Block out all the outside noise
One of the more common resolutions that people will declare this new year is to stop caring about what other people think. Negativity from others can often drag you down and help you be less productive and with what has gone on with the Vikings over the past couple weeks, they should simply be focused on taking care of themselves.
Take the last time we saw the full Vikings team for example. In Week 16, Minnesota was faced with a crucial NFC North showdown against the Green Bay Packers.
Under the bright lights on “Monday Night Football”, the Vikings had a terrible gameplan and an even worse performance from Kirk Cousins as the Packers clinched the NFC North and handed Minnesota fans a terrible Christmas present.
Fast forward to this week. The Vikings are a 10-win team, but there’s plenty swirling around them as they head down to New Orleans to take on the Saints.
The NFL put out a hype video at the beginning of the week for the playoffs and Minnesota (along with the 9-7 Philadelphia Eagles) were completely omitted.
To add more fuel to the fire, the Vikings are dealing with rumors of Mike Zimmer’s job security if they get blown out. With ownership reportedly having a deep passion for Kevin Stefanski, there are some who believe there is a chance that Minnesota could make a coaching change if the Saints destroy them on Sunday.
All of this noise shouldn’t matter to the Vikings, who are wild card weekend’s biggest underdog with New Orleans favored by 7.5 points. If Minnesota blocks out the noise and plays their game, they’ll be able to get over whatever negative narratives surround this matchup and have a chance to pull off the upset.