Bad news for the Vikings

[Pokerbrat2000]

No doubt in my mind that the Vikings are the #1 team in the NFL right now because of their Defense. Their offense is good enough and ball secure to win most games because of that defense. Turnovers are a part of their good defense. As are the 2 TD's their defense has scored on turnovers. The Vikings only turnover this season was on a fumble during the Packer game and that was a fumble by their defense when Cobb stripped the ball from a Viking player after a turnover. Just like all the good defenses in the history of the NFL, a part of what makes a good defense is its ability to take the ball away from the other teams offense. This can be on downs, a fumble or interception and right now, the Vikings defense is finding a way to do all 3. Will they keep it up? I wouldn't doubt it, but odds are their offense will eventually cough up the ball more then the 0 times they have so far this season and that is what may cost them a game or two or....

 

[Raptorman]

Vikings signed Jake Long to shore up their O-line. We shall see if he still has any gas in the tank.

 

[swhitset]

And if in your second sentence you were implying that I'm not a PACKER fan, I think you know what you can do with it.

I was making no implication about you whatsoever, I was however pointing out that being hypercritical of others beliefs about the packers and how they compare to the Vikings is a bit unrealistic. Most people are going to look for the best in the teams they follow and the worst in their opponents. This may not always be an unbiased evaluation, but is is natural. Further, I think we can discuss without needing to get angry or make assumptions that lead to unnecessary levels of frustration.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Vikings signed Jake Long to shore up their O-line. We shall see if he still has any gas in the tank.

*Tosses you some duct tape and glue for that Viking Ship* Not sure how they are managing to keep it afloat, but impressed that they are.

 

[PackerDNA]

I was making no implication about you whatsoever, I was however pointing out that being hypercritical of others beliefs about the packers and how they compare to the Vikings is a bit unrealistic. Most people are going to look for the best in the teams they follow and the worst in their opponents. This may not always be an unbiased evaluation, but is is natural. Further, I think we can discuss without needing to get angry or make assumptions that lead to unnecessary levels of frustration.

That's why I put 'if' in there, to give you the chance to clarify.
All good on this end, swhitset.

 

[PackerDNA]

Vikings signed Jake Long to shore up their O-line. We shall see if he still has any gas in the tank.

I doubt it. Too many injuries for too long.

 

[bigbubbatd]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ings-new-england-patriots-pittsburgh-steelers
We've all discussed power rankings at length, but the sportwriters seem to think that the Vikings would beat the Packers again today/tomorrow/etc and so would seven other teams. Top ten is still better than bottom ten. Oh yeah, they don't mention a fleeting turnover margin. They mentioned a defense that is also allowing the fewest points per game, which in my opinion is the most important defensive stat.

The Vikings definitely deserve to be the number 1 team but this ranking is somewhat insane to have the Bengals ahead of the Packers. Also that is a pretty poor reading of a power ranking. The Packers get the Vikings at home and I think that could tilt a three point game the other way. If the packers played those 7 teams at Lambeau I grantee they wouldnt be predicted to lose all 7

 

[PackerDNA]

The Vikings definitely deserve to be the number 1 team but this ranking is somewhat insane to have the Bengals ahead of the Packers. Also that is a pretty poor reading of a power ranking. The Packers get the Vikings at home and I think that could tilt a three point game the other way. If the packers played those 7 teams at Lambeau I grantee they wouldnt be predicted to lose all 7

That 8 team Super Bowl list I posted the other day?
First change- delete Bengals, add Vikings.

 

[bigbubbatd]

Vikings signed Jake Long to shore up their O-line. We shall see if he still has any gas in the tank.

It seems like a "good" signing but I doubt they expect him to do a ton. They just need depth at this point after losing their top 2 tackles (who werent very good) how can they have any depth left. I would be worried about Long with speed rushers.

I still am shocked by the struggles the Vikings are having running the ball. I know they lost AP but even with him it was a struggle. With the state of their oline and their lack of a running game I am beginning to the think the Bridgewater injury was a good thing for the team. I have a hard time seeing Teddy perform as well as Bradford has. Poor Teddy will likely never start for the Vikings again even if he gets healthy

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The Vikings remaining schedule as of today looks similar but easier then the one the Packers face. Probably the Vikings 2 toughest games left are @ Philly next week and then @ GB on 12/24. Meanwhile, the Packers still have @ Atlanta, @ Philly, Seattle and the Vikings to navigate. At the beginning of the season it looked more favorable to be facing Atlanta and Seattle (Packers Schedule) with Minny facing Arizona and the Panthers instead, that seems to have flipped.

 

[bigbubbatd]

That 8 team Super Bowl list I posted the other day?
First change- delete Bengals, add Vikings.

Didnt see your post but here would be my list

AFC
Patriots
Steelers
Broncos

NFL
Vikings
Falcons
Seahawks
Packers

Playoff type teams I cant see winning a Super Bowl - Cowboys, Eagles, Raiders, and maybe a couple others.

Who was your 8th

 

[Sky King]

The season is only about 25% over. There's a lot of football (and critical football injuries) yet to be played out. When there's about 25% of the season still left to play I'll get revved-up about the alleged favorites. Whichever team is hottest latest will be my prohibitive favorite whether they are the sixth seed or the top seed.

 

[swhitset]

It seems like a "good" signing but I doubt they expect him to do a ton. They just need depth at this point after losing their top 2 tackles (who werent very good) how can they have any depth left. I would be worried about Long with speed rushers.

I still am shocked by the struggles the Vikings are having running the ball. I know they lost AP but even with him it was a struggle. With the state of their oline and their lack of a running game I am beginning to the think the Bridgewater injury was a good thing for the team. I have a hard time seeing Teddy perform as well as Bradford has. Poor Teddy will likely never start for the Vikings again even if he gets healthy

I agree, assuming Bradford stays healthy which is a big assumption based on history.

