First, Bill Simmons accidentally tweets something in public that he meant to be a direct message to someone, presumably a Pats outsider. "Rumors swirling about a Pats-Minny trade for Randy Moss."
Initial reaction: Not this again. WTF would Simmons know? Why would the Pats get rid of him NOW? Why would they risk pissing off Tom Brady again when they've had a history of giving away his favorite targets? Makes no sense.
Then Mike Lombardi posts that there's some smoke here. It ends with, "but I know the Pats have not given Moss permission to talk a new deal with anyone." See, there ya go. No way the Vikings giving up draft picks for him AND sign him for next year or the next couple of years.
But it went to the next level when Jay Glazer, he of the next-to-impeccable record when it comes to breaking these things, says they are DEFINITELY talking trade.
Getting Glazer's blessing on this was like getting your dad's permission to spend all day at the arcade. In other words, I'm delirious, past the point of logical thinking, although in the back of my head I'm thinking, "If it's anything more than a 4, it's too much." Then I wake up this morning and find out the deal is done. Ho-lee shit.
(An incredibly boring story from my perspective, I know, and this probably makes for dull-as-dishwater reading, I know, but I'm maintaining this for continuity's sake when I read it a billion years from now when I want to know what happened during the 2010 season. In other words, I write for me! FOR ME!!)
Screw the negatives, I'm all in. I'm fully aware that I'm in Fanboi-Mode, and I'm fully aware that I may regret being so happy about this (it's still the Vikings after all), but it's Randy friggin Moss. 1998. 2007. Transcendent years. Difference maker. Game changer. RANDY MOSS.
Now, tackling the perceived negatives of this trade:
Attitude problems. Moss has openly always wanted to play with Favre, going back to 2006 when Favre begging the Packers to make a deal for him. Also, Moss is the biggest frontrunner ever. A few deep balls, a few touchdowns and a few wins will cure those woes.
Childress will screw it up. You mean like he screwed up last year's offense, which saw Favre have one of his best seasons ever, Peterson run for 1300+ yards and 18 TDs, Rice go for 1300+ yards and 8 TDs, and Harvin average almost 28 yards every kick return with 2 TDs? Not buying it. He'll stick to screwing up the clock and challenges, a la Andy Reid.
There's only one ball to go around. Ties into the attitude problems, but Peterson is a boy scout. Rice has wanted a contract extension but he's smart enough (or has a savvy enough agent) to keep it out of the public eye. (Haven't heard about it since August, for example. Even then it was only once.) Harvin is a trooper. This HELPS a lot more than anything for obvious reasons - one less guy in the box, Harvin will see less double teams, Shiancoe will own the middle, Berrian won't see the field, you get the idea.
A 3rd round pick is too much.
2010 - No pick (Traded up for Toby Gerhart)
2009 - Asher Allen (Decent nickel corner)
2008 - No pick (Traded for Jared Allen)
2007 - Marcus McCauley (Out of football)
2006 - No pick (Traded up for Tarvaris Jackson)
2005 - Dustin Fox (Loooong out of football)
2004 - Darrion Scott (Contributed a bit but now out of football)
2003 - Nate Burleson
You get the idea. You have to go back to 1987 when they took Henry Thomas in the 3rd to find a real impact player. The only other reason to be against giving up a 3 is that it gives them one less asset to trade up in the 2011 draft to get a legit QB of the future like Andrew Luck or Ryan Mallet.
This means Rice is behind schedule. Brought up by a commenter at the esteemed Big Lead blog. There's probably some truth to this, but if anything, it allows them to play it that much safer with him, and that's fine. Back on September 21, Rice originally targeted Week 8 against New England for his return. If they need to protect him an extra two weeks, so be it.
And yes, I still have my Moss jersey from 1998. You bet your ass I'm wearing it this Monday night.
Addendum: What about a new contract? Moss is 33, but has always hinted at early retirement, so it's tough to tell what kind of deal he wants, whether its just 2 extra years or more. If they do sign him after this year, you can kiss the younger and cheaper Sidney Rice goodbye. I'm inclined to think Moss is just a rental, and I'm totally fine with that.
