Yeah, my watch might only say 10:50 PM, but midnight has officially struck for the Minnesota Vikings.
The scoreboard might have said 32-21, but if you didn't see the game, don't kid yourself. . .it wasn't THAT close. The Vikings 7 first-half possessions went as follows:
-Interception
-Safety
-Punt
-Missed FG
-Lost fumble
-Interception
-Punt
It's really, really hard to win games that way.
I just can't believe that in a game that meant THIS much, that this team went out and played THIS badly. The offense was terrible, the defense was terrible, the special teams were terrible, the coaching was terrible. . .other than that, things were alright.
It's a damn shame that Viking fans couldn't file a class-action lawsuit for emotional pain and suffering. . .if we could, every damn one of us would be filthy rich.
Going into next week, the scenario is simple.
-If Washington beats Dallas. . .who, in all likelihood, will be playing their second string after Green Bay's pathetic performance allowed them to wrap up the #1 NFC seed today. . .then everything is over.
-If, by some wacky coincidence, the Redskins LOSE to Dallas and Minnesota can beat Denver IN Denver, Minnesota makes the playoffs.
-If both Washington and Minnesota lose and New Orleans can beat Chicago, then the Saints will be in the playoffs.
But the Vikings no longer control their own destiny, and that's what really kills us here. A win today would have put Minnesota into the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Instead, there's a very real chance that we're looking at staying home for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
A day of anticipation and hoping. . .and it's repaid with that. I can't believe it. The more things change. . .
Ah, well. . .the sun has already gone down tonight, and since I'm relatively sure that it's going to come up again tomorrow, life is going to go on.
Have a good night, ladies and gentlemen.