Jaguars-Vikings

It's never easy. 

The Minnesota Vikings were supposed to easily handle the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday. It was a home game for the Vikings. Playing at home hasn't been much help this season but it was a home game. The Jaguars had lost ten consecutive games after an season-opening win. The Vikings' season was heading in the right direction. The Jaguars' season was heading in the wrong direction. It was supposed to be an easy game for the Vikings as they head to the final quarter of the season. It wasn't easy. It wasn’t easy at all. The Vikings edged the Jaguars by a score of 27-24 and they needed overtime to do it. 

It's never easy. The Vikings need an easy game. My heart needs an easy game. This was supposed to be that easy game and it wasn't easy at all. 

Despite the difficulties, it's a win. The Vikings are now 6-6 and control their path to the playoffs. They won't control much of anything for long if they continue to play like they did yesterday. 

The Vikings' offense started poorly. The Vikings' defense started poorly. Things got a little better later in the first half. Things got a little better compared to the start. The offense scored a touchdown in the second quarter. The defense allowed none. 9-6 Jaguars at the half. The second half started worse than the first half when Kirk Cousins served up a pick-6 on the first play. If the Vikings had managed to dodge a couple Kirk Cousins-Dalvin Cook miscues, this might've been a fairly easy win. The pick-6 was the result of a miscommunication between the two. Instead of throwing to where Cook was going Cousins threw to where he thought Cook was going. Each had a different opinion as to where that place should be. The only player that seemed to know what was happening was Jaguars linebacker Joe Schobert. He and the Jaguars had an easy touchdown. The second Cousins-Cook miscue was the first play of the fourth quarter. With a first-and-goal inside the one-yard line and the Vikings confidently looking at going up by 10 points, Cousins and Cook botched the exchange and the Jaguars recovered at the two-yard line. The Vikings score there and they probably cruise to the win. 

It's a win but a terrible start and up-and-down play to finish made it a much more difficult win than it needed to be. Good teams find a way to win when they have a rough game. Maybe the Vikings are a good team. I think that they can be a good team but they can't keep playing like this. They can't beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playing like this. They can't beat the New Orleans Saints playing like this. The Vikings probably have to beat both teams if they want to make their playoff dreams a reality. 

Some good from the game.

The defense. 

Other than the start to the game and giving up the game-tying drive at the end, the defense played well. That was highlighted by some big plays.

2 interceptions

2 fumble recoveries

2 sacks

1 safety

The rough start might've been partly due to the last minute scratch of linebacker Eric Kendricks. During pre-game drills, he aggravated a calf injury and couldn't play. Losing a difference-making player and leader like Kendricks is a tough blow. Losing him minutes before the start of the game is an even tougher blow. The defense looked like it was scrambling to start the game. They eventually settled things but the Vikings were fortunate to only be down 9-0 before the offense finally scored a touchdown. The play of the defense, especially in the second half,  made up for the wildly inconsistent play of the offense. The Vikings offense was pursuing an elusive touchdown throughout the fourth quarter. It was a touchdown that could've put the game away. They were in position to score it on a couple of occasions but just couldn't get into the end zone. The defense stood up each time the offense failed to punch in that game-clinching touchdown. 

Rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler had his first career interception. He also forced and recovered a fumble. He's been playing well for a few weeks and filled the stat sheet yesterday. The Vikings needed it. 

Harrison Smith had the second interception. It set up the game-winning field goal.

Rookie receiver Justin Jefferson is really good. 

9 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD (20 yards)

He went over 1,000 yards for the season. 

With each week Jefferson impresses more. He simply does everything really well. He's a terrific route-runner, he has great hands, he catches contested passes, he gets separation from coverage, he has some wiggle and physicality with the ball in his hands, he's introduced a dance-craze to the NFL. He doesn't play like a rookie. 

Adam Thielen returned from the COVID list to post a productive game.

8 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD (3 yards)

Dalvin Cook put up a lot of total yards on a lot of touches. 

32 carries, 120 yards

6 catches, 59 yards

Some bad.