No bye week? Really interesting point from SI.com's Don Banks -
"I just thought of one big loser in the Moss deal, and that's Moss's 33-year-old body. If everything goes as planned, Moss will wind up playing 17 games in the regular season, because the Vikings just took their bye in Week 4, and the Patriots are about to take theirs in Week 5. With Moss now in Minnesota, he'll wind up playing four games for New England and 13 for the Vikings."
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Throwbacks: 1987 NFC Divisional Playoffs, Minnesota at San Francisco
No Vikings game this week? No problem.
Minnesota Vikings 5 Greatest Games DVD set just came out a couple weeks ago. Despite the disappointing lineup of games (2008 Week 17 vs. the Giants backups?? A Wildcard win against the Cowboys in '99?? Where's the MNF against GB in '98, dammit!! Where are the games from the 70s!!) there is one game in particular that makes this worth every cent... the 1987 Divisional Playoff upset over the 49ers, otherwise known as the Anthony Carter Game.
We're coming to you TAPED from drizzly, gray San Francisco with... NOT Pat Summerall and John Madden???
Dammit!! Ah well, as awesome as this game is, I can't complain too much. Theismann's annoying habits were merely in the embryonic stage, not in full bloom. And that guy has cool glasses.
Crowd is WAY into it early as the Vikings receive the kickoff, with Wade Wilson under center instead of the injured Two-Minute Tommy Kramer. (Both as complimentary and derogatory of a nickname as you could ask for.) The offense immediately throws down the gauntlet, with 1st down completions to Darrin Nelson and Anthony Carter, and Wade scrambling for 11 yards on a big 3rd down. They're at the San Fran 5 yard line in 11 plays. Very well done.
Bob Schnelker (the Vikes "much maligned" offensive coordinator, and that's putting it lightly) takes this opportunity to give DJ Dozier of all people his first handoff, for zero yards. Thanks for causing the Herschel Walker trade by sucking so badly, DJ. Wade then throws a LASER (well, for Wade) on 2nd down which is dropped by TE Carl Hilton. Jerry Burns is not happy.
On 3rd down, Wade throws it into the first row. "Here we go again with the Vikings in the red zone," says Tim Ryan. Ugh. Chuck Nelson makes it 3-0 while every Vikings fan at the time is moaning and groaning at the missed opportunity, rightfully so.
The idiot Niners kick returner bobbles the kickoff and gets tackled at the 5 by... Neal Guggemos!! One of my favorite football names ever.
Swing pass right to Roger Craig for -2 yards, incomplete deep to Jerry Rice into double coverage, HB dive to Craig for 3 yards. That's right, the mighty Niners offense goes 3 and out, and they're forced to punt from the back of the end zone. Hell yes. Vikings ball at the 50.
The Vikes respond by matching their 3 and out, punting to again put the Niners inside their own 5. At least they're winning the special teams battle so far. And seriously, just getting the play-by-play guy to introduce the Niners lineup on their 2nd possession is an accomplishment on its own. Montana even calls timeout on 2nd and 10 because he's too screwed up by the Vikings D.
But then a few Same Old Vikings moments: a 15 yard late hit penalty on LB David Howard (or if Summerall were calling this game, David HOWWWWW-ard) as Montana scrambles out of bounds on 3rd and 10. An easy 15 yard pass to Craig. 29 yards to John Taylor on 2nd and 15. Despite this, the Niners do not look crisp by any stretch, partly because of the dreary weather, partly because of the Vikings consistent pass rush and tight pass coverage. They only get a field goal to tie it at 3...
...only to be greeted by more Same Old Vikings moments as Wade is picked off on a tipped pass by Ronnie Lott, or rather Ronnie Lott's gigantic shoulder pads. Seriously, how the hell can he even move in those things?
But wait! It's called back on pass interference? That NEVER happens. Iffy call that could've went either way.
The drive continues - AC bails out Wade on a play by recognizing the pressure and breaking off his route (14 yard catch), and on another play makes a beautiful sideline catch for a 1st down. Two minutes into the 2nd quarter, AC now has 5 catches for 62 yards, and nobody in the Niners secondary can keep up with him. Smart game plan by the Vikings - balancing perfectly between runs (only getting them 3 yards a pop, but still) and short passes (8 completions so far) to dominate time of possession and keep the Niners offense off the field.
