Minnesota Vikings Are Playoff Bound

Ever since the beginning of this 2012-2013 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings have been told time and again that they were in rebuilding mode. That they had no chance at all to compete for a playoff spot and should prepare to compete in three years time. Even entering Week 17, the analysts and so called gurus counted the Vikings out. Since the beginning of the season I have been stating that this Vikings squad would win 9 or 10 games. I have been saying that with better receivers, Christian Ponder will be more comfortable on the field and will start to play better. As of late, Jarius Wright and Jerome Simpson have really stepped up their games and it has shown. Well what more can I say for a team led by the incredibly resilient Adrian Peterson and an amazingly stout defense. I cannot say enough about Adrian Peterson. He ended up 9 yards short of the all-time rushing mark, but when he was told this in a post game interview he didn't seem the least bit angry. In fact, he only could heap praise on the team and the accomplishment they had just achieved. Amazing team player. This Minnesota Vikings team might be one of the most surprising playoff teams in NFL history, but trust me when I tell you that they will not go down without a fight next week at Lambeau Field.

Before the game earlier today my friend Sam Bloomfield and I were very nervous about how this afternoon game would pan out. After all, the Vikings were on a roll, but the Green Bay Packers were coming off of a 55-7 throttling of the Tennessee Titans the week before at Lambeau. The offense was hot and so was the defense for this game Packers squad. Early in the game, the Vikings showed that they were not gonna go down without a fight. At the end of the first quarter, the Vikings found themselves with a 10-0 lead over the hated Packers and were led by a 7 yard touchdown run by running back Adrian Peterson. From this point on, an emotional roller coaster ensued.

One second I thought we had the game won and then Aaron Rodgers would throw a bomb to Jordy Nelson, or I thought we were down in the dumps and then Christian Ponder would hit Jarius Wright for a 63 yard gain. Adrian Peterson's brilliance and Blair Walsh's clutch kicking were also essential to the Vikings victory. Looking back on the notes that I took for this very blog post, I see a roller coaster of emotions that cannot sufficiently be expressed in this word space. Me rambling on about the plays and statistics from this game will not do the Vikings justice on the achievement they just made. This team deserves to experience and compete in the playoffs this year, they are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now and as we have seen in previous years, hot teams always succeed come playoff time.

All I can say to the Packers is that they better be prepared for a battle next Saturday night when the Vikings invade Green Bay. Let the journey continue, Green Bay here we come!