I presume that many of you saw the Bills/Vikes game on MNF last night; for those who did not, let me post a couple of stats to let you know how/why the Vikes were dominated in the game:
- Vikes Time of Possession = 17:28
- Vikes First Downs = 9
- Vikes Third Down Conversions = 0 of 8
- Vikes Fourth Down Conversions = 0 of 2
- Vikes Total Offense = 178 yards
With that offensive output, it would take a defense that included Superman, the Incredible Hulk and The Flash to win the game. The first level conclusion from that miasma would be the Carson Wentz’ career is cooked and he should never again be trotted out to start a game for the Vikes or anyone else. His performance was indeed awful; I have not found his QB Rating from last night, but I would not be surprised if it was somewhere around his shoe size. But the Vikes’ offense had another glaring fault:
- The Vikes ran the ball only 12 times and gained a total of 51 yards.
While that average of 4.3 yards per attempt is not awful, the number of running plays called is not sustainable. In a game where Carson Wentz was having a “less than adequate game”, the Vikes’ play caller had him throwing the ball 32 times. There had been a lot of speculation about the Vikes trading for a QB at the deadline today; maybe they need to get a running back too and tell the play caller to remember those running plays on the call sheet.
And speaking about the trade deadline …
- When the Eagles traded Jordan Davis to the Jags, that was the equivalent of the Eagles waving the white flag on the 2026 season.
- If the Raiders wind up trading Kirk Cousins to the Vikes, that would put Fernando Mendoza under center for the Raiders starting next week unless the Raiders choose to start Aiden O’Connell then. It might make sense for them to turn to O’ Connell because the next three opponents for the Raiders are Seahawks, Broncos and Browns. Those are three above average defenses and maybe that is not the best way to “break in” a rookie QB. Just a thought …
- Maybe the Vikes should call the Commanders to see if Marcus Mariota is available? Or how about a call to the Rams about Jimmy G?
Moving on … After yesterday’s musings about a 24-team CFP, it seems today that such a circumstance will come into being starting at the end of the 2027 regular season; and with that expansion, the conference championship games will need to be eliminated to fit into a pre-determined end of schedule date. My thought that the expanded CFP schedule could spice up some of the middling bowl games will not come to pass because the first and second round games in the expanded CFP tournament will be played at campus venues and only the quarterfinals and the semifinals will be played in the major bowl games around New Year’s Day.
So, if you are a fan of meaningless games played in nearly empty stadiums, you need not worry about getting your fix next season – – unless of course this CFP expansion leads to the demise of several of those meaningless games entirely.
Finally, a thought from Lily Tomlin:
“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………