There was a time this season when it looked like Brad Childress might not last to the end of the year.  The Vikings, picked by some to contend for the Super Bowl before the season, were 1-3 after a Week 4 loss to Tennessee and had a tough road game coming up in New Orleans.  The blame for the bad start was falling squarely on the head coach who two weeks before had replaced his starting quarterback in what appeared to be a desperation move.  But – call it a miracle if you will – the Vikes were able to win that game against New Orleans and momentarily lower the heat on their leader.  They would follow this victory by barely edging Detroit, evening their record at 3-3; then would come a tough 48-41 loss to the Bears, dropping them back to 3-4 and stirring the Fire Childress crowd back into action.  A bye week followed.  Some speculated that the Vikes would have a new coach coming out of the bye, but when they took the field against Houston, Childress was still there.  A win over the Texans made them a .500 team again – and the next week they beat the Packers to climb to 5-4.  A stumble against Tampa Bay dropped them back to .500, but after that came the defining stretch of games – three on the road against Jacksonville, Detroit and Arizona with a home game against the Bears mixed in.  The Vikes would win the four games by an average score of 30-14.  The team that started 1-3 was now 9-6 and a win away from securing the NFC North.  The Fire Childress crowd was quiet.  The crazy, sometimes infuriating season would culminate two weeks later with a 20-19 win over the defending champion Giants.  For the first time since Childress took the reins, the Vikings would find themselves advancing to the playoffs.

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