Wade makes some nifty moves and scrambles for 12 yards and a first down inside the Niners 6, immediately followed by.... a TOUCHDOWN!!
Quick pass to Hilton over the middle, making up for that drop earlier. That play was exactly like the old TE cross play that worked every single time in the original Madden game.
More evidence that this might be the Vikings day comes on the next Niners' drive - Rice makes a nifty catch for 17 yards, only to be called back on a tripping call. That results in a quick three and out as Montana is looking, dare I say, confused? He's had to check down a LOT, and on 3rd and long, he had all day to throw but nowhere to go.
(Should be noted that I'm getting very sick of Joe Theismann narrating every single detail in every replay - "There's the big hit and there goes the ball and there it goes out of bounds." Yes I can SEE that, you dolt.)
Play of the game comes on the next Vikings drive. 3rd and 10, AC runs a corner route down the left sideline, ball is underthrown, both AC and his guy get their hands on it at the same time, AC somehow grabs it off the tip and races another 40 yards to the Niners 10 yard line.
This sums it up so far:
What comes next is a sequence that no doubt broke several hundred remotes across Minnesota. Alfred Anderson for 2 yards, Allen Rice for 2 yards, Darrin Nelson for 2 yards. All straight up the middle. Nobody did ghastly playcalling like Bob Schnelker. Field goal, 13-3 Vikings, 8:30 to go in the 1st half.
Thankfully, the Vikings continue to dominate on defense. Craig for -2 yards, Montana forces one over the middle to Rice in a sea of Vikings (incomplete), and... picked off by Reggie Rutland! He's gonna go all the way!! It's 20-3 Vikings!!!
Hard to believe this really happened. Montana looks terrible, Vikings defense looks unstoppable. These are not the Same Old Vikings.
Ah, the old "What the hell do I do against these guys?" face. Niners go three and out again. The Vikings return the favor and punt as well, but Montana is forced to scramble out of bounds for a gain of 2, throw into double coverage incomplete to Rice, and get sacked by Chris Doleman. By the way, Jerry Rice: 0 catches for 0 yards.
Vikings punt again, going 2 yard Wade run, incomplete, incomplete, and... hey, check out who's looking in on the game!
Sadly, Jim McMahon appears to have rejuvenated the Niners, who after getting great field position off a crappy Bucky Scribner punt (another awesome name) execute their two-minute drill to perfection. Craig and Montana run wild with tons of space in front of them, and Rice is finally able to catch a pass at the Vikings 5.
But incredibly, inexplicably, momentum shifts back to the Vikings. Scott Studwell blitzes up the middle for a sack, Tom Rathman catches a pass for a measly 2 yards, and Craig lets a pass bounce off his hands. Not only that, but they miss the field goal! EVERYTHING is going the Vikings way. These aren't the Same Old Vikings. Awesome to watch. Your halftime stats breakdown:
So, every sane Vikings fan at this point knows that the Niners get the ball the start the 2nd half, and there's a 100% chance they march down the field and score. Only it doesn't happen this time. ANOTHER 3 and out. Montana is now 11 for 23 for 104 yards, 0 TDs and 1 pick, very Carson Palmer-esque. That's right, Wade Wilson is outdueling Joe Montana.
And of course, as soon as I type this, Wade is picked off by safety Jeff Fuller who brings it back 48 yards to make it 20-10. DAMMIT!! Wade totally stared down his receiver. Terrible. Same Old Vikings.
Wade now thankfully decides to keep it safe by getting the ball to AC, who hauls in a 15 yarder and takes a reverse 30 yards. This leads to a Hassan Jones fade route... TOUCHDOWN!! 27-10 Vikings! That drive was major, MAJOR. Any Niners momentum has evaporated, and the crowd, after starting out sounding raucous, is completely out of it.
