Piling Up Ws

VIKINGS 24

DOLPHINS 16

Another week, another grind.

I knew this Miami game was going to be a struggle. They're all struggles. Doesn't matter who they're facing, this Vikings team will make us sweat in the 4th quarter. 

But this team has found itself in a great place as they hit the bye week. 5-1, two games clear of the Packers, and already getting me to dream of home playoff games in January. 

Going in we knew Miami was down to 3rd string rookie QB Skylar Thompson, with the banged up Teddy Bridgewater ready just in case. No matter. This was going to be a 4 quarter game.

Nothing seemed any different with our defense, at least early. Thompson hit throws to usually wide open receivers. He even ran on us a couple times. But, through 3 drives Miami had nothing to show for it. Patrick Jones got a sack to end one drive. One drive ended scoreless due to FIVE Miami penalties.

That third drive just ended in a punt, but it also took out Thompson, who banged his thumb on a helmet and was done for the day in favor of Teddy. Even though the Dolphins got a field goal on Teddy's 1st drive, it was a bit of a relief to see a less mobile QB get in there.

Oh, and by this point in the game, which was now most of the way through the 2nd quarter, the Vikings offense had yet to achieve a first down. We had like 15 total yards in 4 drives. It was ugly stuff. We couldn't run. We had nobody open for Kirk, and the pass blocking wasn't really working. For 4 drives this was as bad as any Kirk-led offense has been in 5 seasons.

But then after the field goal it was like a switch was flipped. Immediately Kirk hit three straight 10+ yard plays, 2 to Thielen, 1 to Jefferson. Then he hit Jefferson again, who got some sweet YAC and got it inside the 5. Kirk hit Irv Smith for the TD and just like that the Vikings had a lead they would never give back. 

The rest of that 2nd quarter went very well. Miami missed a field goal, then Teddy threw a pick that Harrison Smith caught after a series of doinks. We quickly got in field goal range and Joseph raised the lead to 10-3. So after a sometimes ghastly half we had a 7 point lead. 

Third quarters have been awful this year, but we had chances today to make it a good one. Miami made a rash decision to run a fake punt on their own 34. Josh Metellus made a great play to stop it short, but we squandered the break so completely that we went backwards and couldn't even try a field goal. 

We had field position all quarter, and our next 2 drives began at our own 41 and 49, yet we went 3 and out here too. We had 10 3 and outs on the day.

Fortunately our defense was really getting after Teddy. For the first time since week 1 we displayed a pass rush. We got 6 sacks and constantly brought and got pressure. Teddy was all out of sorts. 

Finally as the 3rd quarter was waning we put together a drive again. The key play was a beautiful Kirk to JJ connection down the sideline. Kirk hit Thielen for the score, and you felt pretty good about things.

Of course, Greg Joseph had to go and miss his 2nd PAT in 3 weeks. Look, Joseph is probably not in danger of losing his job yet, but if he is not going to be reliable from 50+ he has to be money on everything within that, and he absolutely cannot miss PATs. 

Naturally our defense took this 2 score cushion and quickly gave it back, letting Miami go right down the field in 7 plays to make it a 6 point game.

I saw it coming. We were going to find ourselves trailing again soon and need another game winning drive. We followed the TD with another 3 and out and soon Miami was slicing down the field again. Za'Darius Smith got a sack to put them in 3rd and 19. Didn't matter. They converted. Miami got a holding penalty. Didn't matter, as Teddy hit Jaylen Waddle wide open over the middle for a first down. Oh! But the ball popped loose! Harrison Smith was credited with forcing the fumble but it kind of looked unforced on replay. No matter, the ball bounced fortuitously right to Cam Bynum.

Just 2 plays later Dalvin Cook, who had less than 20 yards total by that point, raced through a gaping hole for a 53 yard touchdown, which accompanied by a 2 point conversion seemed to settle things. 

And if that didn't clinch it, Patrick Peterson's pick of Teddy on the next Miami play surely did.

Well, even here we gotta make it tough. We run 3 times and burn the Dolphins timeouts, but then let Miami quickly go downfield again and score. They missed the 2 but an onside kick was coming. Thankfully we recovered it without drama, but man, way to make it needlessly tough.

So, for the first time since 1976 the Vikings won in Miami. Also the last time they won an NFC title, just saying.

The way this team can play inconsistent, sometimes ugly football yet hold together and make plays late to get wins is very impressive. There is no panic. If mistakes happen they don't snowball on us. The leadership on this team.is clearly very strong. And winning games like this will pay dividends.

The Vikings head into the bye 2 games up on a fading mess of a Packers team that just got beat by 17 at home by the Jets. There are still 11 games to go, but this team has not come even close to playing their best football yet. Other than parts of the Packers game they haven't put it together yet.

If they use the bye productively to fix some of these issues they can keep piling up these wins and really turn this season from a probable playoff season into something potentially much more special. I am already at the point where if they do not win the NFC North that will be a huge disappointment. I want a home playoff game in January.