Monday Open Thread: November 5, 2018

Happy Monday, everyone!

We get a special treat again this week, as we get to kick off the work week with a post-win version of Monday. Mondays are great, the start of a new work week and all the fun and exciting possibilities, but when you make it a post-win Monday, it’s nearly impossible to contain the excitement. I’m always extra cheerful as I walk in to the office on Monday, but on Mondays after a win, I have to force myself to settle down or I’d be skipping into work and around the office, which usually results in a visit to HR, and I’ve been told that I should try to avoid any more of those visits.

I love what the defense is becoming. I was somewhat concerned earlier in the season (not hysterical & in full panic mode, as some fans were, but I was concerned) when the defense seemed to be struggling, but I knew that it was temporary and that they would get things going. Well, they’ve gotten things going. They’ve gotten stronger each game since the Bills game, and were they certainly strong yesterday. No, they were dominating yesterday. They held the Lions to 199 yards passing and 66 yards rushing (those numbers include the garbage time yards toward the end of the game), they forced/recovered a fumble (and returned it for a TD), and they sacked Stafford 10 times. The 10 sacks ties a franchise record, and that is a record for a franchise that has fielded some stellar defensive units. They allowed only 9 points yesterday, with 3 of those points coming in ‘garbage time’. It was a solid performance by a defense that is getting scarier and scarier every week.

The offense started off strong. They marched down the field on the opening drive and finished it with a touchdown, scored another touchdown in the second quarter, and capped the half off with a field goal. That........was about all the excitement the offense provided yesterday. They didn’t score again, as Danielle Hunter’s fumble return/TD and the ensuing XP were the only points the team put up in the second half, and they honestly didn’t look very strong against Detroit’s defense. Some good news for the offense is that Dalvin Cook was back, and looked much more like the Dalvin Cook we want to see. He had a nice 70 yard run that nearly went all the way, and looked to be running strong. His hammy looks to be back to full strength, and our running game should get a nice boost from his return.

Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention this, and some of you may not believe me anyway, but there was not one missed extra point or missed field goal for the Vikings yesterday. Yes, you read that right, not one missed extra point or field goal by the Vikings yesterday. Not. One. It seems like it’s been a long time since that’s happened, so I looked, and it was actually the third time this year that it’s happened. Well, it’s actually the fourth, but that includes the Buffalo game where we didn’t attempt a kick or PAT, so that game is thrown out. Coincidentally, that ‘game’ is thrown out of my memory, too.

All-in-all, the Vikings are sitting in a pretty decent position as they pass the mid-way point of the season. They sit just behind the Bears for top spot in the NFC North (thanks to the multiple missed kicks which changed a W to a T at Lambeau), and the Bears are the Vikes’ next opponent. They’ll meet on November 18 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Vikings enjoy a bye next week, and the bye will be welcomed by a team that could use some time to heal up and get ready for the run to the top of the NFC North and points beyond. SKOL!

Around the DN since our last open thread:

Ted was here with his latest analysis, it’s the Stock Market Report: Cardinals.

Chris shared next-gen stats from Dalvin Cook’s long run yesterday, where he recorded the fastest clocked time by a ball carrier this season.

Chris has the post-game wrap-up for you.

Luft Krigare and the gang are back with Good Morning Gjallarhorn Epidode 29 - Gnome More Mistakes.

The Cardinals released QB Sam Bradford, which will cause the Vikings to lose a high compensatory draft pick.

Vikings news from other sources and news from around the league:

At Vikings.com, catch a reel with all the highlights from yesterday’s game, hear Coach Zimmer’s post-game presser, and there are many more interviews, highlights, and more for your viewing pleasure in the media vault.

From NFL.com, Packers S Jermaine Whitehead was ejected from yesterday’s game for slapping a Patriots player during the game. Yep, slapped him......with an open hand, just like the image that popped in your head when you read it. I’m unsure whether there was a hair-pulling attempt by Whitehead, the story doesn’t elaborate. The player he slapped was Center David Andrews, who is listed at 300 pounds. Whitehead is listed at 196 pounds, and would likely be pulverized into a mushy pile by Andrews in a street-type fight. Oh, and Andrews was wearing a helmet at the time of the slap (a helmet with a face mask). That was extremely......dumb.

From ESPN, catch up on all of the NFL week 9 scores and highlights.

We come to today’s media selection:

and to one of my all-time favorite DN traditions, our post-win celebratory team fight song. STRIKE UP THE BAND!

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

• No discussion of politics or religion
• No feeding of the trolls
• This isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door
• Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
• Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
• No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
• If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
• While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm

With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up and tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, and try the Rocky Mountain oysters