2017 team was always living on borrowed time with Keenum. He played like he had nothing to lose until he had something to lose, and then he reverted to the journeyman QB.

Of those "almost" teams, 1998 was the one that hurt the most. The 2009 team was good, but not great. The 1998 team was unreal. Not a great defense but it almost didn't matter the way they moved the ball and scored.

This year's team? On paper, one of the best in the NFL. In terms of stats on both offense and defense, a top team. Should be leading the NFC North if just looking at the stats and, if just looking at the roster, should be on the short list of teams to get HFA in the playoffs.

In practice, though? Can't avoid stepping on their own feet in key situations. This team overall is like Stefon Diggs dropping the TD pass in that game against the Lions. The ball is right there in his hands. He's got it. It's a sure TD. An easy TD even. But he drops it. The chance is gone just like that. In that game, they didn't need that TD. But this team overall will drop the easy one every time when they can least afford it. From 12 men on the field on offense to following that up with a needless across-the-body throw in 2009 to missing an easy field goal indoors by a guy who hadn't missed all year to that point in 1998, this is the team that will most assuredly blow it when almost nobody could. This is the team that will miss the 2 inch tap in putt. This is the team that needs 1 pin in bowling and will cross the line and foul. Be it the refs, or their own incompetence, or usually a combination, they'll find a way to screw up and lose.

As for this 2019 version of the Vikings, I agree with Stumphunter on their final record. I think they'll finish 10-6 and make the playoffs behind the Packers as a wildcard team. I think they will lose to the Cowboys in a close game, maybe even another meltdown at the end or some fluke play, followed by an ugly grinder of a win against Denver, and then another heart breaking loss at Seattle as Wilson will find a way to beat them at the end. They'll limp back to Minnesota to face Detroit, now feeling some pressure from teams like the Eagles in the wildcard chase it becomes obvious they won't challenge the Packers for the division. They'll eke out a home win over the Lions before they meet a similar fate as the Packers at the hands of Phillip Rivers and the Chargers in San Diego. They'll come back to Minnesota needing two wins to ensure a wildcard and they'll get them, first in a barn burner against the Packers that is only significant to the Packers for HFA, and then in a game against a listless Bears team that, like last season, has nothing to play for, except in this case they'll just want to get started on the offseason. 10-6.

Here's where I throw a little wrinkle of optimism in. At 10-6 and as a wildcard, this team really doesn't have any expectations. In that sense they resemble the 1987 team. Supremely talented, but also not seen as very competent or consistent, the 1987 team went into the playoffs facing arguably the two best teams in football in back-to-back away games and destroyed both. They played footloose and free, taking shots on offense and playing with abandon on defense. It was only when they got to the Championship Game and I believe were favored that they cramped up again and lost.

So that's going to be the winning formula for this year's underachievers I think if they get that far. Play like they have nothing to lose and with no expectations. Play fast and free and take chances. If they do that, I think they can play with anyone.

[CharVike]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

I think that 2009 team was the best of them all. Farve was the best since Fran for one year. A HOFer. We had AP and Chester Taylor. That was a great 1 2 punch for the running game. We lost that road champ game because we turned the ball over 5 times. It still went to OT with that many TOs. The 98 team didn't have a QB. I was yelling at the TV to get that bum Cunningham the hell out of there. We had an eventual SB winner who was our starter sitting on the bench. Green wouldn't make the move and it cost him/us. The 2009 defense was much better than 1998. I liked that 86/87 team and they lost a heart breaking champ game to the skins. Our D was very good but we didn't have a good QB. Kramer and Wilson. Nothing to write home about. IMO 2009 had the best QB and that's always a big edge.
I don't think this years team has the squad or coaching to go all the way. If we make the playoffs it will be one and done. That Chief lose to a backup QB told all.