Niners manage a first down but have to punt again. It's hard to tell what exactly the Vikings are doing in the secondary that's giving Montana so much trouble because of the limited camera work (remember, this is when having a "Reverse Angle" was still somewhat new), but they're doing just an awesome job. Joe Cool has taken at least three coverage sacks so far.
Vikes go three and out, and then the unthinkable happens - the Niners BENCH Joe Montana! Steve Young enters the game (to a huge reaction) and immediately makes an impact, throwing a rocket to Craig inside the Vikings 5. I'm going nuts wondering how much time is left, they REFUSE to show the clock. So frustrating. Young eventually scrambles into the end zone himself to make it 27-17. Holy crap was he fast. 4:01 left in the third. Tick tick tick...
So the lead's down to ten, Young has brought the crowd back into it, so what do the Vikings do? DEEP TO AC down the right sideline!! A spectacular leaping grab Tim McKyer for a gain of 44!
Put that on still-store, Cambot:
As you can see the coverage was right there, AC just went up and got it. Incredible, considering he's only 5'11" and 175 pounds, and he's making Larry Fitzgerald-type catches over All-Pro corners. And he just barely got his right foot in bounds.
That's right, eat it Jerry Rice.
After two clock killing runs and an incompletion, Chuck Nelson makes it 30-17. On the ensuing drive, Young rips off a 50 yard run down the left sideline as Theismann annoyingly rehashes the same point about Young's mobility OVER and OVER again. Shut UP already. Ugh. Thankfully, the Vikings D adjusts and keeps ends Doleman and Doug Martin back to contain, leading to two throw aways and an incompletion to Tom Rathman. On 4th and 10, Walsh opts to try a field goal from 48 yards (not even close), down 13 with just over 15 minutes to go, royally pissing off the crowd. Don't understand that one at all.
Vikings respond with what else, more AC, this time a 14 yard out, and a nifty screen pass to Allen Rice for a big gain followed by a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty. Leads to another Chuck Nelson try, this time from 46 yards... and he nails it!! Big game from him in these crappy conditions, 4 for 4 now. Tim Ryan calls him "a good mudder." Okay then.
Meanwhile, it starts to sink in. 12 minutes to go, 16 point lead. Three possessions. I'm guessing this is when the guard for a lot of fans went down. They could actually do this. Meanwhile, Theismann explains in the tone of someone who just discovered the Earth was round, "The 49ers actually have TWO opponents right now, the Vikings, and the clock!" Even Tim Ryan wants to cut his mic off.
The Niners roll downfield, eating up a lot of time in the process. Young nicks up his left foot, mercifully compromising his speed. Another great stat demonstrating the Vikings defensive brilliance:
The very next play, Carl Lee picks off an overthrown Young pass!
Fans are filing for the exits!! NFC favorites my ass! Vikings kill the clock with 3 runs and punt at 5:55 left in the game. A once every ten years upset in the making. In the 00s, it was 6 seed Pittsburgh beating the 1 seed and prohibitive favorite Colts in Indy. In the 90s, it was 6 seed Jacksonville beating the 1 seed and prohibitive favorite Broncos at Mile High. In the 80s, it was this game. Fuck yeah!
Fascinating tidbit here regarding the replacement players that had played the first 3 games of the '87 season. Remember, the Vikings scabs went 0-3 -
Young gets free from Keith Millard and finds TE John Frank at the 5, who runs it into the end zone. 33-24 with 3:42 left. Onside kick coming. Even though it's still a two possession game, every Vikings fan's heart is in his/her throat watching this at the time. And... Steve Jordan comes up with it! A Perfect onside recovery.
Another "oh God no" moment as Allen Rice fumbles but was ruled down. The anxiety never ends. Still, another HUUUGE break. Feels completely foreign to me.
Thankfully, the Vikings top it off with the perfect FU deep pass to who else, AC! 31 more yards down the right sideline.
Again, Jerry Rice has 2 catches for 20 yards.
Three clock killing runs (including DJ Dozier tripping over Wade Wilson's feet) bring it down to 28 seconds, and Nelson hits his 5th field goal to make it 36-24. The Vikings are high fiving on the sideline! CBS is rolling the credits! The stadium is half empty! Tim Ryan calls this "absolutely startling!" THIS IS AWESOME
Unfortunately, Jerry Rice does get one more catch for 11 yards, but still... shut DOWN. Your final score...
