Patriots @ Vikings

Remember last year? The Vikings went 0-8 on the road and their defense became one of the very few teams in the history of the NFL to give up an average of 30 points a game for the season. The most common visual image on TV during games was of Leslie Frazier standing stone-faced, chewing his lower lip while the team collapsed around him. The very special "Musgrave Plan" for the offense involved occasionally dazzling us with the creativity of running Peterson to the right instead of the left (especially when we needed over ten yards for a first down).

Like a good Vikings fan, I suffered through the whole season (most of it alone on my couch as all of you basically left me to my misery). Few of you heard me screaming for Musgrave's head and, when I was hoarse, quietly lamenting the boring offense and non-existent defense.

So, you will forgive me for being happy, excited, energized, and optimistic for one more week as the Vikings THROTTLED the Rams 34-6. The defense held the Rams without a touchdown, had FIVE sacks, and TWO interceptions. On the road. Against one of the better offensive lines in the league. And, did you see that Cordarelle Patterson run? It looked like he ran through all of downtown St. Louis, juked out a few hipsters, leaped over some garbage trucks, ran up and down the arch, and kicked some pallets Anheuser Busch "beer" bottles out of the way on his way to the end zone without anyone able to tackle him. But wait, what did I hear you Packer fans yammer? Something about a backup QB and third stringers? Have you people no memory of the Vikings' awful history with second- and third-string QBs? We have made so many backup QBs look like superstars that playing against the Vikings was officially prescribed by the American Psychological Association as a cure for backup-QB-depression.

Yes, I know the Vikings play the Patriots, Saints, Falcons, and Packers over the next four weeks and could well be 1-4 when they face the Lions, but I am quite certain the games will be more interesting than we've seen in the last several years. I'm not even entirely sure whether we can write off all those games as guaranteed losses at the moment (now THAT is optimism, Vikings-style.)

For the time being, the Vikings are 1-0, undefeated, and leading the division. The Packers are 0-1 and holding down the NFC North Cellar. Is it any wonder that the sun is shining, birds are chirping, babies are cooing, and the man in the moon is smiling?

This week we face Tom Brady and the Patriots who are pissed off after blowing a double-digit lead last week. If my record searching is right, in the last ten years, the Patriots have lost consecutive regular season games only TWICE (2006 and 2009), which is quite an amazing record. Come and watch the Vikings home opener at TCF Bank stadium. It should at least be a fun loss. :-)