Vikings fans, we’re a few hours away from finding out if our guys in purple and gold can end 34 years of frustration and make it back to the Super Bowl. Standing in their way is a New Orleans Saints trying to make their first Super Bowl, and apparently has the weight of their entire city on their back. Frankly, I’m getting tired of hearing the media take the sympathy vote for New Orleans. Have the Saints lifted the city’s spirits since returning to the Superdome in 2006? Absolutely. But let’s not decide they’re better based on whether their city deserves to have their team in the Super Bowl or not, let’s base it on who is the better team.

Offense: These are the top two scoring teams in the league this season. But each goes about it a little differently. The Saints will try to spread the field and find mismatches with their formations to move the ball. The Vikings used a balanced offense  last week (24 passes, 33 runs) to find holes in the defense, with Brett Favre eventually going over the top to Sidney Rice for big plays.

Of the two offenses, the Drew Brees-led Saints have been the most explosive. Look for Brees to use his myriad of weapons, especially Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem to go after the Vikings corners deep. If former phenom Reggie Bush is able to run the way he did against the Cardinals last week, it will create all kinds of problems for the Viking defense.

For Minnesota, crowd noise is going to be a factor. Getting a lead early can help keep the crowd silent, but the Vikes must stay patient and continue to hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson. If ever there was a time for AP to have a breakout game, this is it. The Saints can exploited with cutbacks, as evidenced by the long touchdown run from Cardinals’ Tim Hightower last week. New Orleans is bound to focus on stopping Sidney Rice, so it’s imperative for Favre to get receiving help from both Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian. This also may be a game where Visanthe Shiancoe can be effective outside of the red zone.

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Defense: The focus of much of the media’s attention for this game has been on who will  have the bigger impact: defensive end Jared Allen or Will Smith. Both lines will double-team this two, but the player with the better match up is Allen, who is going against left tackle Jermon Bushrod. Dallas pass rusher DeMarcus Ware beat him to the tune of two sacks, both causing fumbles, including one that sealed the game in the final minute of their 24-17 win over the Saints. There’s no doubt in my mind that Allen can be a larger factor.

Each team has a glaring weakness on D. The Vikings can be exploited in the air, if they aren’t able to get the quarterback. The Saints have had their share of problems against the run. What ever team can limit how much they give up in these areas will be crucial.

The Saints will need former Viking and Favre teammate Darren Sharper play a key role in both the run and pass. It will be interesting to see how those two match wits with each other during plays. If Favre can get Sharper to bite on a fake, the Vikings may be able to  turn in some huge passing plays.

Meanwhile, look for Antoine Winfield to play more in the slot again to slow Marques Colston and others, who found plenty of holes in the flats of the Arizona defense last week.

Special Teams: The plan should be simple for Minnesota: keep the ball away from Bush. He burned them to the tune of two punt returns for touchdowns in their meeting last year, all because punter Chris Kluwe wouldn’t kick the ball away from him. Head coach Brad Childress asked Kluwe to improve his hang time this year to protect against that happening again this year, but he’s still better off putting the ball out of bounds than letting Bush run wild.

Harvin has been suffering from migraines this week, so he may be limited in the return game. If he is able to spring a big return, it could be huge.

Of the kickers, Ryan Longwell has made his share of big kicks in his career. Garrett Hartley has been inconsistent at times, missing a crucial 37-yarder against Tampa Bay that nearly cost the Saints home field.

Prediction: This has the makings of a classic. I’m not sure if it will be a shootout as many of the experts predict, but there should be some points on the board for sure. The Vikes keep it close, going with a running game and forcing turnovers to frustrate the Saints, then rely on one of the ultimate winners in Favre to win the game late with his playmaking ability. Vikings 31, Saints 24.

In the AFC championship game, the Colts win a tight one that won’t be decided until the final minute. Colts 20, Saints 17.

Leslie Frazier should and may very well be a head coach some day in the National Football League. The Vikings defensively at or near the top of the league defensive statistics in each of the last three seasons under his direction. But the route he is having to take to become one — being a pawn for teams to obey a rule, but aren’t really interesting in hiring him — is one that rivals on ridiculous.

The “Rooney Rule” was created by the NFL in 2003 meant to open the door for minority head coaching candidates. One of its benefactors, former Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a Super Bowl title last season.

