The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Chad Courrier

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December 10, 2009

'Calm down,' it's only one loss

Part of the beauty of the National Football League is that each team plays one game per week. However, that schedule is also one of the league’s drawbacks, giving fans way too much time to celebrate or hyperventilate on each week’s result.

This has been one of those weeks in Minnesota, where a 30-17 loss to Arizona caused more panic than this week’s snow, cold and wind. Oh sure, we might be stuck in our houses, snowdrifts up to the doorknobs, unable to get cars out of the garage onto impassable streets, but can you believe Brett Favre threw two interceptions? Or that Jared Allen was as ineffective as shoveling the sidewalk with an ice cream scoop?

As former Vikings coach Mike Tice has been so memorably quoted many times: “Calm down.”

If anybody expected the Vikings to win 16 games this season, they were hallucinating. Fifteen victories? Highly unlikely, even though the team was 10-1 going into last week’s game.

It’s even possible that the Vikings won’t end up with 14 victories. Oh, snap!

What the Vikings had done through the first 11 games was impressive, losing only a road game at Pittsburgh. The last-second victory over San Francisco was one that will long be remembered for the improbable game-winning pass.

But then came the loss to the Cardinals, meaning that the only two losses so far came to the teams that played in the last Super Bowl. Both on the road. What shall we do?

The gruesome, season-ending — perhaps career-ending — leg injury to linebacker E.J. Henderson was by far the most troubling thing to come out of the loss to the Cardinals. Not Favre’s interceptions. Not Adrian Peterson’s ineffectiveness. Not the no-show by the offensive or defensive lines.

Arizona remains a pretty good team, as are the Vikings. Neither team is playing as well as New Orleans, but that doesn’t mean that can’t change in a month. Sunday’s home game against Cincinnati will be a good test for the Purple.

The Bengals, probably the surprise team of the NFL, passes the ball nearly as well as Arizona and runs it better. The Vikings have played pretty well at home, but the absence of Henderson should concern the fans. The return of cornerback Antoine Winfield would be a big help.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Vikings might need to win three games to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs, now that the Cardinals have the tie-breaking advantage. The Vikings can relieve a lot of stress if they just take care of business against the Bengals.

Or imagine how panicked the fan base will be next week.



Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com.

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Chad Courrier