Hapless in Seattle

Seahawks 21
Vikings 7

*deep....deep sighs*

Man, I really try with this team. I am not an optimistic person by nature, but I am when it comes to the Vikings. I look for silver linings even where there are none. I don't think I fall into pure homerism very often though. The math and the schedules still tell my head that this team should make the playoffs. My head tells me that this team has found itself in an usually large number of difficult spots schedule-wise. Now, they also haven't overcome any of them, but a lot has gone against them.

But I love this Vikings team like a parent loves a child who is flunking out of school.

You are better than this. You should be better than this. You WOULD be better than this if you just fucking LEARNED. But we have 3 weeks left in the season now, and it feels like if this team is learning anything from this season, they either can't or won't enact changes.

I did the John Defilippo rant last week. I'm not interested in repeating myself. If ever there was a game where the focus was going to be on this guy, this was it, after his disgraceful gameplan gave us ZERO chance in New England, and Zimmer called him out. So this motherfucker goes out there and basically conjures up an even WORSE gameplan, only this time with a little more running.

It got bad in 2016 with the last days of Norv. But I am at the point now where I would give anything to go back to that. I am now pining for the TJ Clemmings era.

JDF flat out refuses to change. He knows that to most people, the blame will always fall to the $84 million man. JDF is STILL getting talked about nationally as a prime head coaching candidate, while he is basically deliberately sabotaging this team, and this quarterback.

Each member of this defense should take turns kicking JDF in the nuts. I know the defense eventually faded tonight. That Wilson run was a backbreaker, and they gave up a handful of cutback runs that really hurt, but I don't know how much more this defense could have realistically done to win in one of the NFL's toughest places. If there isn't some serious schism brewing in that locker room right now, then our defensive players have world class patience. I would be furious. I AM furious.

Whatever you think of Kirk Cousins, the fact is you can have a dynamic offense with him and these skill players. Yes the OL is a trainwreck that any competent defense can easily manhandle, but an OC with an ounce of creativity can find ways to at least minimize this problem. It is JDF's fucking JOB to maximize the good and minimize the bad. He's doing the exact opposite. Repeatedly.

This game was the most winnable loss of the whole damn season. But our offense didn't even cross the damn 50 til the 2nd half. We had the most infuriating collection of short yardage play calls you will ever see, including a 4th and goal. We had another field goal disaster, although the refs did fuck us on that one. Our only exciting moment was that 1 deep ball to Diggs.

It was such a spirit sapping game to watch.

And now the north is obviously gone. We will not defend our title, and it is now just the 6 seed to shoot for. I would ALWAYS rather make the playoffs than not, and with the Eagles and Panthers playing the Rams and Saints respectively next week, we should move closer to the playoffs next week.

But we're dragging towards the finish line. I've been waiting for this team to really hit their stride, but they just never have. And there really is no reason to think, barring a change of OC, that this team will ever really stride this year. Miami next week will be a struggle. At Detroit will be a struggle. Home against a Bears team that may not even need that game will be a struggle. They could win all 3 games. They really could. But it damn sure ain't gonna be 38-3. It's gonna be ugly.

Be better, Vikings. Be better NOW!