Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Brian Murphy thinks the Vikings are the top NFC contender after Bears win

Episode Date: December 17, 2024

Brian Murphy and Matthew Coller react to the Vikings win over the Bears and talk about how the Vikings match up with the other NFC teams in the race Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here, and it is time for Monday Morning Murph on a Tuesday. And Murph, throughout this season we have seen the entire 12-2 start play out. We have seen the ups, a little bit of downs, and a now sweeping up over these last two weeks of the Vikings beating the Falcons and the Chicago bears in very clear fashion, 30 to 12 last night. And I just couldn't help myself in the press box, starting the podcast from yesterday by just saying it over and over 12 and two, 12 and 2, 12 and 2. They are off to one of the best starts now in Minnesota Vikings history. A start that we never saw coming from the beginning of the year.

But now that we're here, the way that they've come together, the way Darnold has played, it's legit. And they are racing for the Super Bowl down the stretch here. How do you feel coming out of another win last night? I think you've got to feel awfully good. I mean, 12-2, as you mentioned, this is the best start they've had since 1990, or the best record at this point of the season since 1998, and everybody in town knows what 1998 represents.

15-1, redefining what a downfield passing attack is. Randy Moss redefining what a game-breaking receiver is. Randall Cunningham redefining what a second act is in quarterbacking. And, you know, but four, we all know what happened in the NFC title game. That is arguably one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, certainly in Viking seasons, and all the great moments they've had since then, which have included three trips to the NFC title game. This may be the best team among them. I mean, it was a far-led team in 09. It was kind of a random swarming defense. Case Keenum team in 2017.

2022, we know the year of Golden Horseshoes that was sort of a masking a lot of problems this one has been complimentary from day one it's been a complete team effort it's uh been fun to watch that they seem to win in slightly different ways within an offense slightly different ways within their defense it's not ways within their defense. It's not all getting after the quarterback. It's not all turnovers. It's not all huge days from Sam Darnold. It's particular moments, particular times, getting off the field on third down, converting third downs as they did in spades last night. It just feels like there's a complementary aspect to this team that maybe hasn't been there for all of their other 12 and 13 win seasons. The problem is they've got a very, very difficult road to hoe here with the last three weeks. But it seems to be shifting now

with the Lions leaking oil on their injury front. And what kind of team is Philadelphia? They've been on a roll, but are they a little bit more one-dimensional? Are there opportunities for the Vikings to exploit? Perhaps. But I like the way that they're winning games. I like the way they're talking about how they're winning games. And it seems like a pretty good family in that locker room.

And you hate to have Randy Moss's cancer diagnosis be a galvanizing effect, but I think there was a sense of that last night. There was a little bit of a look back to the 90-18. You had Chris Carter and Jake Reed coming out pregame holding Moss's jersey. You had Justin Jefferson paying homage to Randy after his first touchdown catch, and it just feels like there's a strong bond and kind of a familial feel to this club that could carry it through. I mean, I dare not say a team of destiny. There's too many more things that can happen.

I thought the Lions were the team of destiny. But the path, as difficult as it's going to be going into January, I don't fear some of the matchups that I might have a couple of weeks ago now because of the way the Vikings are playing complementary football and finding different ways to win. And oh, by the way, 12-2 is still 12-2. Murph that when I went on Chicago radio just before the game yesterday they were laughing at me for saying you never know guys I've seen this game turn into a loss before think about all the different times throughout the years where the pomp and circumstance is through the roof U.S. Bank Stadium is about to explode as you, the 98 guys are out there. Everybody's feeling emotional about Randy Moss. They got the winter warrior thing.

They're doing the big presentations and there's all this discussion about Sam Darnold's future, how well he's playing, the playoff scenarios. Now they're able to catch the Lions potentially. All this stuff going in and they had to wait an extra day for it to get out there. There have been a lot of instances where that game turns into the air right out of the balloon, you know, a fumble on the first drive and then they melt down and so forth. And it just was,

they get a fourth down stop. They cause the fumble. They score a touchdown. Jefferson does the Randy Moss thing. And it was 10-0. And I thought, this game is over, folks. This defense is just too good. And to do it in multiple ways is the most important takeaway for me out of the Chicago game. It was Sam Darnold running the show against Atlanta. He was not going to be denied.

