Game Day Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings secured the last available playoff spot in the NFC.

They did so by thumping the New York Giants 49-17 last night. It really wasn't that close.

Neither team did much offensively to start the game. Even when the Vikings started their scoring they didn't have to do much offensively. The defense and special teams kept giving the offense a short field. Or no field when safety Harrison Smith returned his interception of Eli Manning 35 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings offense only had to drive more than 50 yards for a score twice. A 58-yard drive that ended in a field goal in the third quarter. The longest drive was also the quickest. A three-play 80-yard touchdown drive that capped their scoring. That score came on a 68-yard burst by Jerick McKinnon.

This was the sort of football game in which the Vikings were in the victory formation for the final two minutes of the game. Some people have complained about this sort of football game. Two minutes of Shaun Hill taking snaps and kneeling is hardly what fans want to pay to see. It's funny that the stands were damn near empty after McKinnon had dashed for his touchdown. The fans had already seen what they had to paid to see.

This was the sort of football game in which one team couldn't get out of their own way while the other team did pretty much nothing wrong. The Giants had three turnovers. The Vikings had none. One of those Giants turnovers was returned for a score. Another was nearly returned for a score. The Giants had seven penalties for 48 yards. The Vikings had two penalties for 10 yards. The Giants converted only one of 11 third down attempts and neither of their fourth down attempts. The Vikings didn't do great on third downs. 6 of 16. But five of those failed third down attempts preceded a field goal.

Settling for field goals isn't always a good thing and settling for field goals has been a real problem for the Vikings all season. It's not so bad if the Vikings supplement those field goals with five touchdowns as they did last night. It was also a good thing to see Blair Walsh make all five of his field goal attempts. He's had a wildly inconsistent season and it's nice to have a reliable kicker in the playoffs. Walsh did miss one of his extra point attempts so it wasn't a perfect day for the Vikings kicker.

The Vikings are in the playoffs!

They haven't been part of the playoff fun since 2012.

The Vikings face the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau next Sunday. That game will be for the NFC North title and the #3 seed in the playoffs. The two teams are currently tied at 10-5. The Packers won the first meeting in Week 11. This matchup is so compelling that it has been bumped to the Sunday night spot.

The Vikings enter this NFC North title tilt feeling much better about themselves than the Packers do about their selves. The Vikings have played perhaps their three best games of the season the last three weeks. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been playing efficient, and sometimes great, football. The Packers have been in a season-long funk despite their 10 wins and they were taken apart by the Arizona Cardinals yesterday 38-8. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers just hasn't looked like the unbelievable quarterbacking talent that we're accustomed to seeing. But the possibility of his returning to that form at any moment is always there.

There were some surprises yesterday.

The struggling Atlanta Falcons handed the soaring Carolina Panthers their first loss of the season. 20-13. It may sound counterproductive but going undefeated may not always be a good thing. Every game becomes something like a playoff game. It has to be draining to go through a two-month playoff stretch before the playoffs even start. It has to be disappointing to finally lose but the Panthers might be better for it in the long run.

The Seattle Seahawks have been surging over the last few weeks. So, they lost to the St. Louis Rams yesterday 23-17. The Rams have played all of their division foes tough in recent years. That continued that trend yesterday with their surprising win over the Seahawks. Russell Wilson has been playing great but the Seahawks really need a running threat. Wilson can't be their top running threat. They need to get Marshawn Lynch back for any playoff run that they hope to have.

The most surprising game was the one between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers offense is scary. The Ravens are playing third-string and street free agents at many positions including nearly all of their offensive playmaking positions. The Ravens somehow won this game. 20-17. The Steelers looked a shoe-in for the playoffs. Now they need some help.

The New York Jets surprised the New England Patriots 26-20 in overtime. That result probably really shouldn't be as surprising as it is. The Jets have been playing really well. They are playing like they want to be part of the playoff fun.

The Minnesota Vikings will be part of that playoff fun!