Minnesota Vikings

Following the old Bears blueprint then? Solid defense, don't beat yourself on offense, try to control the clock and win on special teams?

That has worked for other teams in the past.

AP is making me wish I had taken a chance on him instead of MJD in my fantasy league.

Congrats on the good start Vikings fans.

vegas,

Ponder was efficient but not great -- only 111 yards and no turnovers. AP ran for over a 100. But the win came from solid D to keep the Lions offense in check (plus they got a little help from the Lions dropping catchable passes) and two special teams TDs, the opening kickoff returned for a TD by Percy Harvin and a punt returned for a TD by Sherrels.

I didn't get to watch the Vikings/Lions game yesterday. Can anyone clue me in on how Minnesota won? Are the Lions playing poorly, the Vikes playing that good, or a little of both?

I watched a little of a Lions game earlier this year and they looked to me like a team who was a little too big in the head. Similar to Green Bay in that respect.

Good win, but Ponder 111 yds., no t.d.'s need to find some offense!

Another quality win. A defensive and special teams victory this week.

Hey Rat, I can just hear Jim Mora saying "Playoffs?" "Playoffs?"

I'm not gonna worry about playoffs or counting up wins, etc. I'll be happy for steady progress. If at the end of the year some teams couldn't keep up with us, that will be just fine.

So, can Cook cover Calvin Johnson? I think he may reduce the number of catches, but I'm guessing there are a few big plays there.

I think the Vikes will score on the Lions. The key will be Vikes defense. I guess Stafford has a bum leg. Maybe some sacks, eh?

With the Packers producing the same amount of offence as the Cleveland Browns, yardage and point wise. The lions playing there typical foolish ways, and the great D and Culter of the bears. The Vikings may surprise some people.

Very impressed with Ponder and Rudolph. To beat the Niners was/is shocking.

Vikes and Bears on the top of the division. Lions and Pack on the bottom. Never saw that. Don't think it will last, but the Vikes are much better than I thought. I figured 6-10. Now I'll say 8-8 or 9-7. They do play with heart and have a good blend of old/new talent. O-line has improved enough and Ponder is just playing smart football and he seems to "get it" more than last year. Who can blame him with the shortened pre-season last year.

Read MMQ by Peter King. He has the Viking's tenth in his fine fifteen. I'll be curious to see their AP32 ranking this week. If they win in Detroit Sunday I'll be more of a believer. You never know. Usually an average of five teams make the play-offs who were not in the previous season.

Looking forward to seeing Jerome Simpson join AP, Harvin, and Rudolph this week. It would be cool to have a vertical game in addition to the short stuff.

Also, very glad to hear Mistral Raymond is going to be OK, no surgery. Jared had no nerve damage, either. Healthy = good thing.

I watched the entire game, NFL Sunday Ticket, the Vikings simply outplayed the 49's in a very impressive way. When you play like that, no luck is needed, and you can overcome the crappy calls (officials).

Nice post, Shark. A rival who does more than simply talk trash is appreciated. I hope the rivalry can be rekindled, too, although it makes for tense Sundays when my Vikes play the wife's Packers. I just like to see good football, and maybe the Vikes are on their way back to that.

Tim, it doesn't surprise me that they caught you off guard a little. According to the "experts", the Vikes are a terrible team and a long way from being competitive. I believe this game was not a fluke. There is a lot more talent there than people realize. However, it will take some time before they get good on the road, so don't be surprised if next week's game isn't a lot tougher. We'll see if they can master improvement on the road. If nothing else, I get a whole week to enjoy this one

Nice game, very nice!

Good for the Vikes from this Packer fan! Was definitely rooting for them today, and hope they and the Pack can get back to the rivalry they had a few years ago! The NFC North is going to be a tight division for the next few years- Vikes, Lions, and Pack should be relevant for a while. Bears are getting old, we'll see about them.

Been out of the country for 2 weeks, nice to be back and watching football today. Viking game wasn't on here but saw highlights.. Nice start for them at least they are competitive, and beating the niners today has to be huge for a young team.

Packer fan here. Never saw that one coming! Wow! Statement about the refs is sadly so true. See my post on NFL topics for my take on this debacle.

Tim