[Laserman]

Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen. Its possible we could beat any of the teams that should be there saints, 49ers, seattle, packers, or dallas if things go our way. Hard to get things going on way when the NFL brass and the refs are against us with the opposing teams having tv commercials running during the game making the NFL $$$$. Our Offensive line is the weakest point, when will Spielman learn that lesson I''ll never know. Year after year its so glaringly obvious that anyone can see it except our GM and coach. I like Zimmer but don't see him as a great coach. I don't think he analyzes the teams we play during the weak and always has to make too many adjustments. Our defense is good until it gets gassed. Then we let teams have long scoring drives when it matters the most. I was depressed after the chiefs loss till i heard the lions, bears and packers all lost. So anything is possible at this point. Hope for the best, expect the worst. So don't jump of the boat yet

[Dames]

1998 was the first time I really thought we were going to win it. That team was unreal, but we choked. That NFC title game just felt wrong from the beginning, but in the end, we still should have won.

2009 was a blast too, and we absolutely got jobbed by the refs. I'll never doubt that. But, we killed ourselves too, and should have won that too, despite the obvious bias.

2017 was one of the most enjoyable seasons I've watched. And, I thought for sure, this was the one after the miracle. It ended with a nasty thud, but I have many fond memories still.

One day, we will win it all, and those excruciating moments from 1987, 1998, 2009, and 2017 will become part of the journey. It will taste very sweet.

So, yep, this 2019 team is far from perfect, and doesn't feel like any of those years above. But, it doesn't mean a thing. Get to the playoffs and see what happens. Every year, there are technically 31 pretenders... because they didn't do enough to win it all.

[CharVike]

Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen. Its possible we could beat any of the teams that should be there saints, 49ers, seattle, packers, or dallas if things go our way. Hard to get things going on way when the NFL brass and the refs are against us with the opposing teams having tv commercials running during the game making the NFL $$$$. Our Offensive line is the weakest point, when will Spielman learn that lesson I''ll never know. Year after year its so glaringly obvious that anyone can see it except our GM and coach. I like Zimmer but don't see him as a great coach. I don't think he analyzes the teams we play during the weak and always has to make too many adjustments. Our defense is good until it gets gassed. Then we let teams have long scoring drives when it matters the most. I was depressed after the chiefs loss till i heard the lions, bears and packers all lost. So anything is possible at this point. Hope for the best, expect the worst. So don't jump of the boat yet

You state our defense is good until it gets gassed. I hope they weren't gassed when that bum QB threw the 40 yard TD strike. I thought that happened early. If they were gassed at that point then they better start running or we need a new trainer. Same with the 91 yard run. Harris whiffed when trying to make the tackle. He wasn't gassed. Our defense is highly overrated. We let some bum QB burn us. Either we lack talent or this scheme sucks. We were in the champ game two years ago and we let a stiff backup QB smoke us all day long. That wasn't gassed it was bad coverage or a scheme that was figured out by a better coach. We have a good team and will probably make the playoffs as a wildcard. We cream the stiffs which inflate the stats. Our defense which is ranked as one of the best can't hold up when we face a legit QB. Yes we shut out the Pack then why can't we do that now? Because there QB is playing now. Can you imagine this squad and coaching staff hitting the road for LA or SF or NO. Our D will get smoked. It will be a Chief type of game. That has zero to do with being gassed. Every team has seen this type of D scheme over and over. It's the same old story. Nothing new.

[Tark]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

I'd say the closest they've been to actually getting to a Superbowl since their run of Superbowls in the 70's was 1998, 2009 and 1987. They went to the NFC Championship game in 2001, but I never felt like that was a championship team. The 2017 team was always living on borrowed time with Keenum. He played like he had nothing to lose until he had something to lose, and then he reverted to the journeyman QB.

Of those "almost" teams, 1998 was the one that hurt the most. The 2009 team was good, but not great. The 1998 team was unreal. Not a great defense but it almost didn't matter the way they moved the ball and scored.

This year's team? On paper, one of the best in the NFL. In terms of stats on both offense and defense, a top team. Should be leading the NFC North if just looking at the stats and, if just looking at the roster, should be on the short list of teams to get HFA in the playoffs.

In practice, though? Can't avoid stepping on their own feet in key situations. This team overall is like Stefon Diggs dropping the TD pass in that game against the Lions. The ball is right there in his hands. He's got it. It's a sure TD. An easy TD even. But he drops it. The chance is gone just like that. In that game, they didn't need that TD. But this team overall will drop the easy one every time when they can least afford it. From 12 men on the field on offense to following that up with a needless across-the-body throw in 2009 to missing an easy field goal indoors by a guy who hadn't missed all year to that point in 1998, this is the team that will most assuredly blow it when almost nobody could. This is the team that will miss the 2 inch tap in putt. This is the team that needs 1 pin in bowling and will cross the line and foul. Be it the refs, or their own incompetence, or usually a combination, they'll find a way to screw up and lose.

