Murphy: What more can you ask for?
The Vikings are 12-2 and Brian Murphy is enjoying the ride
By Brian Murphy
Nitpicking has become an Olympic sport in Minnesota or wherever forlorn Vikings fans lay their weary heads, scars from 55 years of biblical losses blanketing fatalism that runs bone-deep.
For the terminally afflicted, who cling to their vulnerability like a security blanket, there is no cure short of the Lombardi Trophy being paraded on both sides of the frozen Mississippi. Not even 12 victories and a rational path to 15 during this once-in-a-generation season.
It’s totally reasonable to scrutinize the 2024 Vikings, a flawed but formidable team that every week feels destined to do something unforgettable. Just don’t let the jaundice ruin the joy.
I feel for folks on a tropical beach who watch the sun set over the deep blue sea only to complain about the humidity. Acknowledging this franchise’s tortured history is part of being a Vikings fan, but no one would should be a prisoner to it.
Not with so much feel-good momentum building for a fantastic finish that should tickle all football fans, even the fickle ones.
Minnesota’s 30-12 victory over the sad-sack Bears Monday night, and the shifting sands in the playoff chase, has the Vikings firmly in control of their destiny in the uber-competitive NFC North and their quest to seize the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Where else would you rather be? Wishing for Josh Dobbs or Nick Mullens to steer their jalopy into the postseason? Hoping Kirk Cousins doesn’t check it down?
These Vikings have earned their place at the adult table this season by mastering the elusive craft of complimentary football and discovering new ways to beat down the opponents and opposition schemes they’re dealt.
We have seen how coach Kevin O’Connell unleashes Sam Darnold so he can torch defenses that let Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison roam downfield in single coverage. How tight end T.J. Hockenson and a deep receiving corps can exploit underneath gaps. Or how Aaron Jones and Cam Akers can tenderize an aggressive pass rush by turning third-and-long into a new set of downs.
We have seen how defensive coordinator Brian Flores unleashes his merry band of playmakers to terrorize quarterbacks and crush an offense’s soul with third down stop after third down stop. How Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Patrick Jones, the Harrisons – Phillips and Smith – or any of their unheralded plug-and-play defenders can single-handedly dictate the course of a game.
This isn’t Brett Favre injecting Super Bowl pedigree into a stacked team in desperate need of an alpha male in the huddle. Or Randy Moss redefining how to play wide receiver and Randall Cunningham redefining what it means to have a second act as a quarterback a decade earlier as the Vikings steamrolled teams en route to 15 wins while hoping the bailing wire holds on the defense.
These Vikings are deeper on both sides of the ball and better coached than the respective Dennis Green and Brad Childress-led teams that made it to the doorstep of the Super Bowl only to flame out spectacularly.
The 1998 and 2009 teams seemed destined to end the title drought but couldn’t get out of their own way in NFC championship games. The 2024 Vikings seem more well-balanced but face a more daunting path these next three weeks, never mind Super Bowl LIX.
The four best teams in the NFC – Detroit, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Green Bay – have a combined record of 46-10. Each has a viable case for playing Feb. 9 in New Orleans, but the Vikings have the hardest journey over the final three weeks of the regular season.
And they don’t have the Bears to kick around anymore.
Their opponents (at Seattle, vs. Green Bay and at Detroit) are 30-23 (.714 winning percentage. Meanwhile, the Eagles travel to Washington (9-5) before hosting Dallas (6-8) and the New York Giants (2-12), who have not resembled an NFL team since Minnesota walked all over them in Week 1 at the Meadowlands.
The Lions are leaking oil defensively as injuries continue to decimate that unit, with road games at Chicago and San Francisco before hosting the Vikings. Winning every game 45-42 does not seem like a winning postseason formula, but perhaps Detroit is the only team equipped to succeed in shootouts.
The Eagles have won 10 straight with a Super Bowl-tested roster and are a nightmare to play in Philly. The Packers are peaking with a young roster and star coach who don’t know what they don’t know.
“It’s going to be incredibly competitive down the stretch,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’re going to have to play well and continue to improve, chasing our best football.”
The Vikings have been chasing expectations all year, since Vegas buried them with a 6 ½-win projection back in August. All they’ve done is stack 12 distinct wins behind a resurrected quarterback with no ceiling and a tenacious defense with no limitations, betraying a complimentary team that knows no bounds.
Grab a lounge chair, sip that cold drink and appreciate that sunset.
Excellent read!
Hey Murph, your math is off. The Vikings remaining opponents have a combined 30-12 record. You got the percentage correct at .714.