Wrapping Up The Schedule

Continuing on with a game by game breakdown for the Vikes 2009 schedule:

Week 7: at Pittsburgh I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this game, because the Vikings will lose it. Remember my stunning outdoor grass on the road stat I impressed you with way back in week 1? Same thing applies here, except Pittsburgh ain’t Cleveland. Minnesota will turn the ball over a couple of times, Pittsburgh will get a double digit lead, and everyone in Minnesota will be pissed off that Mike Tomlin is coaching the Steelers and not the Vikings. What should piss them off is that Ben Roethlisberger is the quarterback of the Steelers, not the Vikings.

Week 8: at Green Bay I have to be honest with you, I’m not too impressed with any of the other teams in the NFC North this year. Aaron Rogers is one pulled ovary from the IR, their defense, outside of Charles Woodson and AJ Hawk really doesn’t impress me, and although their personnel are 4-3 type players, they’re switching to the 3-4. The Vikes still lose this game, because there’s no way Brad Childress could sweep the season series from Green Bay. Mike Tice could, but Brad Childress can’t. Vikes are 4-4, but when you consider 5 of 8 games were on the road it’s not a terrible record.

Week 9: Bye

Week 10: Detroit By week 10, Detroit realizes that they’re, well, Detroit. Dan Orlovsky runs out of the end zone again, but the Vikes don’t allow this game to be decided on a safety. I have my issues with Brad Childress, but he is 3-0 after the bye week, beating Houston, Chicago on the road (something Mike Tice couldn’t do, BTW), and Seattle on the road. Vikes right the ship and start on a roll.

Week 11: Seattle Speaking of everyone’s favorite whiny fan base, the Semenhawks come to town for an obligatory ass beating. Seattle really is pissed off at Minnesota, and I can’t figure out why. Could it be because the Vikes front office made the Seahawks front office look like a bunch of bitches when they got Steve Hutchinson? And yes, Seattle fan will retort, that they did the same thing for Nate Burleson. Hmm, Hutch has been to three Pro Bowls and Burleson has about 950 yards receiving in three seasons. Which is about 50 less than he had in 2004 with the Vikes. Yep, you got us there. Maybe it’s because of the legal hit that EJ Henderson put on Matt Hasselback and knocked him out for awhile in 2006? Or maybe it’s the 95 yard TD run Chester Taylor had in that same game that pretty much sealed that game up for the Vikes. Maybe they’re just pissy because the sun never shines in that city. Who knows? Who cares? Vikes still win, because I think it will be the Seneca Wallace show by that point, and he’s just slightly better than Tarvaris Jackson.

Week 12: Chicago The Bears will be better because of Jay Cutler, but no one, outside of our friends at the Daily Norseman, have brought up the point that the Chicago Bear defense aged right in front of us last season, and they have done nothing to address that so far this off-season. And while the Bears have Cutler, they still don’t have anyone to get him the ball, so it will be a great test of the ‘Great QB’s Make Great Receivers’ theory, or it will validate the ‘Great Receivers Make Great QB’s’ theory. Devin Hester? Great return guy, mediocre receiver. This is the first meeting with the Cutler-lead Bears, yet we have finished up our seasonal tilts with both the Packers and Lions. Vikes win this home game and Adrian Peterson continues to make the Chicago Bears his personal play toy.

Week 13: at Arizona Last season the Vikes rolled into Arizona and took it to the future NFC champions. I mean, they really kicked their ass. But that was about 4 weeks before Larry Fitzgerald made a deal with Satan to elevate his game to Randy Moss in his prime levels. I take nothing away from the Cardinals because their run was a lot of fun to watch, but keep in mind they were still a 9-7 team in football’s worst division, but they got hot at the right time. This is an offense that matches up very well against the Viking defense. Arizona will have to pass, because they have no running game, and the Vikes stop the run better than anyone. With a front four of Allen, Udeze, Williams, and Williams, the great but immobile Kurt Warner will be in trouble early and often. Vikes win and are 8-4.

Week 14: Cincinnati Cincinnati sucks. Vikes are 9-4.

Week 15: at Carolina Hmm, tough game to call. It was the Carolina victory at home that helped the Vikes salvage their season and avoid an 0-3 collar to begin the year. Carolina’s a good team, but I can’t help but think that the 12-4 record they posted last season was a bit of an anomaly. Jake Delhomme had a good season, but his schizophrenic ‘Bad Jake’ returned just in time for the playoffs, and it seems he show up just when the Panthers can least afford for him to. I still think this is a tall order for a Vikes victory, though. Until they show they can consistently win tough road games I can’t be convinced they’ll win games like this.

Week 16: at Chicago Just reiterating from what I said above, it’s December and you’re probably playing in some nasty Chicago weather. Because as you know, Chicago is a ‘tough guy’ town. That means the Vikes need to run the ball. Hmm. The Bears defense isn’t what it was, the Vikes have the best running game in the NFL, and Adrian Peterson absolutely owns the Chicago Bears. Give me the Bears defense from three years ago, VIkes lose. Give me the 2009 Bears defense and a healthy Peterson, VIkes win.

Week 17: New York Giants I just don’t think the Giants will be a 12-4 team in 2009. They’re good, but I just get a 10-6 vibe about them. It’s a winnable game for the Vikes, and I think a bye, if not a #1 seed, will be on the line. Expect the Metrodome to be loud, and expect a Vikings win.

So there you have it. A snapshot look tells me this is an 11-5 team, but if Jackson or Rosenfels doesn’t pan out, it has an 8-8 or worse. I think the Vikes will do well this year, and if the quarterback play is just minimally better than what Gus Frerotte gave the team, 11-5 is very realistic.