The 2021 Minnesota Vikings season is already off to a hot and cold start. But what else could you expect from a team that has gone through so much already? Last week’s “bloodbath” against the Detroit LOLions proved to be a grinder, but only because we kept them in it. Making crucial mistakes in typical Vikings fashion. Just go down next time Mattison! The record as it stands now is 2-3, and the final team we square off against before the bye is the Carolina Panthers.
If the Vikings head into the bye at 3-3, they might be legit. They would have lost 3 games to 3 playoff teams by a combined 11 points. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but maybe they just needed some time to gel?But if the Vikings lose to the Queen City Kitties? Then they’re shit. Sure the Panthers are decent (more on that in a bit) but going into the bye several games under .500 is a deficit that is EXTREMELY difficult to overcome for teams with playoff aspirations. The schedule immediately out of the bye is a juggernaut too.
Cats Or Rats?
If you replaced Sam Darnold with 2021 Minnesota Vikings in the blog title, that would also be a good question to ask. Not grammatically of course, but Darnold has been just as hot and cold as our favorite football team.
Through the first 3 weeks of the season, it looked as if being freed from the talent-sucking black hole that is Adam Gase was what he needed. But the past 2 weeks he looks like he was back in green and white, throwing 5 interceptions just like the Sam we all used to know about!The one reason why the Panthers offense scares me, is the return of Christian McCaffrey. He is listed as doubtful, so we might dodge a bullet. But we all know how much of a beast he is, and the way the Vikings D has looked there may not be anyone that could even come close to covering him. They’ve also got some speed with Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore. We all saw how well the Vikings deal with speedy receivers in Week 2.
Honey, I Shrunk The Offense
Last year, the biggest complaint of the Vikings was the atrocious defense. The story carried on early this season, but these last 2 games the offense is what’s holding this team back. But it’s not really just the last couple games, the offense has scored 2 touchdowns in the second half all season.
It feels like at times the offense is trying not to lose rather than to win. The game against Detroit eliminated any doubt there. We were favored by 9 points for fuck’s sake! The Panthers defense has looked pretty solid despite a boatload of injuries.
How we perform this week should hopefully say a lot about things moving forward. Let’s also hope Dalvin Cook is good to go. (editor’s note: he was taken off the injury report 5 minutes after this went live) Our offense has always looked dramatically worse when Cook isn’t involved. Here’s hoping we get that shit figured out now that he’s healthy again.Get Lit And Watch The Game With Us
Need a fun location to watch the game?
Tired of watching it with your loud roommates or on a laptop?
Didn’t make the trip down to North Carolina but still craving human contact?
Come down to Big Wood Brewery in White Bear Lake and have a good time with us! It’s a great spot for brews and snacks, and Sunday might be the last good day to get outside and enjoy the weather before ya need a coat. Big Wood fucks with us so heavy they wanted to do another watch party.
After all, the Vikings are 1-0 when we throw a watch party, so the whole ordeal is a good luck charm now.
Professional Driver. Lover of all things sports. I once cut meat for Paul Allen and Mark Rosen. I talk on a podcast about men hugging each other aggressively.