Things have not been going well the last few weeks for the Minnesota Vikings.
More from Minnesota Vikings News
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022
- Vikings have reportedly begun extension talks with T.J. Hockenson
Last Sunday they went into Chicago and were beaten fairly handily by the Bears (though the final score did not look like a complete blowout). It wasn’t just that the Vikings lost, it was how they lost.
The Vikings’ offense went completely flat against Chicago’s tattered defense, bringing issues to the fore that had been somewhat covered up during Minnesota’s improbable two game winning streak.
The two wins over awful Tampa Bay and atrocious Washington allowed us to believe the Vikings could overcome their anemic passing game with strong defense, tough running and clutch heroics.
But the Bears game demonstrated that without a much-improved passing attack the Vikings are going to have a hard time beating anyone, even with solid defense and a decent run game.
It sucks to get reality rubbed in your face like that. Speaking of reality, there is that other troublesome situation that has nothing to do with the team on the field.
I’m talking of course of the ongoing Adrian Peterson dumpster fire.
Peterson has dominated headlines for the past couple weeks, as the NFL and NFLPA engage in a game of high-stakes chess with Peterson as a seemingly willing pawn.
At this point it would be smart for fans to resign themselves to the reality of life without Peterson, but it’s never that simple when emotion gets into the mix.
Viking fans are a divided group right now thanks to the whole mess, with some fans vociferously standing behind Peterson and some wishing he would just go away.
Things are more contentious right now in Purple Nation than at any time since the height of the Ponderholic vs. Reality-Based Ponder Critic tensions of 2012. I wouldn’t say there’s a fan Civil War war on but it’s getting closer.
[related tag tag=”teddy bridgewater”]
Of course it doesn’t really take all that much to clear up even the testiest of internal divisions within a fanbase. For Viking backers, all it will take is a win today at TCF Bank Stadium against the Packers.
For Viking fans, beating the Packers heals all wounds. Cures all diseases. Replaces all bitterness with the sweetest taste of all: the taste of Packer fan tears.
No matter how at-odds fans may be about a certain subject, there’s one thing we all can agree on: the Packers can go get f–ked.
Today the Vikings will try to beat the Packers for the first time since 2012 (some may call last year’s tie a victory but I am not in that group). They will try to beat the Packers without a roof overhead for the first time since 2009 when Brett Favre sauntered into Lambeau Field and stuck it to his old team.
Will TCF Bank Stadium prove to be any kind of advantage for the Vikings? Weather conditions figure to be acceptable with temperatures around 50, a light wind and only a small chance of rain.
But the weather isn’t really the issue at TCF (outside of those weird wind patterns that have been messing with Blair Walsh), the issue is atmosphere.
The old Metrodome bubble-of-noise advantage is gone now. The volume level at TCF wasn’t bad for the Washington game, but what will happen to the fans if the Packers take an early lead?
And how many Packer fans will there be inside TCF to begin with? Will it be a half-and-half situation as often happened at the Dome?
The Vikings can no longer count on a significant noise-based homefield advantage. They will have to beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers without any crowd roar forcing penalties and miscommunication. The crowd intimidation factor at TCF is almost zero.
Things seem bleak for Minnesota heading into this matchup. The Packers are an offensive juggernaut right now, having put up fifty points in each of their last two games. And Aaron Rodgers is playing at an MVP level.
How the hell do the Vikings have a shot? A couple things have to happen.
First, they have to get their offense going at least enough to produce first downs and keep the field position from tipping too much in the Packers’ favor.
Second, they have to produce a big play at some point early whether it be on offense, defense or special teams. The Vikings conjured a big play last week on a fake punt and honestly that play was the only reason they were even in the game in the first half.
Third, they have to minimize the Packers’ big plays on offense. The Bears got too much going down the field against the Vikings’ secondary and it was largely because the pass rush did not put enough heat on Jay Cutler.
It seems like a tall order, but it can be done. We know that crazy things happen against the Packers. We know that Teddy Bridgewater, if the game is close late, has it within him to lead a game-winning drive.
If by some miracle the Vikings do manage to pull out this victory, the recent on- and off-field frustrations will all instantly cease to matter. No one will care about Adrian Peterson. No one will give a crap that the offense is struggling.
Fans will come together to celebrate the most glorious feeling of all, the feeling of beating the Packers and making all the Packer fans sad. Let’s get that done Vikings. We could all use a little magical Vikings victory tonic today.