HOW LOW CAN THEY GO

PACKERS 23

VIKINGS 6

I had a most unusual reaction to watching the Vikings utterly humiliate themselves in Sunday's loss at Lambeau Field to the hated Packers. Normally, such a pathetic performance against a hated rival would fill be with anger, or sadness, or any number of negative emotions.

Not this time. Watching this awful season's latest chapter made me feel nothing at all. I barely was even apathetic.

The season ended last week from any sort of playoff perspective. The Vikings entered this game with already the most miniscule of playoff odds. Now, even using that word would be ludicrous.

The lost season could only be redeemed with some growth by good old Strychnine McCarthy. Well, about that. The QB whose 2 career highlights are road division wins failed to win a 3rd. And he was horrible again. 12 of 19, for 87 yards and 2 picks. 

But this disgrace of a performance is never the doing of just one person. No, these Vikings banded together on this day and humiliated themselves as a team. 

Fittingly, the way this season has been, the game was winnable had the Vikings played like a professional football team. The score at halftime was only 10-6 Packers. Will Reichard boomed a couple of long field goals (they had to be, as the offense only reached the redzone once all day). McCarthy had one nice throw to Jefferson. The run game was effective. Still, we had just 6 points. The lone redzone trip ended on a gross failed TJ Hockenson tush push and a Jordan Mason stuff. Even when things aren't a total fiasco, this offense doesn't put up points.

And when they are a disaster? Oh boy. 

The biggest play after halftime was a horrible special teams mistake (3rd straight week) by Myles Price that gave Green Bay the ball inside the 5 and essentially handed them a touchdown.

KOC never needs an excuse to abandon the run, and he did yet again now down 11. The game became a pointless succession of free rushers at McCarthy. It didn't matter that this was the 1st time all year we had our original planned starting 5 linemen (Darrisaw and Jackson left injured anyway). Micah Parsons made Darrisaw his bitch. The Vikings wound up gaining an absurd MINUS ONE yards of offense in the 2nd half. Only 145 for the game. 

You know things have sunk to a new low when we are talking about historically bad numbers. It's all the same issues week after week. Nothing changes. Nothing gets better. Defense usually hangs in there, but never makes an impact. Once again no turnovers. We now have the apparently obligatory major special teams mistake. 

Can't use the health excuse anymore. This team's collective health has improved as the season has gone on, but the quality of play sure hasn't. The coaching mistakes week after week are the same.

You wonder two things. How bad can this get? And what if it does get even worse? I mean, the coach and GM took a 14-win team and turned it into this mess, centered around a terrible QB who can't play. In the "competitive rebuild" this is the season they were building to. And now we have this. 

Well, tune in next week to see Sam Darnold face off against the team that decided they would rather have Strychnine.