The offensive line had one of it's roughest games of the season. Cousins had little time to throw and Cook was often met by numbers before he could even get to the line of scrimmage. I'm not sure what the issues were but the Vikings' offensive line should've handled this defensive line. They were trending in the right direction before right guard Ezra Cleveland was injured in Week 10. He'd missed two games. Maybe his return this week brought some continuity issues. Who knows? I don't. I do know that the Vikings offensive line has to play better than they played yesterday. 

Special teams atrocities have been a significant problem all season. The Vikings have lost games due to them. They were fortunate not to lose some games due to them. They nearly lost this game due to two missed extra points and a missed 51-yard field goal that would've won the game in regulation. That missed field goal gave the Jaguars an opportunity to win the game in regulation with their own long field goal attempt. Fortunately, for the Vikings, Chase McLaughlin missed that 62-yard attempt. Every punt return is cringe-inducing. As is every extra point and field goal attempt. Most of the special teams problems feel more like execution issues than scheme issues. For example, Kris Boyd has had an alarming streak of penalties on the punt team. Hell, he had penalties on consecutive plays against Dallas. These games are too damn close and a single special teams mistake can be the difference. The Vikings have to stop making those mistakes. 

It's a win. The Vikings are now 6-6. .500! It wasn't all that long ago that hitting the .500 mark this season felt impossible. 

A trip to Tampa Bay is next. 

Flea Flicker Week 13 Predictions

It's Week 13. COVID has stretched another week of games to Tuesday. Here's a guess at the games and a hope that they all get played when they're scheduled to be played. 

Byes: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Minnesota Vikings

Pick: Vikings

The Vikings can not look past the Jaguars.

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons

Pick: Falcons

I don't think that the Saints get past the Falcons with Taysom Hill chucking the ball. 

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears

Pick: Lions

This is a tough one to pick. It might be a tough one to watch. 

Cleveland Browns @ Tennessee Titans

Pick: Titans

The Browns have to beat the better teams in the league to be one of the better teams in the league. I'm going with the better team. 

Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins

Pick: Dolphins

The Dolphins should roll. 

Las Vegas Raiders @ New York Jets

Pick: Raiders

The Raiders should recover from that pounding by the Falcons. 

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans

Pick: Colts

After a spanking by the Titans, the Colts can't look past the Texans.

Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

Pick: Rams

Both teams must respond from toough losses. I can't decide which one actually will. 

New York Giants @ Seattle Seahawks

Pick: Seahawks

How is it that Daniel Jones is the season-leading rusher in this game?

Philadelphia Eagles @ Green Bay Packers

Pick: Packers

The Packers are doing most things right. The Eagles aren't doing much right.

New England Patriots @ Los Angeles Chargers

Pick: Chargers

Just a hunch.

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Chiefs

At least the Broncos get some quarterbacks back. 

Washington @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: Steelers

The Steelers continue their roll. They still need to play much better than they did last week. 

Buffalo Bills @ San Francisco 49ers

Pick: Bills

The 49ers are now calling Arizona home. They are starting to get some of their players back. I'm still going with the Bills. 

Dallas Cowboys @ Baltimore Ravens

Pick: Ravens

COVID stupidity might've wrecked the Ravens season. They should have enough of their players back to beat the Cowboys. 

Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award Nominees

The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was created in 2014 in honor of the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer. The award recognizes players who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field. On Thursday the NFL announced the nominees for the seventh annual The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Each NFL team nominated one player for the award. A panel of eight former players -- Warrick Dunn, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler -- will select eight finalists from the 32 nominees. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players vote on Friday, Dec. 18. The winner will be announced as part of NFL Honors. He will receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to a charity of his choice. 