The problem is that some teams are circumventing this rule, some seven years later. One case in point is in Washington, D.C., where the Redskins made a point of interviewing their former defensive coordinator Greg Blache for the soon-to-be vacant head coaching position (at the time) a couple of weeks before the season ended. Then in the days after Jim Zorn was fired by Washington, the coach the Redskins spoke with the man they had their eye on all along, Mike Shanahan comes into the picture, and of course is hired.

The same chicanery came into play when the Seattle Seahawks called in Frazier for a four-hour interview to discuss their recently-opened vacancy. Only within minutes afterwards, Seattle had their man lined up: former USC head coach Pete Carroll. He agreed to a contract that day, and within 36 hours was introduced as Seattle’s newest head coach.

The only reason either of these teams brought in Blache and Frazier were brought in for token interviews were simply to be in compliance with the Rooney Rule. Commissioner Roger Goodell has even said that Seattle and Washington followed the rule in both cases. It’s a shame that both of these two good coaches are being dragged through this, when neither of them knew they would be offered the job. Goodell needs to start holding teams accountable by making the process more transparent and fining teams for bringing in candidates that were never going to be offered a head coaching position.

Frazier has since interviewed for the Buffalo Bills and is considered by many to be the front-runner for the job. For his sake I hope he gets the position, though as a Vikings fan, I’ll hate to see him leave guiding the defense.

Wide receiver/kick returner Percy Harvin was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. The rookie racked up 60 catches for 790 yards and six touchdowns, to go along with his two kick returns for touchdowns this season. He is also one of the final five finalists for this year’s Pepsi Rookie of the Year award as well.

Also among the postseason accolades, a league-best eight Minnesota Vikings were named to this year’s NFC squad for the Pro Bowl. Among the five starters Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson, Kevin Williams, Steve Hutchinson and his counterpart on the left side of the offensive line Bryant McKinnie, making his first Pro Bowl. The three reserves are Brett Favre and two first-timers, Sidney Rice and Heath Farwell.

Say what you will about the way the Vikings played in December. But when you have outnumbered the teams with the two best records in the league, like the Colts and Saints, in an event like the Pro Bowl, shows the amount of respect this team has received from players and fans alike this season.

As for the game itself, I like the idea of the game being played in Miami this year. But I don’t like it being played the week before the Super Bowl, when there’s a good chance that players from the two teams participating in the big game itself won’t actually play. Fans who buy a ticket or watch the game on TV aren’t really getting their money’s worth when it’s an incomplete roster like that. Hopefully, the NFL will rethink this idea and tweak it just slightly next season.

What an impressive win by the Minnesota Vikings to close the regular season! This team needed a big win and a good offensive game to prepare for the playoffs. And did they ever bring it, and then some. The Vikes jumped out to a 31-0 lead over the New York Giants, and never looked back scoring the first 44 points before giving up a late touchdown in the fourth quarter after the game was no longer in doubt. Granted, the Giants played like a team that had given up on their season weeks ago. But this was a game that was just what the doctor ordered to build up their confidence. And while this blogger has mentioned the usual suspects of Favre, Peterson and Allen on many occasions this season, the play of Visanthe Shiancoe and the much-maligned defense stood out. Shiancoe had a season-high 94 yards and a touchdown, while the defense racked up three sacks, forced two fumbles and an interception.

And the best news came later that afternoon, as the Dallas Cowboys shut out the Philadelphia Eagles at home, 24-0 to clinch the NFC East title and helped Minnesota regain the No. 2 and a first-round bye. Let’s hope the Vikes can take advantage of the situation with a win in the Metrodome in divisional round.

Another national TV appearance for the Minnesota Vikings has put the current debacle at Carolina front-and-center for tonight’s game against their longtime rivals, the Chicago Bears. While there was (and continues to be) plenty of discussion on the apparent Favre-Childress rift, a lot of things transpired Sunday that puts even more emphasis on this game. First off, Philadelphia fought back after blowing a 17-point lead to win over Denver, 30-27. Plus, Arizona demolished St. Louis, 31-10; placing both teams within striking distance of catching the Vikes for that all-important first-round bye. But the biggest news of the day was the New Orleans Saints falling to the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, 20-17. This, believe it or not, still gives Minnesota a chance to get homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, if they win out and Carolina continues on their hot streak and beats the Saints at home next Sunday.  But first things first — beating the Bears at Soldier Field.