But then the defense, the very next week against a division opponent and the number one quarterback, they're the ones who just took the reins and said, maybe the offense isn't quite as strong today. We're going to take care of this game. And to win in multiple ways is sort of the definition of this season where they've got the game winning drive from Darnold a couple of times where the defense maybe let them down or early in the season against the jets where darnold didn't play so well but they get a win because the defense was dominant and made the biggest plays at the biggest times and i think what we get to is just this is what complete football is and we haven't really seen complete team football here in quite a long time it was

kind of always well the offense the offense is a little stronger, the defense got weakness. Maybe this part of the offense isn't quite as good or the quarterback can't scramble away when the other team rushes him or whatever. But now they seem to have answers each week for whatever way a game plays out. I think that speaks to coaching. I think it speaks to depth. I think it speaks to depth. I think it speaks to the fact that this time this team knows its identity on both sides of the ball. It always feels like if the offense is sputtering a bit, if there's a couple of punts, there's a couple of three and outs, if there's an untimely turnover, the defense finds a way to step up big. Maybe not

on that next drive per se, but throughout the totality of a game. Same thing the other way. If it looks like the defense is shortening the field and coming up with key stops, you know, you look at the Arizona game a couple of weeks ago. I mean, the defense handed the game to Sam Darnold and said, go win it. And he did. Against Atlanta, the defense kind of staggered around a little bit with Cousins early, was on the field an awful lot,

as they have been throughout the season. That changed a little bit with Cousins early, was on the field an awful lot, as they have been throughout the season. That changed a little bit last night too. And then Darnold just took over the game. You find – I think they feed off of each other. I think Brian Flores and Kevin O'Connell feed off of each other. And I think the Vikings' ability and O'Connell and Flores' ability to make adjustments not just week by week, but throughout a game in the real time, at halftime.

You know, certain things are being taken away. It didn't look like the Vikings – it didn't look like the Bears were playing as they did defensively at Soldier Field a couple of weeks ago. So those opportunities downfield weren't quite there, so the Vikings opened up their running game and managed to take over and control the clock there and getting some, not just Aaron Jones, but also Cam Akers involved. It feels like, you know, this is a team that is certainly confident in itself, but confident in its coaching staff to put it in good positions that may mean going away from your downfield options. It may mean Justin away from your downfield options.

It may mean Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, look, they're not going to have five touchdowns and 300 yards between them every week. But if that option is taken away, then maybe Hawkinson is open underneath. And if the pass game is not there at all, let's see what Aaron Jones and Cam Akers can do to tenderize a defensive front that's coming after Sam Darnold. So they've been able to, throughout the season, adjust to the opponent they're playing at that particular moment, not just the opponent's reputation. That speaks to, again, complete buy-in.

It also speaks to great coaching. So these are the little things that add up as you get into a one and done playoff type tournament where little adjustments made here, little adjustments made there. This aspect of a particular run game isn't working or a downfield passing game isn't working. So we're going to change it up. If we're not able to get pressure on the quarterback, maybe we're not going to blitz as much, or we will blitz when we have opportunities. There just seems to be a sense that whatever is happening in a particular game, whatever scenarios the game or the opponent has presented, the Vikings have been able to adjust

and win in a myriad fashion. And that's highly complimentary going into the post season. That's a really great point because even if you look at some of their better plays from the game against Chicago, Sam Darnold has come to understand in recent weeks that sometimes you could just check it down to Aaron Jones and you might get 18 yards because Aaron Jones. and after a little bit of battling 14 too right right after battling some injury with him he has looked very explosive these last couple of weeks and that was an old school Packers style Aaron Jones catches a pass over the middle of the field does something special and gets you a huge first down there were also several plays to Hawkinson underneath where you just get past the sticks, but you're moving, you got a possession and he was 14 for 16, throwing it under 10 yards between zero and 10 yards and average seven yards of pass.

That is moving the football. And then the way they're able to run. I was also thinking about two cam makers had a couple of successful runs mixed in. Just everything coming up quasi. I mean, they go out and they make a trade, nothing for Cam Akers. Now they're rotating them even within a possession where Aaron Jones isn't getting worn down. That was a major concern early in the season for me was that you guys are just riding Aaron Jones because you don't trust anybody else.