As for this 2019 version of the Vikings, I agree with Stumphunter on their final record. I think they'll finish 10-6 and make the playoffs behind the Packers as a wildcard team. I think they will lose to the Cowboys in a close game, maybe even another meltdown at the end or some fluke play, followed by an ugly grinder of a win against Denver, and then another heart breaking loss at Seattle as Wilson will find a way to beat them at the end. They'll limp back to Minnesota to face Detroit, now feeling some pressure from teams like the Eagles in the wildcard chase it becomes obvious they won't challenge the Packers for the division. They'll eke out a home win over the Lions before they meet a similar fate as the Packers at the hands of Phillip Rivers and the Chargers in San Diego. They'll come back to Minnesota needing two wins to ensure a wildcard and they'll get them, first in a barn burner against the Packers that is only significant to the Packers for HFA, and then in a game against a listless Bears team that, like last season, has nothing to play for, except in this case they'll just want to get started on the offseason. 10-6.

Here's where I throw a little wrinkle of optimism in. At 10-6 and as a wildcard, this team really doesn't have any expectations. In that sense they resemble the 1987 team. Supremely talented, but also not seen as very competent or consistent, the 1987 team went into the playoffs facing arguably the two best teams in football in back-to-back away games and destroyed both. They played footloose and free, taking shots on offense and playing with abandon on defense. It was only when they got to the Championship Game and I believe were favored that they cramped up again and lost.

So that's going to be the winning formula for this year's underachievers I think if they get that far. Play like they have nothing to lose and with no expectations. Play fast and free and take chances. If they do that, I think they can play with anyone.

Totally agree, 1998 still hurts and I don't think I've ever gotten over that choke job.

[StanM]

I have been a die hard Vikings fan since they first graced us with their presence in 1961. With that said my most disappointing season was the 1975 Drew Pearson push off touchdown. I believe that was the time that an official got knocked out by an empty booze bottle as well. Anyways, I thought that team could have won the Super Bowl but there are plenty of others that frustrated all of us since then.

[fiestavike]

The Vikings are a game past the halfway point for the season. I don't think this team is a SB contender. (see other threads)

It got me to thinking how many times since their last SB appearance, that at the approximate midpoint part of the season that I thought the Vikings had a legit shot at making it to the Big Game. As I look back, (and if my memory is correct) I only remember having a lot of confidence in the teams ability to to get there 6 times.

1988 - Coming off their NFC Championship in '87, I liked this teams chances entering the season and that opinion never really changed throughout the course of the season. But they lost in the divisional round.

1992 - The two Carter's (Anthony & Chris) at WR. At about the midpoint I actually thought that they were just good enough in every department to make it. Ended up as an 11-5 Wildcard and lost to the Redskins.

1994 - Warren Moon, Chris Carter, and a good running attack. Great run defense...but once again a Wildcard loss.

1998 - I don't have to go into much detail here. I think just about everyone thought this team not only was going to the SB, but had a very good chance to win their first Super Bowl. Nope.

2008 - Maybe after the loss in '98, I was knocked into pessimist mode, but it took 10 years before saw something in this team, which I thought was going to make me look like a genius. They didn't have a very good mid season record and most analysts and my all my friends were telling me that they weren't even going to make the playoffs. But I kept saying that not only will they make the playoffs, but I thought they had a legit shot at the SB. They went on to win the division but lost the Wild Card game again to the Eagles. All my Eagle friends mocked me.

2009 - I was convinced. "Oh Brett..why did you throw that ball?"

Now of course there were other years that by years end they had given me hope, (2017 being the latest) but alas not to be. Maybe this year's team will be one of these that will change my mid-season mind, but I really don't think so.

98 was the only year I believed they had a real chance.

[Dmizzle0]

We got cheated in 2009

You coulda added alot more adjectives to describe that. You were very civil there

Im only uncivilized during the off season.