Week 16 Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings won't have a winning record this season.

The Miami Dolphins defeated the Vikings with a safety scored on a punt blocked out of their own end zone with less than a minute to play. 37-35. The Vikings are now 6-9. The Dolphins are 8-7.

The Dolphins needed to win to stay alive in the playoff chase. They also needed a few other things to go their way. One of which was a Pittsburgh Steelers loss. They didn't get that one. They are now on the outside of the playoffs.

The blocked punt might have produced the deciding points but it was Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake that set it all up. Terrence Fede will get the headlines for the block but Wake took apart Vikings right tackle Mike Harris to force the punt. The Vikings had plenty of time for a game-winning drive. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been terrific at leading critical drives all season. Wake gave him no chance. He forced a high Bridgewater throw on 2nd down. He sacked Bridgewater on 3rd down. Instead of a game-winning drive the Vikings were punting from their own end zone.

Cameron Wake is a beast. It's astonishing that he almost missed an NFL career. He signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He was released before he even had a shot in training camp. He spent 2005 and 2006 waiting for an NFL team to call. None did. He had to play, and dominate, in the CFL with the British Columbia Lions from 2007-08. He finally drew interest from NFL teams, including the Vikings. He chose the Dolphins and has been one of the best pass rushers in the game ever since. He had two sacks yesterday.

One of the biggest plays of the game took place towards the end of the first half. Bridgewater hit tight end Chase Ford with a beautiful, touch pass. Ford caught the ball at about the 2-yard line and stepped into the end zone. The officials ruled that Ford's right foot hit out of bounds before he stepped into the end zone. The call was confirmed by the replay officials in New York despite clear evidence that green grass could be seen between Ford's shoe and the white of the sideline. What those replay officials saw is an absolute mystery. The Vikings took two shots at the end zone but had to settle for a field goal. Those lost four points would have come in handy at the end of the game.

NFL head of officials Dean Blandino seems to take pride in the relatively slight number of calls that have been overturned. Supposedly showing the accuracy of the officials on the field. I always thought that the purpose of replay was to get the call right. Confirming an incorrect call isn't a step in the right direction.

The Vikings defense was mostly solid in the first half. They had a 17-7 lead. They weren't so solid in the second half. The warmth of Miami might have been a factor. It's more likely that the loss of linebacker Chad Greenway was the reason for the second half slide. Greenway was injured in the first half and didn't play in the second half. The Vikings were already missing terrific rookie linebacker Anthony Barr. He was placed on injured reserve on Friday. Greenway is the veteran leader of the defense. He provides stability and relays the calls from the sideline. He was missed. The middle of the field was routinely open.

Teddy Bridgewater gets better every week. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had one interception that was as much fumble as interception. He hit running back Matt Asiata on a short pass across the middle. Asiata bobbled the throw and it ended up in the hands of Dolphins linebacker Derrick Shelby. More important than straight stats, Bridgewater is simply leading and playing like a franchise quarterback. The Vikings 2014 season has been disappointing in terms of wins and losses but the development and play of Teddy Bridgewater has been a major step forward.

Bridgewater showed incredible touch on the 21-yard touchdown throw to Greg Jennings and the should-have-been 23-yard touchdown to Chase Ford.

It's amazing that Bridgewater just turned 22 years of age.

This was Bridgewater's 11th start. It broke the franchise record for starts by a rookie quarterback. He'll break the record again next week.

Vikings safety Harrison Smith had a terrific interception of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the second quarter. On a blitz, Smith deflected Tannehill's pass, caught it, and returned it 11 yards to the Dolphins 23-yard line. It was an incredibly reactive play that set the Vikings offense up for a score. Three plays later, the Vikings had a 14-0 lead.

Tannehill had a very productive day completing 35 of 47 passes for 396 yards and 4 touchdowns. The only blemish was Smith's interception. Tannehill had particular success taking advantage of far too much room over the middle. Dolphins tight end Charles Clay was very destructive. 6 catches for 114 yards. Too often he was running open in the middle of the field. He was an easy find and target for his quarterback.