Now cam makers is out there making plays every single week. And you know, cam Robinson, the players that they brought in on the defensive side, they're also dynamic on offense to bring in CJ ham, Josh Oliver. If you guys are tape nuts and you like to go back and look at, at the all 22,

the coaches tape watch number 84, Josh Oliver, this dude moves bodies. He had a great game last night when I was watching it back. They can, so they can throw in the big bodies, two tight ends out there, three tight ends of fullback. And if the other team doesn't have the personnel to match it, they can just run the football over them. They have really shown i think that that's the hardest thing when you're an opposing team is when an offense

can either take deep shots down the field throw underneath successfully or run the football successfully what is the answer to stopping them and they really showed that there isn't a clear answer against this team. And when your quarterback is not making mistakes, as he had been earlier as well, you're not going to have the gift interception or the random fumble or a series of penalties that short circuit drive, although Cam Robinson probably wants to have yesterday back a little bit because of his penalties, and that would be a more problematic performance against a tougher opponent or say in the playoffs. But you're right. I mean, it's finding gaps within those defenses. And I'm not just talking space on the field, but gaps in particular attack schemes and finding those soft spots to keep the chains

moving. I don't know what the numbers were, but every time the Vikings picked up a third down, it seemed to be third and eight, third and 12, third and 14, which is not only fantastic to keep drives alive, but it's incredibly demoralizing for an opposing defense that just can't seem to do the easiest thing, which is to get off the field on third and long. They don't seem to get into a situation too where they, I don't feel like, there may be at times earlier in the season where it felt like maybe O'Connell's forcing

this a little bit too much. I think you're seeing his maturation too, recognizing in-game where things are headed, where the vulnerabilities are, where the strengths are. And to just know that, you know, you don't have to get, scoring dry doesn't have to be four plays, 88 yards, 13 plays, 88 yards can help out your defense. It can also demoralize an opponent. It gets everybody involved. You know, extending drives on third down, I mean, third down is a huge step for obvious reasons. The Vikings pretty much snuffed every third and fourth down chance Chicago had, and they almost converted on most of theirs, and they were long. I've been amazed at how you can sense just in postgame comments and what everybody's saying that there's total trust in the scheme. There's

total trust, especially in offense. Defense, everybody's kind of recognized their diverse roles and their opportunities to play a variety of different spots on the field or in different situations. But now offensively, I think everybody's buying in. You're not going to hear TJ Hawkinson sniping if he's not seen for three quarters, because eventually something's going to open up for him. You're not going to necessarily hear, I mean, you might've heard a little bit of grumbling from Jordan Addison earlier in the year. We thought we heard some grumbling. That might be the most, the only whiff of drama we've had is where's Jordan Addison. But you can tell that, you know, these guys know they're going to have their opportunities.

And if they're being taken out of circulation because of the coverage scheme, the opportunities for the Vikings to make up for that on checkdowns and the running game and the tight end game, it's all been for everyone to see. And that really, really matters because it gives everybody a stake in it. It makes everybody feel like they're a part of this. Josh Oliver may only have a catch or two a game, but he knows it's going to be probably in a key moment. And to convert a third down or to score in the red zone, you're going to have buy-in from these guys all year.

They'll go through a wall for you if you involve them. So these are the smaller things that it's not just a couple of people doing at all. It's complimentary football on both sides of the ball, and they all seem to be buying in. And with the way that both Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores have coached this thing, there's no doubt to me Kevin O'Connell is the coach of the year at this moment. If there's an assistant coach of the year, then it would have to be Brian Flores with the way

that he has navigated through this defense as well and maximized all the parts that they have. And it just has never been more on display than Vikings bears the gap in coaching. Here you have a Kevin O'Connell team that had no idea what to think of Sam Darnold from the start. And Kevin O'Connell was insistent, not just in public, but also behind the scenes to anybody who asked to friends of his, to front office executives, to teammates, to players insistent that Sam Darnold could lead them deep to the playoffs and have a successful season. He believed in that from day one. And he is, I think got the buy-in from the team as the season has gone along, but they really,

by the time they even arrived at the beginning of the season, we're buying what Kevin O'Connell was selling. And so for him to have that consistent message all throughout this season has been important. But the other part of O'Connell's message to them, and we saw this last night is you can't look too far forward or get distracted by outside forces. And maybe in 2022, that started to happen toward the end of the season when they got

off to the hot start. They had some of those big wins, and then the letdown was right around the corner. So the message out of the locker room yesterday, as great of a win as it was, every player was parroting their coach and saying, we got a short week. This one's over. On to the next one. We can't be celebrating this. And it's going to be tough to go out to Seattle if Geno Smith plays. That's a team that's battling for playoff position.

