When the Pro Bowl rosters were finished being revealed Tuesday night, a league-high eight Vikings had learned they were invited to participate in the Miami festivities, which are scheduled this year to be held the week between the conference title games and the Super Bowl.
Among the selectees were such stars as Brett Favre, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Adrian Peterson and Steve Hutchinson, all guys who’ve made it multiple times.  Then there was first-time selection Heath Farwell, chosen as the NFC’s special teams player, and first-timer Sidney Rice, chosen for a break-out 1,000+ yard season at receiver.
And then there was the [...]

Another loss, but I think we learned something really important from this one…
1.  The disparity between the Vikings‘ offensive performance in the first half vs. the second half was stark and, I think, incredibly revealing.  Here’s the best way I can sum it up:  In the first half when we ran our little bunched-up running plays trying to establish our physical presence and all the rest of that Chilly stuff, we looked inept, and ended up falling behind 16-0.  In the second half when Chilly realized he was about to lose again and had no choice but to open up [...]

Call it the comeback that wasn’t.
After the Vikings fell behind 16-0 at the half, the offense came to life in the second half, thanks mostly to Brett Favre, who led the team on five scoring drives, tying the Bears at 23-23, then again at 30-30.
The big problem was the Vikings’ kick coverage.  Two huge Bears returns set up a pair of answering touchdowns, keeping them from dropping out of the game.
It was 30-23 Bears when the Vikings got the ball for one final possession.  Favre drove the ball down the field and into touchdown range, and was able to hit [...]

Three things needed to change for the Vikings to turn their late season fortunes around against the Bears:
1.  Better tackling.
2.  Better run blocking.
3.  More offensive rhythm overall.
Fail, fail and fail.
The first half vs. the Bears looked a lot like the second half against the Panthers.  The running game couldn’t get going for the Vikes.  The defense gave up too many big plays.  Brett Favre got pressured.  Basically, everything went wrong.
Meanwhile, the Bears overcame their own ineptitude and racked up 16 points.  They finally found the formula for winning with Jay Cutler:
Play a team that appears mentally drained, physically beaten and [...]

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Tonight’s game against the Bears is the first for the Vikings since the apparent season-long unpleasantness between Brad Childress and Brett Favre became a matter of national discussion.  So it seems appropriate that the game should be showcased nationally, on Monday Night Football.
A lot of people will be tuning in to tonight’s game hoping to see some sideline drama between Chilly and Brett, but I hope they’re not holding their breaths.  Coach and quarterback will both be extra-careful now in making sure any issues that crop up between them are worked out discreetly away from the cameras.
Now that the whole [...]

The Vikings aren’t the only team giving their fans reason to worry going into the playoffs.
After looking practically unstoppable for the first 13 games of the season, the New Orleans Saints this afternoon dropped their second in a row, losing 20-17 to the allegedly hapless Buccaneers in overtime.  This a week after falling to the Cowboys for their first loss of the season.
And, perhaps most disturbingly from the Saints’ point-of-view, both losses happened at home.
For the Vikings, a Saints loss means one important thing:  the #1 seed in the NFC is still in play.
Obviously, the Vikings need to beat the [...]