Final box score here. Not much else I can add to that. See? Bye weeks aren't so bad.
Minnesota Vikings 5 Greatest Games DVD set just came out a couple weeks ago. Despite the disappointing lineup of games (2008 Week 17 vs. the Giants backups?? A Wildcard win against the Cowboys in '99?? Where's the MNF against GB in '98, dammit!! Where are the games from the 70s!!) there is one game in particular that makes this worth every cent... the 1987 Divisional Playoff upset over the 49ers, otherwise known as the Anthony Carter Game.
We're coming to you TAPED from drizzly, gray San Francisco with... NOT Pat Summerall and John Madden???
Dammit!! Ah well, as awesome as this game is, I can't complain too much. Theismann's annoying habits were merely in the embryonic stage, not in full bloom. And that guy has cool glasses.
Crowd is WAY into it early as the Vikings receive the kickoff, with Wade Wilson under center instead of the injured Two-Minute Tommy Kramer. (Both as complimentary and derogatory of a nickname as you could ask for.) The offense immediately throws down the gauntlet, with 1st down completions to Darrin Nelson and Anthony Carter, and Wade scrambling for 11 yards on a big 3rd down. They're at the San Fran 5 yard line in 11 plays. Very well done.
Bob Schnelker (the Vikes "much maligned" offensive coordinator, and that's putting it lightly) takes this opportunity to give DJ Dozier of all people his first handoff, for zero yards. Thanks for causing the Herschel Walker trade by sucking so badly, DJ. Wade then throws a LASER (well, for Wade) on 2nd down which is dropped by TE Carl Hilton. Jerry Burns is not happy.
On 3rd down, Wade throws it into the first row. "Here we go again with the Vikings in the red zone," says Tim Ryan. Ugh. Chuck Nelson makes it 3-0 while every Vikings fan at the time is moaning and groaning at the missed opportunity, rightfully so.
The idiot Niners kick returner bobbles the kickoff and gets tackled at the 5 by... Neal Guggemos!! One of my favorite football names ever.
Swing pass right to Roger Craig for -2 yards, incomplete deep to Jerry Rice into double coverage, HB dive to Craig for 3 yards. That's right, the mighty Niners offense goes 3 and out, and they're forced to punt from the back of the end zone. Hell yes. Vikings ball at the 50.
The Vikes respond by matching their 3 and out, punting to again put the Niners inside their own 5. At least they're winning the special teams battle so far. And seriously, just getting the play-by-play guy to introduce the Niners lineup on their 2nd possession is an accomplishment on its own. Montana even calls timeout on 2nd and 10 because he's too screwed up by the Vikings D.
But then a few Same Old Vikings moments: a 15 yard late hit penalty on LB David Howard (or if Summerall were calling this game, David HOWWWWW-ard) as Montana scrambles out of bounds on 3rd and 10. An easy 15 yard pass to Craig. 29 yards to John Taylor on 2nd and 15. Despite this, the Niners do not look crisp by any stretch, partly because of the dreary weather, partly because of the Vikings consistent pass rush and tight pass coverage. They only get a field goal to tie it at 3...
...only to be greeted by more Same Old Vikings moments as Wade is picked off on a tipped pass by Ronnie Lott, or rather Ronnie Lott's gigantic shoulder pads. Seriously, how the hell can he even move in those things?
But wait! It's called back on pass interference? That NEVER happens. Iffy call that could've went either way.
The drive continues - AC bails out Wade on a play by recognizing the pressure and breaking off his route (14 yard catch), and on another play makes a beautiful sideline catch for a 1st down. Two minutes into the 2nd quarter, AC now has 5 catches for 62 yards, and nobody in the Niners secondary can keep up with him. Smart game plan by the Vikings - balancing perfectly between runs (only getting them 3 yards a pop, but still) and short passes (8 completions so far) to dominate time of possession and keep the Niners offense off the field.