They are not handed an easy part of this schedule to finish up here. Seattle, the Green Bay Packers, the game of the year in my mind, and then the Detroit Lions week 18. They have not faced teams of this caliber. I have a lot of respect for Arizona. Atlanta is a talented football team. It's not these three. So what in your mind, Murph, do they have to do over these final three weeks

to go 3-0? That seems like a lot over these final three weeks to go 3-0? That seems like a lot to ask, honestly, to go 3-0, but plausible considering who they are. Well, certainly plausible. I think what's interesting is, yeah, they were a 13-win team two years ago, but I think they felt blessed. And they may not have appreciated how fortunate they were to get those 13 wins and all it took was Daniel Jones and the New York Giants humbling them in that home wildcard game to let them know that you know we didn't really have championship medal right now I think they do now and it's it's interesting because they're probably going to win two it's possible they could win three but

they're going to end up with 15 wins and there's no guarantee that they're going to have a home game. All of that said, I do feel like there is a little bit of a shifting now going on amongst the really elite teams and the contenders. I mean, you mentioned Detroit has been just the trendsetter all season long. And even as close as a week or two ago, I thought they were the team of destiny, but they have been so decimated by injuries specifically on defense but even losing David Montgomery now I don't think winning 45 to 42 every week is a winning formula for the playoffs now I'm not putting it past them but when you've got Dan Campbell you know basically trying an onside kick with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. That tells you what he thinks about his ragtag defense right now. So suddenly that season finale game at Ford Field, while it may still be a winner-take-all for the NFC North, I'm not 100%

sure it's going to be a winner-take-all maybe for the number one spot in the NFC because look what Philadelphia has been able to do. And they're, I think, eight game, nine game winning streak, 10 game winning streak. They were two and two, I believe. So you mentioned the schedule. The schedule makers have not done any favors with the Vikings. It's been an odd schedule because there's been stretches of really inferior opponents that they've had to face and then a smattering here and there. They had quality opponents.

You had three in a row on the road. Then they just had three in a row at home. Two of their final three on the road, as you mentioned, at Seattle and then at Detroit and hosting Green Bay on December 29th, which may end up being the seminal game of the three because of how Green Bay is playing and how Detroit's leaking oil. But anyway, I crunched the numbers for you, Collar. Oh. Green Bay is playing and how Detroit's leaking oil. But anyway, I crunched the numbers for you, Collar. The Vikings' final three opponents are 30-23 with a winning percentage of 7-14.

Nobody else is even close with that. Philadelphia's got a cakewalk here. They're going to Washington and then hosting Dallas and the Giants. That's three opponents with a 4-0-5 winning percentage. Packers are hosting New Orleans next Monday night and then hosting Dallas and the Giants. That's three opponents with a 4.05 winning percentage. Packers are hosting New Orleans next Monday night and then travel to Minnesota and then host Chicago. That's 500 on their opponent winning percentage scale. And then the Lions, they're at Chicago next week, at San Francisco the following Monday night, and of course hosting the Vikings. They are at 5.24 as a winning percentage you know

it it feels like the um it just feels like the the Vikings are going to have to run the table here just just to just to keep everybody else at bay there's a pathway forward to that if Gino Smith is indeed banged up and boy Green Bay made it look pretty easy to walk into Seattle and walk out with a win where it's notoriously difficult to play. So you may be looking at that December 29th game, not just because it's the first one on the schedule before Detroit. That may be the game that determines not so much the Packers fate, but the Vikings fate and whether they can still compete for that top seed beyond the NFC North and maybe get a home playoff game. They wouldn't have it any other way, would they?

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lines for $90 a month. Us cellular built for us. No, of course not. Of course not. After we had all kind of decided that Detroit was going to be the team hosting in the playoffs, now the door is open. So just to lay out the scenarios a little bit.

And the other night after the Lions lost, I was sort of head spinning trying to figure out, all right, what do they really need to do here? But it is not super complicated. There are some scenarios where Philadelphia could win a tiebreaker. At the moment, the Vikings have the tiebreaker over Philadelphia because of strength of something common, whatever it might be, Atlanta is the team to watch there.

