Will Minnesota Vikings make the Super Bowl?

Will Minnesota Vikings make the Super Bowl?

  • Yes

    Votes: 7 26.9%

  • No

    Votes: 16 61.5%

  • Don't know yet

    Votes: 3 11.5%
  • Total voters
    26
  • This poll will close: .
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gophersfan

gophersfan

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Simple yes or no and your reason. Is this the year we finally stop having our hearts broken and we finally get back to the Super Bowl.
 


I went with "no."

call me a skeptic, or it's my natural Minnesota pessimism, but at some point, the Vikes are due for a bad game.

actually, I would rather see them have that bad game against Green Bay or Detroit in the regular season.

because once the playoffs start, a bad game means the season is over.

I could be dead wrong - but I have this spectre of the Vikes getting to the NFC title game and that's the week that Darnold decides to turn back into a pumpkin and tosses 3 picks. Because that would hurt a lot worse than the Kirk days where they bowed out in the 1st round.
 

To me it comes down to the bye. Without the bye we are on the road to LA or TB, Philly, and Detroit.
I am not confident enuf that we can win these next two games to secure the bye.

I am counting on our defense playing better with Pace returning. This has to happen or we are sunk.
Our oline has to figure out a way to play better as well.
 
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By the way .... IF they make it back to the Super Bowl ..... just make it back.

It's hard for me to believe that most fans won't be just as pissed off if they don't win the damn thing.


"Just once before I die"
 

If our running game was better, I would say Yes.
 


If the Vikings beat Detroit on Sunday, they will go to the Super Bowl.
 



LakevilleBro said:
If our running game was better, I would say Yes.
Click to expand...
The only problem with our running game is that we don't run enough. We are somehow 12th in rush attempts as a team (which is shocking to me - I would've guessed 20th-25th before I looked), and almost every single team ahead of us is in or near the playoffs. There is a striking positive correlation between a team's W/L record and how many times they run the ball.

For all the things to love about KOC, and there are many, his major weakness is that he doesn't run the ball nearly enough, and doesn't even attempt to establish the running game early in games. If/when we lose in the playoffs, it will be due to his unwillingness to run the ball when needed. Passing on 3rd and short 9/10 times is a losing strategy against quality opponents.
 

Put me in the IDK yet category. The idea of the Vikings winning 3 road games all against higher seeded teams seems unlikely.
Beat Detroit and the bye helps...home field advantage helps. But, could we really beat the Packers three times or the Lions 2 and a half times in the number one seed scenario? Mayne we get lucky and don't play either one but one can easily see Detroit and Green Bay winning their first game. If GB wins, we'd play them. If GB loses and the Commanders lose, if Lions win we'd play them. No easy path if it shakes out any of those scenarios.

I did think we would have a winning record with the roster we put together. But like 9 and 8 or 10 and 7...not 14 and 2 at this point. Fun season whatever happens.
 

dpodoll68 said:
The only problem with our running game is that we don't run enough. We are somehow 12th in rush attempts as a team (which is shocking to me - I would've guessed 20th-25th before I looked), and almost every single team ahead of us is in or near the playoffs. There is a striking positive correlation between a team's W/L record and how many times they run the ball.

For all the things to love about KOC, and there are many, his major weakness is that he doesn't run the ball nearly enough, and doesn't even attempt to establish the running game early in games. If/when we lose in the playoffs, it will be due to his unwillingness to run the ball when needed. Passing on 3rd and short 9/10 times is a losing strategy against quality opponents.
Click to expand...
I think our offensive line's ability to create space to run is a pretty big factor in our play selection.
 




The NFC North is the first division in NFL history that has TWO teams with 14+ wins
 


dpodoll68 said:
The only problem with our running game is that we don't run enough. We are somehow 12th in rush attempts as a team (which is shocking to me - I would've guessed 20th-25th before I looked), and almost every single team ahead of us is in or near the playoffs. There is a striking positive correlation between a team's W/L record and how many times they run the ball.

For all the things to love about KOC, and there are many, his major weakness is that he doesn't run the ball nearly enough, and doesn't even attempt to establish the running game early in games. If/when we lose in the playoffs, it will be due to his unwillingness to run the ball when needed. Passing on 3rd and short 9/10 times is a losing strategy against quality opponents.
Click to expand...
I wonder how much of that has to do with teams having to throw when they are behind, and running when they are ahead. A chicken and egg type of question.
 

