In advance of tonight's gigantic, Monday Night Football clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears here are some thoughts from Sunday's games.
1. For the first three decades of my life as a Minnesota Vikings fan living in California I was thrilled when the team was assigned a prime time game. It was a guaranteed Vikings viewing. Since Sunday Ticket entered my life, I'm no longer a fan of the Vikings playing in a prime time slot. It's too damn long to wait for the game. I'm worn out by the time the game starts.
2. Due to the fickle and chaotic impact of COVID, Cal played a football game on Sunday. It was a game that wasn't scheduled against a team that they weren't scheduled to play. This hasn't been a normal college football season. Cal was scheduled to open their truncated, delayed football season against Washington on November 7. That game was canceled due to a Cal player testing positive. It wasn't so much the positive test that caused the cancellation as it was an entire position group being quarantined. That cancellation meant that their season-opening game was slated to be against Arizona State on Saturday. That game was canceled due to a positive COVID test in the Sun Devils' program. Would Cal ever play a football game during this crazy season? UCLA's game this week against Utah was canceled due to a Ute positive test. An opportunity? Cal and their little baby sibling school hastily scheduled a Sunday morning game. Just like that, the Golden Bears finally opened their hacked-up 2020 football season. It didn’t go well. 34-10 little bears. Cal played like a team that hadn’t tackled another team in about 11 months. It can be argued that they still haven’t tackled another team. Maybe it was the 9am start.
3. Cal playing on Sunday. Vikings playing tonight. It was an unusual football Sunday.
4. The Jacksonville Jaguars threw a scare into the Green Bay Packers. After taking apart teams that they should take apart many talking heads considered the Packers a mighty team. After a beat-down by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an embarrassing loss to the Vikings, and this Jaguars scare the Packers no longer look so mighty. Still, they are 7-2 and in firm control of the NFC North.
5. Fun finishes in the Washington-Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills-Arizona Cardinals games. Washington thought that they had forced overtime when Dustin Hopkins booted a field goal with only 16 seconds remaining. Washington 27 Detroit 27. Then Matthew Stafford maneuvered the Lions into position for Matt Prater to kick a 59-yard field goal as time expired. Detroit 30 Washington 27. The Bills and Cardinals are better teams than Washington and Detroit and played a better game. The ending of this game was similar to the other but involved touchdowns rather than field goals. Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught a diving 21-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen with 34 seconds remaining. Bills 30 Cardinals 26. It took 32 of the 34 seconds for the Cardinals to respond. They responded with a Hail "Murray." That's what the clever folk are calling it. Kyler Murray bought some time and space with his feet and tossed up a prayer of a pass for DeAndre Hopkins. It was completed for a 43-yard touchdown and a 32-30 Cardinals win.
6. Russell Wilson has been considered the leading MVP contender for most of this season's 10 weeks. The Seahawks have lost three of the past four. It should've been four of the past five as the Vikings had them beat in Week 5. Wilson hasn't looked like an MVP, or an MVP contender, over a handful of this season's games. If I had an MVP vote, Kyler Murray, or Dalvin Cook, might have that vote right now.
7. I had some doubts about Kyler Murray handling the NFL game. He's more than handled the NFL as he's one of the most entertaining players in the game. He and Hopkins are a fun and dangerous pair.
8. The New England Patriots stunned the Baltimore Ravens in the day's night cap, 23-17. Cam Newton and the Patriots were playing well at the start of the season. They even had an opportunity to knock off the Seahawks and then-MVP candidate Russell Wilson in Week 2. The Patriots were looking like a team that could contend. Then Newton caught COVID and the Patriots were suddenly terrible. Even when Newton returned, the Patriots didn't look right. Last night was a return to the quarterback and team that they were at the start of the season. They look like a quarterback and team that can be a problem for any team in the league.
9. Go Vikings!
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