Wade makes some nifty moves and scrambles for 12 yards and a first down inside the Niners 6, immediately followed by.... a TOUCHDOWN!!
Quick pass to Hilton over the middle, making up for that drop earlier. That play was exactly like the old TE cross play that worked every single time in the original Madden game.
More evidence that this might be the Vikings day comes on the next Niners' drive - Rice makes a nifty catch for 17 yards, only to be called back on a tripping call. That results in a quick three and out as Montana is looking, dare I say, confused? He's had to check down a LOT, and on 3rd and long, he had all day to throw but nowhere to go.
(Should be noted that I'm getting very sick of Joe Theismann narrating every single detail in every replay - "There's the big hit and there goes the ball and there it goes out of bounds." Yes I can SEE that, you dolt.)
Play of the game comes on the next Vikings drive. 3rd and 10, AC runs a corner route down the left sideline, ball is underthrown, both AC and his guy get their hands on it at the same time, AC somehow grabs it off the tip and races another 40 yards to the Niners 10 yard line.
This sums it up so far:
What comes next is a sequence that no doubt broke several hundred remotes across Minnesota. Alfred Anderson for 2 yards, Allen Rice for 2 yards, Darrin Nelson for 2 yards. All straight up the middle. Nobody did ghastly playcalling like Bob Schnelker. Field goal, 13-3 Vikings, 8:30 to go in the 1st half.
Thankfully, the Vikings continue to dominate on defense. Craig for -2 yards, Montana forces one over the middle to Rice in a sea of Vikings (incomplete), and... picked off by Reggie Rutland! He's gonna go all the way!! It's 20-3 Vikings!!!
Hard to believe this really happened. Montana looks terrible, Vikings defense looks unstoppable. These are not the Same Old Vikings.
Ah, the old "What the hell do I do against these guys?" face. Niners go three and out again. The Vikings return the favor and punt as well, but Montana is forced to scramble out of bounds for a gain of 2, throw into double coverage incomplete to Rice, and get sacked by Chris Doleman. By the way, Jerry Rice: 0 catches for 0 yards.
Vikings punt again, going 2 yard Wade run, incomplete, incomplete, and... hey, check out who's looking in on the game!
Sadly, Jim McMahon appears to have rejuvenated the Niners, who after getting great field position off a crappy Bucky Scribner punt (another awesome name) execute their two-minute drill to perfection. Craig and Montana run wild with tons of space in front of them, and Rice is finally able to catch a pass at the Vikings 5.
But incredibly, inexplicably, momentum shifts back to the Vikings. Scott Studwell blitzes up the middle for a sack, Tom Rathman catches a pass for a measly 2 yards, and Craig lets a pass bounce off his hands. Not only that, but they miss the field goal! EVERYTHING is going the Vikings way. These aren't the Same Old Vikings. Awesome to watch. Your halftime stats breakdown:
So, every sane Vikings fan at this point knows that the Niners get the ball the start the 2nd half, and there's a 100% chance they march down the field and score. Only it doesn't happen this time. ANOTHER 3 and out. Montana is now 11 for 23 for 104 yards, 0 TDs and 1 pick, very Carson Palmer-esque. That's right, Wade Wilson is outdueling Joe Montana.
And of course, as soon as I type this, Wade is picked off by safety Jeff Fuller who brings it back 48 yards to make it 20-10. DAMMIT!! Wade totally stared down his receiver. Terrible. Same Old Vikings.
Wade now thankfully decides to keep it safe by getting the ball to AC, who hauls in a 15 yarder and takes a reverse 30 yards. This leads to a Hassan Jones fade route... TOUCHDOWN!! 27-10 Vikings! That drive was major, MAJOR. Any Niners momentum has evaporated, and the crowd, after starting out sounding raucous, is completely out of it.
Niners manage a first down but have to punt again. It's hard to tell what exactly the Vikings are doing in the secondary that's giving Montana so much trouble because of the limited camera work (remember, this is when having a "Reverse Angle" was still somewhat new), but they're doing just an awesome job. Joe Cool has taken at least three coverage sacks so far.