I think it's strength of opponent is the reason why the Vikings would be a number one. If they get to 15 and two, if the Vikings do not get there and lose a game, they can still win the NFC North though. Even if, you know, Philadelphia locks up the number one seed, but they could still win the North. If the lions were to lose to either Chicago or San Francisco, this is if the Vikings lost a game that they could still have a better record than Detroit at the end of the year and win the NFC North. So it's not all that convoluted. It's really just, if you run the table, you're very likely the number one seed and running the table would mean beating Detroit and winning the NFC North. Keep winning and you don't have to ask for anything.

If you do lose a game, one of the next two, then Detroit would need to lose to the 49ers because Detroit has a tiebreaker over the Vikings with the fact, and this just gets really in the weeds, but the fact that their loss came against an AFC team and the Vikings are both against NFC teams is a difference maker there to give Detroit the tiebreaker were they to end up with the same record. So keep winning and you don't have to worry about any of this. Let's compare and contrast for a minute. The teams that are at the top, If we're power ranking the whole league, I would have Philadelphia as the best team in the NFL,

maybe tied with the Bills. And then I'd have the Vikings right behind them. And then maybe Kansas City after that. And who knows what Kansas City's situation is, but that's someone else's podcast. The Eagles, they are just a complete team now. Their defense is playing well. It seems like the quarterback and the receiver got some things sorted out. The offensive line is good. Their receivers are good. I just think that they're

a shade stronger as a complete team than the Vikings are at this moment. Yeah, and I think they're more battle-tested. I mean, Jalen Hurts has been to a Super Bowl. Saquon Barkley's having a monster season. They seem to be a little bit more of a balanced team, if not even more leaning on Barkley. I mean, that's probably some of the chatter you've heard out of whether A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts are even getting along or whatnot. It didn't seem to matter the other day. And the fact that they do have the Cowboys and the Giants

at the end. I mean, the Giants are barely an NFL team right now. The Cowboys, you know, they may try to get up for one of their all-time rivals, but it just feels like that they are, you know, they are in the driver's seat for obvious reasons. And again, because they are, they are battle tested. They're a little bit more playoff tested. I would say you're right. You know, you win 10 games in a row and you do it in the manner in which they did it when you thought your head coach was losing his mind, arguing with fans in Cleveland way back 10 weeks ago. You have to look at them because of their health situation as the prevailing number one seed. And you never want to go to Philadelphia to play a game in October, let alone January. So the Vikings, I think, know what's in front of them. Nobody's

handing them anything. I think they have to, and I think that was KLC's message in the locker room last night, run the table and then see where you're at and feel good about it. And run the table because these are tough opponents, but they're opponents you're going to probably end up facing Green Bay or Detroit in the playoffs anyway. So if you expect to go far, I mean, these are teams that you need to beat, the caliber of teams you need to beat on the road in a tough environment. So I don't know, you could make the argument. It'd be nice to have three, you know, cakewalks to kind of, you know, ease into the playoffs, but boy, if they come out of this with 15 wins and look at the opponents they had to take down in the last couple of weeks to get to 15 wins, I'm not sure I'd want to face them in January. Let's talk a little bit more about Detroit. I saw that Dan Campbell did a radio appearance where he swore a couple of times and made some crazy metaphors about eating moldy bread or whatever

when it came to... Kevin O'Connell is... Campbellisms. Is it Kevin O'Connell is Kevin O'Connell. I'm sure is in his soul, a football lunatic, but sometimes you think you're just, you're a little too normal. Like you don't, you don't like not shower after a loss or whatever, like the Syracuse coach or just say these crazy things. So anyway, Dan Campbell's doing his whole WWE. I'm going to juice up this football team thing on the offensive side though. They lost David Montgomery, but they did not lose Jameer Gibbs. He's the best player on that team. And Ross St. Brown is a beast. Tim Patrick is

playing big for them. Jamison Williams has come along for them. Their offensive line is completely healthy. And by the way, their quarterback the other day tossed for five touchdowns and 400 yards. I don't think that against a premium team, right? I don't think that we can just say, Oh, Hey, the Vikings are a lot better than the lions right now. I think they're in a better, I would pick them to beat the lions on a neutral field at this moment. But I also think that the thing that determines winning and losing more than anything always in forever is on the offensive side. And that team will have answers the rest of the way. I don't think that it's just, well, they got these players hurt. So now their season is done.