Offense: Jay Cutler continues to struggle this season. He leads the league in interceptions, throwing 25 of them so far. This is a far different team than you would expect from the Bears in years past. Matt Forte is almost an afterthought, suffering a rough sophomore season rushing the ball. Cutler appears to have a knack to force throws into tight spots, leaving him vulnerable to be intercepted. He relies too much on his arm strength bailing him out of problems. Unfortunately he’s not blessed with as talented a receiving corps as he had in Denver.  Look for the Bears to come out and follow patterns in previous games by throwing short passes to negate Jared Allen and the front four. Nose tackle Pat Williams has been declared out of this game, so don’t be surprised if Chicago does attempt to give Forte a few running plays up the middle to test Jasper Brinkley and the linebackers.

Defense: Don’t be surprised if the game plan is simple early. Give the ball to Adrian Peterson early and often. The Bears attempted to load up the box to keep him from running wild on them, as he has frequently in the past. But Brett Favre lit up Chicago’s secondary to the tune of 392 yards and three touchdown passes in Minnesota’s 36-10 romp at the Metrodome. It will be interesting to see which element the Bears try to take away first: the run or the pass. Regardless of what happens, the Vikings must stay patient with the running game. It’s still surprising to me that Peterson has only managed 20 carries in half of their 14 games. On the one hand, you do have to give some carries to Chester Taylor to spell AP, but he still needs to be a workhorse and get his opportunities.  I will be paying special attention to left tackle Bryant McKinnie, who revealed earlier in the week that Sunday’s night game at Carolina was one of the two worst games he’s played as a pro. He needs to get on track early against speed rusher Alex Brown. The good news is the offensive line won’t have to face Adewale Ogunleye, who is out for the rest of the season. Play action passing would be huge, if they can get it. Look for Favre to try to go deep to Bernard Berrian at least once tonight.

Special Teams: Both return games have struggled in recent weeks, largely due to Percy Harvin’s migraines. He was able to participate in each practice this week; so that has to bode well. While Devin Hester isn’t as dangerous as he used to be, Johnny Knox has shown some breakaway speed, taking a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown. Look for the wind to play a factor with all kicks and punts tonight, too.

Prediction: While the confidence levels in Minnesota have dropped a bit in the past three weeks, I do have confidence that Jay Cutler can and will make enough mistakes for Minnesota to take advantage in a tight NFC North division battle. Vikings 20, Bears 13.

What can you say about the Vikings’ 26-7 debacle at the hands of the Carolina Panthers last night? Other than the miracle comeback from the Pittsburgh Steelers 37-36 win over the Green Bay Packers Sunday to seal the NFC North title, Santa left a huge lump of coal in the stockings of Vikings fans.

Carolina picked up on the similar game plan used by the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago, dropping as many people into zone coverage and relying on a four-man rush to put pressure on Brett Favre. Julius Peppers, a common thorn in the side of Minnesota in their previous matchups, gave the tackles problems all night long, forcing Favre into throwing his share of incompletions. Bryant McKinnie easily had his worst game of the year, getting burned by Peppers around the corner again and again, later becoming a victim of his bull rush. He was eventually replaced in the second half by Artis Hicks, who fared no better, allowing Peppers to force Favre into throwing an interception with a little over two minutes remaining to seal the outcome. What’s even more disturbing is nothing was done, other than an occasional chip from a running back on his way out into a pattern. A tight end like Jim Kleinsasser would have been helpful with him to slow him down.

To make matters worse, Favre and head coach Brad Childress were seen arguing during the third quarter. Favre later revealed that Childress asked to pull Favre from the game with Minnesota leading 7-6. While the offense was no doubt struggling, there was no reason that I can possibly fathom pulling Favre, other than the Vikings having a big lead late. You’re in the middle of a playoff hunt. You just had the top-seeded team in New Orleans lose the night before, opening the door to catch them for home field advantage. And instead you want to pull your starting quarterback?! This has all the signs of a team that is coming apart in December, not coming together. Only time will tell if this little heated exchange will help or hurt the Vikes as they enter the playoffs.

