Sam Darnold was in command for the Vikings as they defeated the Packers in Week 17. (Photo by Brace ... [+]
There are no ifs about the Minnesota Vikings season. A team that was supposed to finish in last place in the NFC North can earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs, a bye in the Wild Card round and the NFC North title if it can go into Ford Field in Detroit Sunday night and beat the rampaging Lions.
That became reality in Week 17 when the Vikings held off the Green Bay Packers. The 27-25 margin says that it was a close game, but the Vikings had control of the game for more than three quarters before the Packers were able to join the battle.
This was a game where quarterback Sam Darnold took hold from the start by shredding the Packers defense with his ability to understand where they were vulnerable and then deliver the ball to his teammates in just those spots. While Darnold was completing 33 of 43 passes for a career-best 377 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, the Vikings defense took Packers quarterback Jordan Love out of his game.
Love was supposed to be the better quarterback in this game, more athletic, stronger and perhaps more decisive than Darnold. He was prepared to perform against Minnesota’s blitzing schemes designed by defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Instead, the Vikings came out with more man-to-man coverages than they have all season. Through the first three quarters of the game, Love had just 64 passing yards while completing 10 of 17 attempts.
Love didn’t figure out much until the final eight minutes of the game. That’s when he led consecutive touchdown drives that allowed the Packers to get within two points. But their hopes of a Minneapolis Miracle came to a halt when Darnold directed the Vikings to a pair of first downs in the final two-plus minutes. The game ended when Darnold looped a high-arching toss to running back Cam Akers on a 3rd-and-2 play and he caught the ball inches from his shoe tops for the clinching first down.
The Packers had no timeouts and the Vikings were able to go into victory formation for the final three snaps of the game.
At the start of the season, the Vikings were the outsiders, longshots to win the Super Bowl at odds of plus-8000. Now those odds have diminished to plus-800, and the big change in those numbers tell part of the story. The success the Vikings have had this season in winning 14 of 16 games have made them quite popular with the sports betting public.
But the team itself has something far bigger in mind that merely cashing bets for supporters. The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl title since they joined the NFL in 1961 although they have been to the game four times. The Vikings were an NFC powerhouse decades ago when they were coached by Bud Grant and their quarterback was Fran Tarkenton, but they have not been back since they dropped a 32-14 decision to the John Madden-coached Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI. That game was played in 1977.
Kevin O’Connell has a team full of believers
Kevin O'Connell brings a smile and optimism to every assignment, but he is nobody's fool. He knows ... [+]
This year’s version of the Vikings have followed the lead of their optimistic head coach. Kevin O’Connell gets along with everyone and he builds positive relationships with his players in the locker room. In today’s NFL world, head coaches have to get along with their players. Disciplinarians have been jettisoned and hard-hitting practices are no longer part of the routine.
However, O’Connell is much more than a nice guy. His ability to reach quarterbacks and help them perfect their craft makes him special in the NFL. He helped veteran Kirk Cousins during their two years together and he has taken his work to an even higher level with Darnold.
The Vikings quarterback is in his seventh year in the NFL after six previously non-descript ones with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. He was brought in as a placeholder for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who had led Michigan to the national championship a year ago. However, when McCarthy’s season came to an end after the first preseason game with a torn meniscus, the placeholder became the QB1.
The celebration in the Vikings lockerroom was epic after the final seconds ticked off the clock in the win over the Packers. Darnold was given a hero’s welcome as the joyous team sprayed water and lifted him on their shoulders.
Then O’Connell gave his team its marching orders for the coming week. “What have I said all season,” O’Connell asked his players. “It has been 1-0, and I don’t have to tell you how important it is this week. I don’t have to tell you!”
One more 1-0 week for the Vikings will get them to the top of the heap in the NFC.