Vikes go three and out, and then the unthinkable happens - the Niners BENCH Joe Montana! Steve Young enters the game (to a huge reaction) and immediately makes an impact, throwing a rocket to Craig inside the Vikings 5. I'm going nuts wondering how much time is left, they REFUSE to show the clock. So frustrating. Young eventually scrambles into the end zone himself to make it 27-17. Holy crap was he fast. 4:01 left in the third. Tick tick tick...
So the lead's down to ten, Young has brought the crowd back into it, so what do the Vikings do? DEEP TO AC down the right sideline!! A spectacular leaping grab Tim McKyer for a gain of 44!
Put that on still-store, Cambot:
As you can see the coverage was right there, AC just went up and got it. Incredible, considering he's only 5'11" and 175 pounds, and he's making Larry Fitzgerald-type catches over All-Pro corners. And he just barely got his right foot in bounds.
That's right, eat it Jerry Rice.
After two clock killing runs and an incompletion, Chuck Nelson makes it 30-17. On the ensuing drive, Young rips off a 50 yard run down the left sideline as Theismann annoyingly rehashes the same point about Young's mobility OVER and OVER again. Shut UP already. Ugh. Thankfully, the Vikings D adjusts and keeps ends Doleman and Doug Martin back to contain, leading to two throw aways and an incompletion to Tom Rathman. On 4th and 10, Walsh opts to try a field goal from 48 yards (not even close), down 13 with just over 15 minutes to go, royally pissing off the crowd. Don't understand that one at all.
Vikings respond with what else, more AC, this time a 14 yard out, and a nifty screen pass to Allen Rice for a big gain followed by a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty. Leads to another Chuck Nelson try, this time from 46 yards... and he nails it!! Big game from him in these crappy conditions, 4 for 4 now. Tim Ryan calls him "a good mudder." Okay then.
Meanwhile, it starts to sink in. 12 minutes to go, 16 point lead. Three possessions. I'm guessing this is when the guard for a lot of fans went down. They could actually do this. Meanwhile, Theismann explains in the tone of someone who just discovered the Earth was round, "The 49ers actually have TWO opponents right now, the Vikings, and the clock!" Even Tim Ryan wants to cut his mic off.
The Niners roll downfield, eating up a lot of time in the process. Young nicks up his left foot, mercifully compromising his speed. Another great stat demonstrating the Vikings defensive brilliance:
The very next play, Carl Lee picks off an overthrown Young pass!
Fans are filing for the exits!! NFC favorites my ass! Vikings kill the clock with 3 runs and punt at 5:55 left in the game. A once every ten years upset in the making. In the 00s, it was 6 seed Pittsburgh beating the 1 seed and prohibitive favorite Colts in Indy. In the 90s, it was 6 seed Jacksonville beating the 1 seed and prohibitive favorite Broncos at Mile High. In the 80s, it was this game. Fuck yeah!
Fascinating tidbit here regarding the replacement players that had played the first 3 games of the '87 season. Remember, the Vikings scabs went 0-3 -
Young gets free from Keith Millard and finds TE John Frank at the 5, who runs it into the end zone. 33-24 with 3:42 left. Onside kick coming. Even though it's still a two possession game, every Vikings fan's heart is in his/her throat watching this at the time. And... Steve Jordan comes up with it! A Perfect onside recovery.
Another "oh God no" moment as Allen Rice fumbles but was ruled down. The anxiety never ends. Still, another HUUUGE break. Feels completely foreign to me.
Thankfully, the Vikings top it off with the perfect FU deep pass to who else, AC! 31 more yards down the right sideline.
Again, Jerry Rice has 2 catches for 20 yards.
Three clock killing runs (including DJ Dozier tripping over Wade Wilson's feet) bring it down to 28 seconds, and Nelson hits his 5th field goal to make it 36-24. The Vikings are high fiving on the sideline! CBS is rolling the credits! The stadium is half empty! Tim Ryan calls this "absolutely startling!" THIS IS AWESOME
Unfortunately, Jerry Rice does get one more catch for 11 yards, but still... shut DOWN. Your final score...
Final box score here. Not much else I can add to that. See? Bye weeks aren't so bad.
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