Of the few good plays during the evening, almost all of them involved Adrian Peterson, who was kept under wraps for the most part. On the lone scoring drive, AP played an intricate role, accounting for half the yards on the drive, finishing it off with a tough, four-yard touchdown run, where he broke three tackles on the way. Carolina and Arizona both used the same game plan in this aspect: slow down Peterson and force Favre to throw a much higher-than-normal amount of times. For the Vikings to be successful the rest of the way, they have to be willing to be balanced, even if it means being forced into throwing on third-and-long situations. This worked against the Bengals last week, and for whatever reason, Childress appeared to forget this in the second half, when the game was close.

It wasn’t much better on defense, either. The vaunted Viking pass rush has gone non-existent, as teams have decided to double team Jared Allen, leaving the rest of the front four with one-on-ones that none of the remaining three have been able to win consistently. This forced Minnesota to blitz young quarterback Matt Moore, who relished the opportunity to exploit Steve Smith’s matchup with Antoine Winfield to the tune of two touchdowns, and putting the Panthers up for good. As much as I like Winfield for his tackling prowess and his leadership, he consistently struggles in man-to-man coverage, something that any of the Vikings’ future opponents will no doubt attempt to exploit in the playoffs. And while Jasper Brinkley was a good choice for Minnesota in this year’s draft, he was consistently picked on in the second half by Carolina. He appeared to be lost at times, eventually leaving for a portion of the game with cramps. The unfortunate part is that he was chosen particularly for a situation like this, with E.J. Henderson out for the year, and there really isn’t much else the Vikings can do in the middle. Case in point Ben Leber, who looked too slow in pass coverage on one play, which allowed Smith to turn a short catch into a long pass play.

Last but not least, the tackling on this team the past three weeks has become atrocious. And regardless of losing Henderson, you can’t blame all of the tackling issues on him leaving, since he was out on the field for most of that game in Arizona. Where are the turnovers that Minnesota thrived on early in the year?

This team no longer looks like a Super Bowl contender, in my mind. It would behoove the Vikings to lock up a first round bye, because at this rate, if Philadelphia passes them  the final two weeks, Minnesota could very easily be down and out on Wild Card Weekend in three weeks.

The Minnesota Vikings make their first appearance on Sunday Night Football tomorrow with a trip to the desert against the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, the Vikes demolished the NFC champions on the home turf, jumping out to a 28-0 halftime lead en route to a 35-14 victory. In many ways the perception of both teams have changed a great deal since that game last December, with both teams now legitimate contenders to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIV.

Offense: When you look at the Cardinals, the passing game is the first thing that stands out, with the likes of formidable foes in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner. Slowing them down will take a strong effort, particularly from the Minnesota front four. Warner on many occasions tends to hold on to the ball to wait for his receivers to break open, which can spell trouble with Jared Allen bearing down on him. Allen had two sacks last time out, and with a banged-up offensive line squaring off against him Sunday night, it could be another feeding frenzy. If he does get time to throw, Warner could cause the secondary some problems down the field, even with the imminent return of Antoine Winfield. Minnesota must do a good job of bringing down the Cardinals receivers in the open field, or they can run for a while.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s running game has come a long way since last December, when they ran the ball seven times — the entire game. Tim Hightower has a nose for the end zone and a penchant for catching passes out of the backfield. If Minnesota drops into a deep zone to protect against the long ball, don’t be surprised if Warner dumps it off to him to pick up a few yards. But the addition of Chris “Beanie” Wells has allowed Arizona to be more balanced on offense. He gives them something the Cardinals haven’t really had before — a big back that can push the pile and break a long run at the same time. But like his counterpart Adrian Peterson, Wells has had a penchant for fumbling, something that the Vikings could exploit. The key will be for the Vikings to score early, like last year, and force Arizona to abandon the run. Then the pass rushers can tee off on the banged-up Warner.

