Well, I don’t know about other Vikings fans, but I went through a range of emotions during that epic comeback. The Vikings pulled off the largest comeback in NFL history, rallying from 33-0 at the half to outscoring the Colts 39-3 in the second half and overtime to win 39-36. Many Vikings fans will be the first to admit that it was not a pretty game, but almost every fan will be okay with a game like that as long as they get the win. The Vikings also clinched the NFC north for the first time since 2017. With that, let’s take a look at my Minnesota Vikings week 15 takeaways.
Can The Refs Just Find A Way To Not Ruin A Game
Can we please have some accountability here for these officials? I don’t know what else to say other than how much more incompetent can the refs get? The Vikings weren’t the only ones getting horrible calls. It was both ways. I’m not going into details like I have done in the past, but this is just ridiculous with some of these calls or missed ones. You had that terrible unnecessary roughness against JJ (the second to his helmet was a good call), then a pair of Vikings fumble recoveries for touchdowns that were blown dead. It just sucks when stuff like this takes center stage in a game like this.
The same can be said in the Vikings-Bills game. These refs need better training and understanding of what to do in games. Whistling dead a near same exact play twice is just unacceptable. They honestly just need to learn some common sense. Stop having them make such terrible calls that actually have an effect on the outcome of the game. I mean two bad calls resulted in 14-points off the board for the Vikings. It really impacts a game, and the NFL needs to hold these officials to a higher standard, though I don’t see anything changing anytime soon.
Fire Ed Donatell
Yes, I saw that we won. I saw that we held the Colts to three points in the second half. The thing is even with the Colts scoring 22 points (5.9 more than their 16.1 average). The fact is that was a horrendous first half. Yes, going for it on fourth down in your own territory twice doesn’t help, but that was somewhat in part due the defenses lack of ability to stop Indianapolis.
Getting down early forced the Vikings to have to take early risks to get back into the game. Down 17-0 in the first half is not a good look. I get the aggressive play calling; it made sense given the situation. The defense did little to help other than putting a ton of pressure on the offense to have to be aggressive going for it on fourth down to attempt to stay in the game.
Donatell’s time has come for me. Unfortunately, they won, and the defense was lights out in the second half. So, likely he did enough to save his job for another week. The downside is that the longer he stays the less likely he will get fired during the season, something that will be a big problem in the coming weeks.
The Justin Jefferson Tracker
This will be my new addition to my takeaways for the rest of the season. Justin Jefferson is looking to have the first 2,000 yard receiving season as well as breaking Calvin Johnson’s single season record of 1,964 yards. So today Jefferson tacked on 123 yards to his already 1,500 yards putting his total at 1,623. Jefferson now needs 377 yards (125.6 per game) to get to 2,000 and 341 yards (113.6 per game) to break Calvin Johnson’s record. It won’t be easy, especially with outdoor games at Lambeau and Soldier Field. In the end, three weeks to go and 377 yards to 2,000 . Can he do it? I really hope he does.
The Vikings Are The Most Dangerous Team In The NFL
Okay, do I think the Vikings will win the Super Bowl? No. Will they make a run in the playoffs? Unlikely. The way they played today and against Buffalo have shown me one thing, Minnesota can beat anyone on any given Sunday. It’s just a matter of which team shows up. The Vikings outscored the Colts 39-3 from the third quarter on.
The issue is, they are so inconsistent. I just don’t know what to expect any more week-to-week. By halftime I was about ready to give up on the season, now I still have hope for the season, even my concerns with this team. They have shown glimpses and flashes of being about as good as anyone in the league. Unfortunately, that’s all it’s been is just glimpse or a flashes here or there. They have yet to show me that they can consistently play at the highest level and be a true Super Bowl contender.
A Look Ahead
The Vikings will host the New York Giants (7-5-1) next Saturday on Christmas Eve in their “white out” game in their final home game of the regular season. The Giants will be in D.C. on Sunday taking on the Washington Commanders in a pivotal NFC east battle.
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