The Vikings have a chance to really turn their season around with a win Sunday over Detroit. And the Lions? Their season has already been turned around, and is now headed in the wrong direction. As in, right off a cliff.
Here are 10 reasons why I believe the Vikings will indeed beat Detroit this weekend, putting themselves in good position for a wild-card berth:
1. The blitz. Don’t look now, but the “soft” Viking defense has become a blitz-happy gang. Leslie Frazier has these guys putting big pressure on the QB – just ask Eli Manning, [...]

Tarvaris Jackson is sick of being told he isn’t any good by all the so-called NFL experts on TV.  The QB said:
The way things have been going around here, I just try to put the papers down and don’t watch too much TV, especially because my TV always stays on NFL Network and ESPN.  I just try to stay away from those channels because a lot of bad things are being said about me.
Hear that Sean Salisbury and Mark Schlereth and the rest of you talking-head bozos?  You’ve completely ruined TV for Tarvaris Jackson.  He used to watch ESPN and [...]

New England Patriots
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
New York Giants
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Diego Chargers
Tennessee Titans
Detroit Lions
Washington Redskins
Philadelphia Eagles
Arizona Cardinals
New Orleans Saints
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Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Carolina Panthers
Oakland Raiders
Atlanta Falcons
San Francisco 49ers
New York Jets
St. Louis Rams
Miami Dolphins

The conclusion? Eli sucks.

DT Fred Evans has been suspended 2 games by the NFL over a couple of incidents that happened in the off-season: a marijuana bust and an arrest for fighting with police. Both happened while Evans was a member of the Miami Dolphins. There have been no complaints about Evans’s behavior since he was signed by the Vikings in training camp.
Evans hasn’t played much this year, but he did get some action during the Giants game, and recorded his first sack of the season. His loss may mess up the defensive line rotation a little I guess.

Adrian Peterson had an MRI Monday which showed “excellent healing” according to Brad Childress. So, if AD has a good week of practice, he is expected to play Sunday at home against the Lions.
The Vikings‘ world has of course changed since Peterson went down in the Green Bay game. The team has ripped off two victories, and Chilly has gone from being a lame-duck coach who’d lost the locker room to a veritable Belichick-like genius. And Chester Taylor re-asserted himself as a #1-type running back by having a huge day against Oakland. What this means is [...]

Most of the time, for a football coach, a vote of confidence from your owner is the kiss of death. But since the Vikings are on what for them passes for a roll, I think we can believe that Zygi Wilf is being totally sincere when he says that Brad Childress’s job is safe through the end of the 2008 season.
Zygi told the assembled media after yesterday’s improbable 41-17 Vikings stomping of the Giants:
There was never a question [about Childress being safe]. You need time for a team to coalesce and to get together. This is the ultimate [...]