Defense: Tarvaris Jackson had his best passing game last year against the Cardinals, throwing four touchdowns. Many Vikings fans will say, “Imagine what Favre can do?” The problem with that logic is the Arizona secondary has grown by leaps and bounds since last year. Much of their improvement has to do with the emergence of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. This second-year player has the tools to be a perennial Pro Bowl player for years to come. The group, in general, loves to ballhawk looking to turn  turnovers into immediate touchdowns. An interesting matchup is to watch how Minnesota will block safety Adrian Wilson, who can line up at times like a linebacker and bring a blitz from all over the field, similar to Troy Polamalu. At the same time, their secondary can give up some huge chunks of yards with a pump fake. Look for Brett Favre to try this on a few occasions and get Berrian, Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin to go deep. The Cardinals will focus on trying to slow down Peterson, hoping that Favre will have one of his off nights. As we have seen recently, this isn’t the safest proposition in the world. The Vikings have to focus on controlling defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and the numerous blitzes that Arizona brings.

Special Teams: LaRod Stephens-Howling was the NFC special teams player of the week, after running back a kickoff back for a touchdown, and downing three punts inside the 5-yard line last Sunday. A good effort will be needed to contain the 5-foot-7 speedster. Ben Graham has a been top-notch punter for the Cardinals, pinning many an opponent inside their 20-yard line, and Neil Rackers has been an accurate kicker this season as well.

Prediction: As easy as last year’s win was, I have a feeling that Sunday night’s game will be no walk in the park. Arizona is coming off a tough loss on the road to Tennessee on the final play of the game, making the race in the NFC West a little tighter. Not to mention Minnesota needs to win to keep pace with the Saints, who could be at 12-0 if they beat Washington Sunday afternoon. And after having three relatively easy wins, this could be the game where the Vikings could have a letdown. I can see this game going down to the wire; the kind of game where the team that has the ball last will win. Favre leads another game-winning drive, with AP getting the honors with a late touchdown.  Vikings 34, Cardinals 27.

The Minnesota Vikings managed to continue their stranglehold on the NFC North with a 36-10 throttling of the Chicago Bears Sunday. While the defense had another fine outing, racking up four sacks, two interceptions and a fumble, it was the offense’s day to shine.

Brett Favre had his best day as a Viking, throwing for 392 yards and three touchdowns. He continues to show his prowess for passing at age 40, and is very much in the discussion for most valuable player honors. This was a game where the Bears picked their poison by choosing to slow down Adrian Peterson, limiting him to 85 yards, but were consistently picked apart by the veteran signal caller. It’s a problem only a couple of defenses have been able to solve this year, and one the Bears will no doubt try to attack differently in their rematch on Dec. 28.

A couple of performances that stood out from the offense were from two veterans. Chester Taylor, who has picked up his running game in the past few weeks, offset that with six catches for 51 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He will be counted upon as the regular season winds down and while they try to keep AP healthy for the playoffs. Also of note was Bernard Berrian, who appears to have shaken his leg ailments in the early part of the season with six catches for 74 yards. Berrian, who seems to get up for his two matchups each year against the Bears (who can forget his 99-yard touchdown catch last year?), will be able to stretch defenses out even further with his speed.

One thing that was troubling to me was Peterson’s two fumbles. That’s six on the season, and five of those he’s lost. Teams are specifically looking to strip him of the ball whenever he gets into a pile. In the playoffs against a high-scoring offense like New Orleans, where every possession will be critical, a strip of AP could be the difference in the game. Maybe Peterson needs to call up the now-retired Tiki Barber for advice on holding the ball? You can’t fault him for wanting to plow through a pile of players and gain more yardage. You wouldn’t want to take that element away from him. But he needs to find a better way to protect the ball.

After three weeks of wins over lesser opponents, business picks up Sunday night when the Vikings visit the desert for the second consecutive year in a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Look for a preview on this week’s game on Friday.

Round two of the Brett Favre vs. Green Bay saga continues today No. 4 making his trip to the visitors’ locker room at Lambeau Field. The Pack have recovered quickly from their defeat to the Vikings back in week four, coming off their bye week with back-to-back wins over Cleveland and Detroit, where they held both to a combined three points. Besides the hoopla of Favre’s return, there is an actual game to break down.

Offense: Green Bay has picked up the offense in the past two weeks, particularly from Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant and Donald Driver. But the real key in the first matchup was  the lack of protection from the Packers. Jared Allen dominated the game with 4.5 sacks. Green Bay brought back Mark Tauscher to help compensate, and Chad Clifton, who missed the first game, will be able to play this time around, too. Besides pass protection, look for the Packers to attack the Vikings’ secondary, minus Antoine Winfield.     Minnesota will look to make Green Bay one-dimensional again, shutting down Grant and the running game and helping out the secondary in the process.