The nominees for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award:

Minnesota: Kyle Rudolph

Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers

Chicago: Khalil Mack

Detroit: Frank Ragnow

New York Giants: Logan Ryan

Philadelphia: Jason Kelce

Dallas: Ezekiel Elliott

Washington: Terry McLaurin

Carolina: Teddy Bridgewater

Atlanta: Alex Mack

New Orleans: Ryan Ramczyk

Tampa Bay: Lavonte David

San Francisco: Kyle Juszczyk

Seattle: K.J. Wright

Arizona: Budda Baker

Los Angeles Rams: John Johnson

Buffalo: Tre'Davious White

New England: Matthew Slater

Miami: Kyle Van Noy

New York Jets: Folorunso Fatukasi

Baltimore: Calais Campbell

Cleveland: Nick Chubb

Pittsburgh: Cameron Heyward

Cincinnati: Josh Bynes

Houston: Brandon Dunn

Indianapolis: Justin Houston

Jacksonville: Josh Allen

Tennessee: Ryan Tannehill

Denver: Bryce Callahan

Kansas City: Patrick Mahomes

Las Vegas: Derek Carr

Los Angeles Chargers: Joey Bosa

Previous winners of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award:

2019: Adrian Peterson, Washington Football Team

2018: Drew Brees, New Orleans

2017: Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers

2016: Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts

2015: Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders

2014: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

There are some future Hall of Famers on that list. 

Some fun trivia, Art Rooney Sr. once sold his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers and was briefly a part-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Flea Flicker Week 12 Power Rankings

Here’s one look at how the 32 teams rank after 12 weeks. 

1.   Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)

2.   Pittsburgh Steelers (11-0)

3.   New Orleans Saints (9-2)

4.   Buffalo Bills (8-3)

5.   Green Bay Packers (8-3)

6.   Tennessee Titans (8-3)

7.   Indianapolis Colts (7-4)

8.   Los Angeles Rams (7-4)

9.   Seattle Seahawks (8-3)

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)

11. Cleveland Browns (8-3)

12. Baltimore Ravens (6-5)

13. Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)

14. Arizona Cardinals (6-5)

15. Miami Dolphins (7-4)

16. Minnesota Vikings (5-6)

17. New England Patriots (5-6)

18. San Francisco 49ers (5-6)

19. Chicago Bears (5-6)

20. Carolina Panthers (4-8)

21. Atlanta Falcons (4-7)

22. New York Giants (4-7)

23. Houston Texans (4-7)

24. Washington Football Team (4-7)

25. Los Angeles Chargers (3-8)

26. Philadelphia Eagles (3-7-1)

27. Denver Broncos (4-7)

28. Dallas Cowboys (3-8)

29. Detroit Lions (4-7)

30. Cincinnati Bengals (2-8-1)

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10)

32. New York Jets (0-11)

Until next week. 

Throwback Thursday: Wednesday NFL Games

The Week 12 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens finally got it’s day yesterday. A Wednesday. The NFL would probably love to have a game every day of the week. I think that would be a nightmare but Roger Goodell and his peeps have always stressed that more is best. That’s especially true when the more in question is money. Wednesday football has been a rare thing for the league over the past eight decades. It wasn’t such a rare thing during the league’s first two decades. 

The NFL On Wednesday

Home teams in CAPS

11/11/1925: DETROIT PANTHERS 22, Cleveland Bulldogs 13

11/11/1925: NEW YORK GIANTS 13, Rochester Jeffersons 0

12/9/1925: PROVIDENCE STEAM ROLLER 9, Chicago Bears6

10/12/1927: New York Yankees 19, BUFFALO BISONS 8

11/6/1929: Chicago Cardinals 16, PROVIDENCE STEAM ROLLER 0

9/17/1930: New York Giants 32, NEWARK TORNADOES 0

9/24/1930: PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 12, Brooklyn Dodgers 0

10/1/1930: Staten Island Stapletons 7, NEWARK TORNADOES 7

10/1/1930: PROVIDENCE STEAM ROLLER 14, Frankford Yellow Jackets 0

10/8/30: PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 39, Frankfort Yellow Jackets 7

10/8/30: Chicago Cardinals 13, NEWARK TORNADOES 0

10/22/30: PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 7, Chicago Bears 6

11/5/30: New York Giants 19, PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 6

9/23/31: PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 13, Chicago Cardinals 3