 

[PackerDNA]

Didnt see your post but here would be my list

AFC
Patriots
Steelers
Broncos

NFL
Vikings
Falcons
Seahawks
Packers

Playoff type teams I cant see winning a Super Bowl - Cowboys, Eagles, Raiders, and maybe a couple others.

Who was your 8th

Arizona. Great list on your part, and with playoff teams who won't win the SB; I'm still not sold on the Falcons, though.

 

[C-Lee]

It's way too early for predictions and such.

Packers started out 6-0 last season and we all know what happened after that. I like the week by week mentality.

 

[bigbubbatd]

Arizona. Great list on your part, and with playoff teams who won't win the SB; I'm still not sold on the Falcons, though.

I wasnt sold on them until the way they played against the Broncos. In a year without an elite type team in the NFC (unless the Vikings are) I think a lot of teams could make a Super Bowl

I just dont see it with Arizona. That defense has lost something and so has Palmer. I think they could sneak the 6th seed but they are not a team I would fear.

NFC
East - I think the Cowboys win this division and Eagles could get the other spot. The Redskins could make a run
South - Falcons. No other team will be above .500
West - Seahawks - Will another team finish above .500 here? The Rams and Cardinals have a shot
North - Vikings/Packers

AFC
East - Patroits and I think the Bills will sneak in
South - No one should win this division. I guess maybe the Colts. Who knows. This is a mess. Texans are not good. Colts have no defense. Maybe the Titans
West - Broncos win it. Raiders top wild card
North - Steelers. Maybe the Ravens or Bengals can right the ship but as of now I would put the Bills ahead of them

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

It's way too early for predictions and such.

Packers started out 6-0 last season and we all know what happened after that. I like the week by week mentality.

You are correct. I could live with the Vikings season going into freefall after game 6.

 

[bigbubbatd]

It's way too early for predictions and such.

Packers started out 6-0 last season and we all know what happened after that. I like the week by week mentality.

I would assume at this point of the year you can pick 10 of the 12 playoff teams. Obviously things will change and some of those 7-8 teams will start to struggle but at the same time I would be surprised to see any team outside of them win a super bowl

 

[PackerDNA]

(note; my list was before the season). Again, so far I'm sticking with it except for Vikings in, Bengals out. Still not sold on Atlanta, although Quinn is a defensive minded coach, and if he can get that unit to keep improving, they're trouble.
bigbubbatd makes very good points about AZ. Palmer may be hitting the wall; they're close to dropping off my list.
Nfc East; nobody scares me.I think Dallas will hang on to win it.
NFC South- not ready to write off the Panthers just yet; they're capable of putting a run together.
NFC West- Seahawks in a walk. If they can get improvement from the Oline, lookout.
NFC North- between us and the Vikes. Hoping it comes down to a showdown, winner take all again on Christmas Eve.
In the AFC, the Pats all the way, esopecially with the "Tom Brady is pissed" tour underway. Still not convinced about the Steelers defense, the Broncos are still dangerous but I wonder if they'll get enough from their offence.
Still 100% convinced it's gonna be a great season.

 

[sschind]

Funny how a thread about Teddy Bridgewater's injury can evolve into a discussion about the Panther's secondary.

The strength of the Panther defense last year was in their front seven and their ability to put pressure on the quarterback. They haven't been able to generate the same pressure this season and, while their secondary is weak, I feel this has had a big affect on their early season struggles.

A good pass rush can help cover for weak secondary play. W e pummeled Bradford numerous times in the Viking game but he was able to exploit our secondary the few times he had a chance. Same with Stafford in the Lions game. Most of his big plays down field came when he had time in the pocket.

And some people say evolution isn't real.

 

[sschind]

I agree that it's impossible to accurately evaluate a player's performance because of lack of knowledge about the assignments. That's true for every single poster around here as well as PFF though.

In my opinion it's odd having fans discrediting PFF's work but on the other hand talking about their knowledge of the game when in reality they don't have access to additional information nor watch every single snap using coaches film.

Fans love intangibles and I don't think PFF takes them into account. Fans also love their teams players more and I don't think PFF takes that into account. Fans hate it when their rivals players get high marks PFF doesn't care about that. PFF is far less biased than anything you will see on a fan site. Even the players on their team that fans hate tend to get worse marks than PFF would give them, except then the PFF rankings work to their favor so its OK.

Its easy to dismiss PFF because "Stats don't show everything" but very few fans have access to what PFF has access to so I find it difficult to believe a fan would be more accurate in their assessment simply because of their eye test.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The good news for Packers fans is that we have the ability to clean up those mistakes on offense and in the secondary and be a much better team. The Vikings on the other hand seem to be playing at the top of their game right now.

I agree with that statement and it's something a lot of people tend to forget. I don't expect the Vikings to play at the top of their game for the rest of the season or continue to decisively win the turnover battle every single game.

If the Packers improve over the course of the year it will be an interesting battke for the division crown.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I agree with that statement and it's something a lot of people tend to forget. I don't expect the Vikings to play at the top of their game for the rest of the season or continue to decisively win the turnover battle every single game.

If the Packers improve over the course of the year it will be an interesting battke for the division crown.

Also, I alluded to this in another post. If I was an underwriter for Lloyds of London, the premium for insuring against an injury to Bradford would be sky high right now. Bradford is a tough guy and can release the ball fast, but I just don't see him being able to continue to take some of the hits he has sustained with that patched up Viking OL.

 

[Packerlifer]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...oordinator-arrested-for-drunk-driving-in-may/

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...oordinator-arrested-for-drunk-driving-in-may/

Maybe Capers needs to drink more? But I wouldn't condone him driving after.