Tannehill looked good. He did a terrific job of avoiding sacks. He made plays. He moved his team.

The Vikings could really use a mobile, active middle linebacker to take control of the middle of the field. It's one of the biggest needs this offseason.

Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph doesn't get a lot of attention. Eating up blockers isn't a glamorous task but he's played well this season. He tackled Dolphins running back 12 yards down the field. His hustle and tackle kept Miller from gaining another 20 yards.

A couple of years ago the NFL added a rule that prohibited an offensive player from leading with his helmet when he's away from the line of scrimmage. Watching Vikings back Matt Asiata run with the ball makes me wonder if the league actually enforces the rule.

Asiata has been running strong since rookie Jerrick McKinnon's season came to an end due to back surgery. McKinnon added an explosive option to the Vikings backfield. Asiata doesn't but he packs a wallop. He's actually played well since he's been the main back. He picks up tough yardage. He had 58 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns yesterday. Fairly pedestrian except for the touchdowns. He also added a critical 2-pt conversion that tied the score at 28 with about five minutes to play.

Asiata's 2-pt conversion was packed with thrills. It felt like it took about 15 minutes to complete. The Vikings offense and the Dolphins defense got ready for the play when the replay officials finally decided to take a look at Bridgewater's touchdown throw to Jarius Wright. Every touchdown is reviewed so it's difficult to understand the delay in doing so. With confirmation finally complete, the Vikings offense approached the line again. Offsides Dolphins. The ball was moved to the 1-yard line. The Vikings offense approached the line again. This time a play was actually run and Brdigewater fumbled after being forced to scramble for the conversion. Offsides Dolphins. The ball was moved to the 1/2-yard line. The Vikings offense approached the line again. This time they ran Asiata for the conversion. In summation, the Vikings offense approached the line four times in their attempt to score 2 points. But, it was an important 2 points.

Several supposed experts have been honking about Dolphins coach Joe Philbin being on the hot seat. He gets some media criticism simply because he looks more studious than inspirational. He doesn't provide enough "color" for the media. So what? I think that the Dolphins are moving in the right direction and Philbin is very much a part of it. Dolphins owner said that Philbin is coming back as his coach and his opinion is the only one that really matters.

The Vikings last three losses were by a total of 7 points. That's a very fine line between 6-9 and 9-6. It's tough to lose games like this. Good teams don't. The Vikings, despite playing through a fairly chaotic season, are very close to being a very good team.

The Vikings close out the 2014 NFL season next week at home against the Chicago Bears. They are looking for their first win within their division.

Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson caught his 1000th career pass. He became the 10th player to hit the milestone and the second fastest. It took Johnson 168 games. It took former Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison 167 games. Can't get much closer than that. All-everything Jerry Rice needed 181 games to catch 1000 passes. Congratulations Andre Johnson.

The New York Jets have been more soap opera than football team this year but they sure are able to give the New England Patriots a tough time. Ever since Rex Ryan took over the Jets the team has been a tough out for the always strong Patriots. It was 17-16 Patriots yesterday.

The Indianapolis Colts played like they were on a bye. They slept through a 42-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Andrew Luck was even benched.

New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham is a super fun football player. He might be the best athlete in the NFL. Patrick Peterson might argue that but it's a real tough sell.

The Oakland Raiders shocked another team. The Buffalo Bills this time. 26-24.

St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams didn't learn a damn thing during his one-year suspension. He still coaches his players to be a gang of thugs. Williams had no defense to slow Giants receiver Beckham so he directed his players to go headhunting. That pathetic formula led to Rams safety T.J. McDonald injuring his own teammate. Williams has no business coaching at any level of football.

Detroit Lions piece of shit center Dominic Raiola should be sunning himself with Williams somewhere far from an NFL football field. He intentionally stomped the ankle of Chicago Bears defensive tackle Ego Ferguson. Raiola has stunts like this pretty much weekly.


RIP Alan Greenway.