FanPost

4 Downs to 8-1: Beyond Belief

1st Down: Since I started watching the Minnesota Vikings back in 1998, I've seen them lose games in every way imaginable. I've seen two Minneapolis Miracles (one Favre--one Keenum). But I've never seen anything like what transpired in the Meadowlands today. The Vikings won the game--the Vikings choked the game away. The Vikings were helped by the officials--the Vikings were almost screwed out of the victory by the officials. KOC's play calling was atrocious--KOC's play calling was brilliant. Kirk Cousins was Beaker--Kirk Cousins was Kirk Thuggins. Every conceivable question about the game could be answered in the affirmative. Somehow, some way, Minnesota got to celebrate on the flight back to MSP. Three-and-a-half hours of football I will never forget!

2nd Down: For the first three quarters, this was as big of a QB mismatch as you'll ever see. Cousins was not sharp whatsoever (other than what has become the customary first-drive TD), while Josh Allen looked almost unreal. Allen features the impossible-to-bring-down-with-one-man frame of a Ben Roethlisburger combined with the rushing ability of a Michael Vick. Sometimes, it seems like he is playing an entirely different game than everyone else. But then--as the clock dawned on the fourth quarter--a funny thing happened: Allen developed a bit of a Superman Complex (trying to account for every Buffalo yard) and Kirk--to his credit--settled down in a way he often hasn't (see: Week 2 in Philadelphia) after playing poorly for a long stretch. Cousins will never--in any known universe--outplay Allen blow-for-blow, but he was the cooler customer with the game on the line. Again--just astounding to tap out those words on this keyboard.

3rd Down: Justin Jefferson has already had many explosions against Green Bay mirroring Randy Moss's coming-out party in 1998. This game for JJ was more like Randy's mass-audience demolition of Dallas in '98. Jefferson is now the top receiver in this league--and only Tyreek Hill's game-breaking speed comes close. The ten catches, 193 yards, and touchdown are mega-impressive on their own--but that one-handed haul on 4th & 18 to save the game made it legendary. On a day in which Minnesota and Buffalo played to a stalemate in so many different areas, Jefferson was the X-factor in a way that not even Stefon Diggs (12 catches, 128 yards) could duplicate. It sometimes remains difficult for me to fathom that a franchise which produced a Moss now has a similar talent at the same position!

4th Down: JJ's special dominance aside for a moment, this was still another true team victory. Kirk had to shake off the mistakes--Dalvin Cook started the comeback with his 81-yard scamper--the defense capitalized on Allen's mistakes after missing some of those opportunities in the early goings--KOC rebounded from some poor play-calls. I know it sounds trite or like in-the-moment euphoria (and winning cures a lot of these ills), but I've never seen a Vikings squad this tight-knit or all pulling together. No coaching drama--no divas--no finger-pointing (even when the kicker misses another XP). They win or lose as one.

Up next: vs. Dallas (6-3). Almost a little hard to even move on to the next one after the emotions of the Buffalo victory, but (hopefully) that is why they are professionals and I'm just a fan :) The Cowboys defense is certainly no joke, but coming back home after two weeks out east will certainly be nice.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.