The 6-8 Minnesota Vikings take their last road trip of the season today. They get to play in sunny Miami against the 7-7 Dolphins. It's a rematch of Super VIII.
Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be playing in front of his hometown peeps.
The Vikings have been eliminated from the playoffs. The Dolphins still have a shot. They are 11th in the AFC and only six teams get invited. The Dolphins need several things to break their way.
The Vikings are fighting to end the season with a .500 record. Some might consider that an accomplishment. I don't think that the Vikings coaches and players would be among them. They let too many games slip away. Their last four losses were by a total of 14 points. There isn't much difference between this 6-8 Vikings team on the wrong side of the playoffs and a 10-4 Vikings team in the middle of the playoffs. The game that hurts the most is the one against the Buffalo Bills. The defense allowed the Bills to convert a 4th & 20 on a late, game-winning drive. It was painful to see and still painful to recall. That was the first of the four oh-so-close losses. Good teams win those games. The Vikings are a young team that has to learn how to win those games so that they can become a good team. Maybe a great team.
Two more games in head coach Mike Zimmer's first year as the Vikings head coach. The team is in good hands. It's still stunning that no team was smart enough to hire this guy in the last decade. The Vikings were very, very lucky that no team was that smart.
We had Saturday games! I've always enjoyed the late season Saturday games.
The San Francisco 49ers scored more points (28) in the first half last night against the San Diego Chargers than they had scored in the previous three games (23). The 49ers still found a way lose. This time it took overtime. They had the Chargers on the ropes but allowed them to get back in the game.
The Philadelphia Eagles took a very big step toward playoff elimination with their surprising 27-24 loss to the dramatic Washington Redskins.
Two games left and only five teams have clinched playoff spots. The New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and Denver Broncos have clinched their divisions. The Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions have clinched a playoff spot. More will join them today.
Today's morning games:
Minnesota at Miami
Atlanta at New Orleans
Kansas City at Pittsburgh
Baltimore at Houston
Green Bay at Tampa Bay
Detroit at Chicago
Cleveland at Carolina
New England at New York Jets
Afternoon games:
New York Giants at St. Louis
Buffalo at Oakland
Indianapolis at Dallas
Tonight's game:
Seattle at Arizona
So, there are four games that involve both teams fighting for the playoffs. Sort of pre-playoff playoff games.
We have the 6-8 Saints battling the 5-9 Falcons for the very sad NFC South. The records don't show it but this is a very important game. Baltimore at Houston is a little better. The Ravens could be a real Super Bowl threat in the AFC. The Texans, like the Dolphins, are 7-7. They need a lot of help. The playoff battles get more tense in the PM. Colts-Cowboys (Super Bowl V rematch!) could be a lot of fun. Seahawks-Cardinals could provide a defensive classic.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 California State Bowl Championships
Open Division: De La Salle 63 Centennial 42
Division I: Folsom 68 Oceanside 7
Division II: Redlands E.V. 34 Clayton Valley 33
Division III: Camoplindo 35 El Capitan 28
Division IV: Central Catholic 31 St. Margaret's 19
Northern California takes it this year 4-1.
Centennial receiver Javon McKinley is going to make whatever college he picks very happy. That won't happen until 2016. Unbelievable.
De La Salle won their sixth State Bowl Championship game.
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