Defense: From a defensive standpoint, the Packers are left with a tough decision. If they continue to try to focus on stopping Adrian Peterson, Favre will have plenty of time to find open receivers and pick apart their secondary. If they work on Favre, that will open up running lanes for Peterson. With both Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian banged up, the Vikings may be looking for Green Bay to choose the latter. When Minnesota does throw, look for the Packers to blitz off the corners, especially from Charles Woodson. If they’re able to pick it up, it could set up more opportunities down the field for Favre to exploit. Just as important is when Minnesota gets in the red zone, don’t settle for field goals.

Special Teams: This should be a stalemate. Green Bay has not really found anyone to effectively take over Will Blackmon’s role since he was hurt back in week four. Meanwhile, Percy Harvin could provide another big play for the special teams unit. The weather won’t be much of a factor, with temperatures only in the 40s, so punts and field goals shouldn’t be a big deal.

Prediction: So far, Minnesota has passed two of the three midseason tests, though last week did result in a loss. To get through the third, the Vikings have to have another strong e

ffort from Adrian Peterson and their pass rushers to make plays. This has all the makings of an overtime game. Look for Green Bay to get the lead early and the Vikings to comeback in the fourth quarter and overtime, so Favre can exact a little more revenge. Vikings 20, Packers 17.

You had to sense this was coming. As charmed a life as the Vikings were living in the first six games this season, this so-called bit of “luck” that some experts were calling it  was bound to run out. Unfortunately, it came in a game where Minnesota had chances  to take the lead (including one in the final two minutes again), only to see them evaporate with two turnovers from Brett Favre returned for touchdowns by the Pittsburgh Steelers en route to a 27-17 victory. And while Favre’s interception and return by linebacker Keyaron Fox was what eventually sealed the game, it was actually due to the ball slipping through Chester Taylor’s hands on a screen pass.

Again, the Vikings play calling in the red zone caused more problems. Who other than Brad Childress would call a screen pass there? There’s a little over a minute to go, and you’re only down three. You already have a tying field goal in pocket, Brad. Take a chance down the field for the win and rely on the defense to make a play late if you score too early.

As expected, Adrian Peterson did struggle in yardage, but he was able to get a 1-yard touchdown run early on. Of all the offensive statistics, the one one that stands out is Favre throwing 51 times. This offense is at its best when they are able to balance the number of throws and runs out. He did throw for over 300 yards, however. Sidney Rice continues to improve his game, coming up with 11 receptions for 136 yards. He and Favre have definitely developed a rapport, and they needed to with Bernard Berrian coming up lame again.

The defense did a solid job Sunday, limiting Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to 175 yards passing, and holding Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to three catches combined, all of that with Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield out with a broken foot. They even managed to sack “Big Ben” three times.

Other than the missed opportunities in the red zone, penalties played a factor as well. Minnesota was flagged 11 times for 78 yards, something that had been under control for the most part since the preseason. I’m not a big fan of complaining about poor officiating (to me, it normally evens itself out over a season), but the phantom “tripping” call on tight end Jeff Dugan in the fourth quarter was inexcusable. Blockers are taught to cut block by going low and through a player to get them down on the ground. The Steeler defender was able to get through the block, but went down after getting caught up with Dugan’s legs as he went by him. No blatant tripping attempt, but one that was called anyway. It cost the Vikings a touchdown pass to Sidney Rice that would have given them a 17-13 lead midway through the fourth. Instead, Lamar Woodley returned Favre’s fumble back for a touchdown three plays later to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 20-10.

Thank goodness for Percy Harvin’s kick returning skills and another huge return for a touchdown on the following play. He may still be working on his receiving skills, but his world-class speed makes the rookie a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He’s certainly a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year honors at this point in the season.

In the end, this game was a case of where the Vikings dominated on every statistic you can think of, except the scoreboard. Until they are able to capitalize more often in the red zone, there’s bound to be another game or two like this one, where squandered opportunities cost them a win.

Check back later this week for a preview and my prediction of Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field against the Packers.

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