9/30/31 PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 14, New York Giants 6

10/7/31: PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 6, Cleveland Indians 0

11/4/31: STATEN ISLAND STAPLETONS 13, Brooklyn Dodgers 0

11/11/31: PORTSMOUTH SPARTANS 14, Staten Island Stapletons 12

9/20/33: New York Giants 23, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 2

9/27/33: PITTSBURGH PIRATES 14, Chicago Cardinals 13

10/4/33: Boston Redskins 21, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 6

10/11/33: PITTSBURGH PIRATES 17, Cincinnati Reds 3

10/18/33: Portsmouth Spartans 25, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 0

9/26/34: Philadelphia Eagles 17, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 0

10/3/34: New York Giants 14, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 12

10/10/34: Chicago Bears 28, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 0

10/17/34: DETROIT LIONS 24, Boston Redskins 0

10/9/35: Philadelphia Eagles 17, PITTSBURGH PIRATES 6

10/30/35: DETROIT LIONS 14, Boston Redskins 0

9/23/36: Pittsburgh Pirates 10, BROOKLYN DODGERS 6

10/14/36: Detroit Lions 14, BROOKLYN DODGERS 7

10/14/36: PITTSBURGH PIRATES 17, Philadelphia Eagles 0

9/28/38: Green Bay Packers 24, CHICAGO CARDINALS 22

10/26/38: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 7, Chicago Cardinals 0

9/20/39: BROOKLYN DODGERS 23, Cleveland Rams 12

9/25/40: CHICAGO CARDINALS 21, Chicago Bears 7

9/22/48: LOS ANGELES RAMS 44, Detroit Lions 7

9/5/2012: Dallas Cowboys 24, NEW YORK GIANTS 17

12/2/2020: PITTSBURGH STEELERS 19, Baltimore Ravens 14

***

With yesterday’s game making Wednesday football a thing the league will have put a game on every day of the week of the 2020 season. The schedule planned for games on the usual days: Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The schedule also provided a Friday game with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints playing on Christmas Day. COVID has bumped games to Tuesday and Wednesday. Nothing is guaranteed during these hacked-up times but it looks like the NFL will hit it’s dream of having a game on each day of the week. Congratulation Roger. 

Minnesota Vikings' Playoff Situation

The way I see it, the Minnesota Vikings control their playoff hopes and dreams. Just win. The Vikings just have to concern themselves with the team that they face each week. Finish the season at 10-6. If they drop another game they are probably out of the playoffs. 9-7 might sneak them in but they can't count on it. They've given away too many games this season (Tennessee, Seattle, Dallas). They can't give away any more. As Al Davis often said, "Just Win, Baby."

Unless the Green Bay Packers go on a riotous losing run, the Wild Card is the only playoff option for the Vikings. So here's the current snapshot of the NFC Wild Card race.

Seed    Team                                    Record

5     Los Angeles Rams               7-4

6     Tampa Bay Buccaneers       7-5

7     Arizona Cardinals               6-5

8     Minnesota Vikings               5-6

9     Chicago Bears                       5-6

10     San Francisco 49ers               5-6

The Rams, Buccaneers, and Cardinals are currently holding down playoff spots. The Vikings and 49ers are knocking of the playoff door. The Bears are just hanging around the fun. 

Here's a remaining schedule breakdown of each of the Vikings and the three teams sitting in their playoff way:

Los Angeles Rams (7-4)

Current seed: Fifth (0.5 games behind Seattle for NFC West lead)

Remaining games: at ARI, vs. NE, vs. NYJ, at SEA, vs. ARI

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)

Current seed: Sixth (2.5 games behind New Orleans for NFC South lead)

Remaining games: vs. MIN, at ATL, at DET, vs. ATL

Arizona Cardinals (6-5)

Current seed: Seventh (1.5 games behind Seattle for NFC West lead)

Remaining games: vs. LAR, at NYG, vs. PHI, vs. SF, at LAR

Minnesota Vikings (5-6)

Current seed: Eighth

Remaining games: vs. JAX, at TB, vs. CHI, at NO, at DET

My eyes are drawn to the Buccaneers. They are the team to target partly because they are currently ahead of the Vikings but mostly because the Vikings play them in two weeks. Simple math reveals that if the Vikings win their remaining games, they will, at worst, finish tied with the Buccaneers at 10-6. The Vikings and Buccaneers would be tied for one of the Wild Card spots and the Vikings would take it on the basis of their head-to-head result. That's it. Just win and the Vikings are in the playoffs. 