60's Guy said:
Put me in the IDK yet category. The idea of the Vikings winning 3 road games all against higher seeded teams seems unlikely.
Beat Detroit and the bye helps...home field advantage helps. But, could we really beat the Packers three times or the Lions 2 and a half times in the number one seed scenario? Mayne we get lucky and don't play either one but one can easily see Detroit and Green Bay winning their first game. If GB wins, we'd play them. If GB loses and the Commanders lose, if Lions win we'd play them. No easy path if it shakes out any of those scenarios.

I did think we would have a winning record with the roster we put together. But like 9 and 8 or 10 and 7...not 14 and 2 at this point. Fun season whatever happens.
Click to expand...


Agree. I put no. But if we win Sunday will likely change my vote.

If win Sunday we likely play:
Detroit, Philadelphia

If lose Sunday, we likely play:
at TB, at Detroit, at Philadelphia

Also the week of rest/healing that comes with the bye is really nice. Can't overestimate the importance of Sunday's game. Looks like it will be a shootout. The last 7 games Goff has 20 TDs and 1 int. Over those 7 games, he leads the NFL in passing yds and touchdowns. Can Flores come up with a game plan that will slow down the Lions offense just a little? The ultimate prizefight: Flores versus Johnson.
Johnson has a stable of thoroughbreds, while Flores has to count on smoke and mirrors a little.
 
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dpodoll68 said:
The only problem with our running game is that we don't run enough. We are somehow 12th in rush attempts as a team (which is shocking to me - I would've guessed 20th-25th before I looked), and almost every single team ahead of us is in or near the playoffs. There is a striking positive correlation between a team's W/L record and how many times they run the ball.

For all the things to love about KOC, and there are many, his major weakness is that he doesn't run the ball nearly enough, and doesn't even attempt to establish the running game early in games. If/when we lose in the playoffs, it will be due to his unwillingness to run the ball when needed. Passing on 3rd and short 9/10 times is a losing strategy against quality opponents.
Click to expand...

100%. Nailed it. Especially in short yardage situations. It's been working out for the most part but KOC loves him some passing inside the 5-yd line. At the end of the day, you have to be able to run the ball in short yardage, convert on 3rd and short, 4th and short.

As far as the bolded, no doubt. One of the smarter guys I listen to talks about controlling the game. You can win the game sometimes but never have control of the game. One of the metrics he has thrown around for whether or not you controlled the game is

Rushing Attempts + Pass Completions = > 50

It's not fool-proof, of course, but it's usually a pretty good indicator.
 

Gophers1992 said:
I wonder how much of that has to do with teams having to throw when they are behind, and running when they are ahead. A chicken and egg type of question.
Click to expand...
Except, there is some crazy stat that the Vikings have been ahead in games 81% of all minutes played...some percentage that makes you go...can that be true?
 

Ogee Ogilthorpe said:
100%. Nailed it. Especially in short yardage situations. It's been working out for the most part but KOC loves him some passing inside the 5-yd line. At the end of the day, you have to be able to run the ball in short yardage, convert on 3rd and short, 4th and short.

As far as the bolded, no doubt. One of the smarter guys I listen to talks about controlling the game. You can win the game sometimes but never have control of the game. One of the metrics he has thrown around for whether or not you controlled the game is

Rushing Attempts + Pass Completions = > 50

It's not fool-proof, of course, but it's usually a pretty good indicator.
Click to expand...
And then there is the stat that O'Connell is behind only John Madden in one score game winning percentage historically. What he does works for him.
 


It can’t get any worse 🤷‍♂️.

Get all the suckiness out and leave it there


x.com

x.com x.com
 




Ope3 said:
If following the Vikings builds character, I feel as though I should be the second coming Mahatma Ghandi.
Click to expand...
Then, by your logic, shouldn’t a plurality of Minnesotans would be Ghandi-like? 😉

You also have to be willing to act on said character building; he left behind a law practice to advocate/lead his people, was assassinated and had a net worth, per Wikipedia, was $1.

Heavy indeed, is the head which wears that crown.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Then, by your logic, shouldn’t a plurality of Minnesotans would be Ghandi-like? 😉

You also have to be willing to act on said character building; he left behind a law practice to advocate/lead his people, was assassinated and had a net worth, per Wikipedia, was $1.

Heavy indeed, is the head which wears that crown.
Click to expand...
He also had an affair with a woman with a goiter.
 




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