Vikings Get a Win-Win Without Even Playing

Well, for the 5 of you out there that get the NFL Network. . .I get it, but I wasn't at home. . .there was a football game this evening that saw the Washington Redskins defeat the Chicago Bears by the final score of 24-16.

I know that in my playoff picture breakdown at the beginning of the week that we should have been cheering for Chicago, but the more I think about it, the more it really didn't matter which team won. . .primarily because we get a chance to take care of business against both teams ourselves in the comfy confines of the Metrodome as the season winds down.

The Bears are realistically eliminated from the playoff picture with this loss.  They're now 2-7 against the conference, and even if they do run the table (which they won't, since. . .you know. . .they play us), their record against the NFC will still be 5-7, and that's going to kill them in any tie-breaker scenario.  After the arrogance and bluster we heard from Bear fans last season, combined with an off-season of reading about the 3 or 4 seasons of impending NFC North dominance that Chicago was going to unleash upon us all, I can't say that I feel terribly bad about it.  Giving the knife one last little twist next Monday night would, however, be super.

The Redskins, on the other hand, get some time off to relax after the tumult they've been through over the last week and a half.  Unfortunately for them, it sounds as though they're going to have to make their final playoff push without starting quarterback Jason Campbell, who reportedly dislocated his left patellar tendon and could be lost for the season.  Todd Collins came in and performed well in relief (judging solely on the stats), but I'll tell you. . .I'm less scared of the Todd Collins-led Redskins than I am of the Jason Campbell-led Redskins.  Starting is a much different animal than coming out of the bullpen. . .just ask Rick Aguilera.

(If you're asking "who the hell is Rick Aguilera," click this link and shoot an e-mail to Jesse or Jon.  Really, it's for your own good.)

Here's hoping for a speedy and full recovery for Campbell.  He's got a lot of potential, and I was sort of hoping to see how our defense would do against him.

So yes, tonight the Vikings benefited from a game that they didn't even play in.  Woo-hoo for us!