A loss or something more?
GRUMPY OLD MAN
Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Metrodome looms as the biggest game of the season for the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota fans have to be wondering if last week’s whipping at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals was just a glitch on the Vikings’ drive to the North Division title and playoffs or if it was something worse.
The Vikings were listless at Arizona and even an early score off a turnover didn’t inject any life into the offense or defense.
Cincinnati, behind a new-found defense, is better that Arizona.
While the Vikings’ defense has received much acclaim it has surrendered a ton of passing yardage and will face a big test from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer.
A Minnesota loss to the Bengals will tell us that the Vikings aren’t among the NFL’s elite as we may have thought. And, it would set up a rocky road of games at Carolina and Chicago and a home game against the New York Giants.
The loss of middle linebacker E.J. Henderson may prove to be larger than the loss on the field to the Cardinals.
This and that
•No big Twins news coming out of baseball’s winter meetings. The Twins sent once-promising pitcher Boof Bonser to the Boston Red Sox for cash or a player to be named later (put your money on cash). And, you didn’t think the Yankees would stand pat, did you? The addition of center fielder Curtis Granderson from Detroit puts one more stick of dynamite into New York’s arsenal – and at the leadoff spot!
•I watched an entire Minnesota Timberwolves game on TV Wednesday night, a 97-96 loss to New Orleans at the Target Center. After playing perhaps its best game of the season Minnesota went into the tank down the stretch. The team needs to learn how to finish a game.
•During a break in the Minnesota-New Orleans game my attention wandered a bit but perked up when I heard Marney Gellner introduce the “newest member of the Twins organization.” A third baseman? A veteran starting pitcher? John Lackey? OK, I got carried away.
Nope, it was the new chef who will oversee food fare at the new Target Field. Apparently, the Twins want their concessions choices to be an “experience.” Beyond how tasty the hot dogs are and the price of a pop or beer, do fans really care?
This week’s football winners and losers
(Last week’s record was 13-3 on pro games and a dismal 3-8 on college games. I’ll pick up on the college games when the bowl schedule begins.)
Pros
Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 20
Tampa Bay 20, New York Jets 17
Kansas City 27, Buffalo 20
New York Giants 27, Philadelphia 23
San Diego 24, Dallas 20
Indianapolis 24, Denver 17
Oakland 17, Washington 13
Tennessee 24, St. Louis 10
Houston 24, Seattle 17
New England 30, Carolina 20
Jacksonville 20, Miami 17
Baltimore 27, Detroit 13
New Orleans 27, Atlanta 20
Chicago 17, Green Bay 16
San Francisco 24, Arizona 22
Vikings 30, Cincinnati 20