Dane Bugler's 2021 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

It's a little early for a mock of the 2021 NFL Draft but that doesn't stop those that do them. The Athletic's Dane Bugler posted his first mock draft yesterday. I like his draft analyses so I take notice of his rankings and his mocks. It also passes some time as we wait for the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers to finally close out the Week 12 games. 

Dane Bugler's NFL Mock Draft 1.0

Notes: The draft order is current as of Monday, Nov. 30; An asterisk signals draft-eligible underclassmen who haven’t declared for the draft.

1. New York Jets: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson*

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU*

3. Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

4. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

5. Los Angeles Chargers: Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama*

6. Carolina Panthers: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State*

7. Philadelphia Eagles: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU

8. Washington Football Team: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

9. Detroit Lions: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

10. Atlanta Falcons: Gregory Rousseau, edge, Miami (Fla.)

11. Miami Dolphins (from Houston): Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama*

12. Denver Broncos: Derion Kendrick, CB, Clemson*

13. Minnesota Vikings: Kwity Paye, edge, Michigan

14. Chicago Bears: Rashawn Slater, OT/G, Northwestern

15. New England Patriots: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida*

16. San Francisco 49ers: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

17. Las Vegas Raiders: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame*

18. Baltimore Ravens: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC*

19. New York Giants: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

20. Arizona Cardinals: Azeez Ojulari, edge, Georgia*

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joseph Ossai, edge, Texas*

22. Miami Dolphins: Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa*

23. Indianapolis Colts: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

24. Cleveland Browns: Jayson Oweh, edge, Penn State*

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams): Christian Darrisaw, OT/G, Virginia Tech*

26. New York Jets (from Seattle): Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan*

27. Tennessee Titans: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri*

28. Buffalo Bills: Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State*

29. Green Bay Packers: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

30. Kansas City Chiefs: Landon Dickerson, OG/C, Alabama

31. New Orleans Saints: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

Bugler also mocked picks for the teams currently without selections in the first round. 

Second Round

Seattle Seahawks: Rashad Weaver, edge, Pittsburgh

Los Angeles Rams: Tyler Linderbaum, OC, Iowa

Third Round

Houston Texans: Nico Collins, WR, Michigan

***

First of all, the Minnesota Vikings will be drafting much lower than #13. But, if the Vikings are selecting in the real 2021 NFL Draft where they are slotted in Bugler's mock, I'm more inclined to think that an offensive lineman will be the selection. Especially if that offensive lineman is Northwestern's Rashawn Slater. Bugler has Slater going to the Chicago Bears at #14. I'd pick Slater at #13. I'd probably pick Slater at any pick after Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell is selected. 

I have to admit that it'd be fun to have a player named Kwity Paye on the Vikings' roster. I just don't see defensive end as a first round need. This year's pass rush has left much to be desired but I'm counting on Danielle Hunter returning to his usual high level of play and I like rookie D.J. Wonnum moving forward. Teams can never have enough pass rushers so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if the position is a first round consideration of the Vikings. Especially if the player is named Kwity Paye. And has the pass rushing talent to go with that splendid name. 

History could play a role in the Vikings' decision to select or not select an edge rusher in the first round. The team has had recent success in finding them in later rounds. Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Everson Griffen, and D.J. Wonnum were fourth round selections. Danielle Hunter was selected in the third round. The Vikings spent a few picks, including a first, to acquire Jared Allen but he was originally a fourth round selection. Those players have been the Vikings' edge rushers since about 2007. 

Now, we can go back to waiting for that Ravens-Steelers game and the rest of the 2020 NFL season.