When it comes to kickers, Mrs. Flea Flicker has often said "You have one job!" Well, Vikings kicker Dan Bailey is on the roster to put the ball through the uprights for one or three points. He had four opportunities to do just that yesterday. Three field goals and an extra point. He missed on all four opportunities. In a game decided by 12 points, there's ten points that the Vikings didn't get. Between the ten points that Bailey kicked away and the seven points that the officials handed the Buccaneers at the end of the second quarter, there's the ball game.
Entering this game, the Vikings controlled their playoff destiny. This loss drops them to 6-7 and lifts the Buccaneers to 8-5. Both teams should be 7-6. That matters little as both teams aren't. The Buccaneers are 8-5 and the Vikings are 6-7. The Vikings must win their final three and pray that some other teams lose some of their remaining games. It's not a good situation but it's the situation that the Vikings put themselves in by starting the season 1-5. Not only did they start 1-5 they made too damn many mistakes in winnable games since that start. They should've beaten the Cowboys and they should've beaten the Buccaneers. Could've/should've/would've isn't factored into the standings. Actual wins and losses are the only things that matter and the Vikings don't have enough of the former and too many of the latter. They are 6-7 with no room for the mistakes that have plagued them all season. Win and pray, win and pray, win and pray.
The officiating in the Vikings-Buccaneers was horrible. I didn't think that the officiating could ever be as bad as it was in the Cowboys game. This came close. The league's officials continued their strange vendetta against Vikings safety Harrison Smith. This time they got him on a third down stop. Instead of a field goal attempt the Buccaneers were gifted a first and goal. A touchdown was the end result. Four extra points for the Bucs. Very generous. Smith lowered his helmet as he led with his shoulder. His helmet kissed the helmet of the ball carrier but it was, at worst, a passing kiss. It was his shoulder that really made contact with the ball carrier. If my memory is working, that's the fourth time this season that the officials have called Smith for iffy helmet-to-helmet hits. Consistency! That's all I ask and it's what all players deserve. I've seen too damn many violent helmet-to-helmet collisions go without flags for any officiating crew to justify these calls against Smith. Consistency! How do they make that call against Smith and allow the blows to Kirk Cousins' head in the waning moments of the game? A couple plays after the Smith call the officials decided that Mike Evans slipping in the end zone was actually a pass interference on Jeff Gladney. The officials awarded the Bucs two first-and-goals in a span of a few plays. The call against Gladney also negated an interception by Gladney. The officials sure wanted to see the Bucs get that touchdown. 70 seconds after the horrible call against Smith the officials continued their officiating atrocities by calling defensive pass interference on a "Hail Mary" heave. A "Hail Mary" heave! A "Hail Mary" heave! A "Hail Mary" heave! It's unbelievable. I've seen contact that would warrant assault charges in the end zone scrums that come at the receiving end of "Hail Mary" heaves. This mind-boggling call led to a field goal attempt with no time on the clock. Three free points for the Bucs. It can be reasonably argued that the Buccaneers shouldn’t have even had a second for Tom Brady to heave his “Hail Mary.” The clock sure seemed to hang on that :01 as Brady waddled to the line to ground the ball. When the clock read :01 the ball had yet to be snapped. The play clock ticked down while the game clock held at :01. Anyway, what should've been a 10-6 halftime lead for the Buccaneers the officials turned into a 17-6 halftime lead for the Buccaneers. Unbelievable.
After the game, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said this about his offense, "I think we just showed our identity. We can do any damn thing we want to do." The officials sure saw to that.
If Mike Zimmer was told before the game that his team would control the ball for nearly 40 minutes, run for over 160 yards, hold a 27-17 edge in first downs, run 27 more plays, and keep Tom Brady under 200 yards passing, I'd imagine that the Vikings head coach would be pretty confident that his team wins this game. This game was the Vikings game. They controlled it. Even with Bailey's wayward kicks and the officiating atrocities, the Vikings would've dodged both if they'd been able to punch in touchdowns when they threatened to do so. Three times, they got close and the Buccaneers blitz got to Kirk Cousins. Three times, they got close and got pushed back. Each time the Vikings turned to Bailey for points. We know how that went.
It's tough to defend a kicker when he has a game like this. As Mrs. Flicker says, "You have one job!" Even the best players make mistakes. When kickers make a mistake it's so apparent, so damn obvious. They are either the hero or the goat. There's no in between. Unlike other positions and situations, they often have to wait a while for an opportunity to make up for a mistake. They are deemed specialists and if they aren't being special at their specialized task they become very expendable. Right now, I fear that Dan Bailey might no longer have a job.
It's a three game season and the Vikings can't lose any of the three. The Chicago Bears come to US Bank on Sunday.