They will have a few weeks to try to adjust here. Detroit remains dangerous, but much more vulnerable than they've been. Yeah, clearly. I mean, look, they lost Aiden Hutchinson two months ago almost. So they've been stacking up wins since losing arguably the best defensive edge rusher in the game. So it's not like they have suddenly in the last two weeks just had it. It's been a drip, drip, drip, steady stream of injuries,

particularly on defense, that has raised questions. And, you know, facing Buffalo at home was kind of a statement game opportunity. I think the Lions had made hay with the same AFC South opponents the Vikings cruised through. So it was startling to see them kind of knock down their heels at Ford Field. But you're right, they still put up 42 points. Buffalo can put up 48 points. There aren't a ton of teams that can put up 48 points.

So maybe they do win every week in the playoffs, every week the rest of the way, and getting into the playoffs 42 to 40. I wouldn't want to get into a shootout with Jared Goff, no matter how porous Detroit's defense is. And especially if they do end up having those games in Detroit, Ford Field's a tough place to play. All places are tough to play, but Ford Field has turned into a really difficult venue. So I, no, it's not ideal to be thinking the Vikings suddenly are in a better team than the Lions, because I don't see that right now. But what, how are the Lions going to respond to this latest wave? You know, they hadn't lost in a while. They got punched in the face at home. So,

you know, I look at that game out in San Francisco next Monday night. I mean, unfortunately for the Vikings, the Packers and the Lions still have the Bears to kick around a little here. But Detroit's got to go out to San Francisco, you know, where they lost the NFC championship game. It's always tough to travel west from the eastern time zone. Then on a Monday night, they're going to have a short week coming back. That's going to be a challenging test. I don't think San Francisco is going to just go away quietly, even though they seem to be fading. So I do feel like the Lions are vulnerable, but that's also a team that maybe is just conditioned unconventionally to win every game in a shootout. And the Vikings just don't

have to worry so much about trying to chase the Lions, but just keep solidifying the way they're playing complementary football. I like the way they're playing. I like the way their health has knock on wood held up. I like the way they are kind of coming to terms with whatever an opponent gives them and responding and doing it in a way that each week we come away talking about somebody else who shined or a particular moment in a game that you hadn't seen before this season. And those are things that, again, can add up. And now you've got, you know, a bag full of things that you can pull out of in tight, dicey situations.

And remember, we were here before in week 12. We were here before in week 7. I feel like it may open up because, again, a couple weeks ago, we thought there's no way Detroit's going to lose again. Now there's an opportunity there, but they've got two tough games to get through before they even get to Ford Field. And again, their season may really come down to December 29th

against Green Bay. That's the thing I've been thinking all season long. And the way that Green Bay is playing lately, Green Bay looked like they were up and down, could kind of go either way for a while there. And then Jordan Love got healthy and comfortable in the offense again. And he has played like a superstar quarterback. Their defense is coming together. Even before Geno Smith got hurt, they were pretty dominant. And that U.S. Bank Stadium game late in the season versus the Packers always dictates the feel of a season,

even though that's probably too much weight to put on one game after they've had this really long winning streak. Still, this one is going to determine whether everyone feels like, okay, if they win that one, they're for real. They could go deep into the playoffs. They could beat anyone because there aren't five teams that are playing better football right now than the Green Bay Packers. There are teams with better records, but there are not many that are playing better football. So the Vikings have to take care of business against a good Seattle team that they

are better than and whose quarterback is beat up then to come back home against Green Bay to get this shot against the Detroit Lions. And it's creating remarkable drama that we didn't think was going to happen. But if they don't pull it off, there's this other dynamic going on, Murph, that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are pretty good now. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield, they just throttled a good defense in the Los Angeles Chargers. So there's other teams in this race that you don't necessarily want to face. The Rams. And the Rams are absolutely the other one. They've already beaten the Vikings

and they seem to be getting stronger. Puka Nakua is playing at an incredibly high level. Their defensive line has two guys that are competing for Rookie of the Year. Jared Verse has become a transformational player for their defense. I mean, it feels important. It feels important that they get home field and that you don't have to travel to Los Angeles and you don't have to travel to Tampa Bay to play two teams that are very strong. Here's my question for you. Last thing. What are the odds? What, what are your, I know what the odds are statistically with the math. What, what do you think the odds are that the Vikings end up winning the NFC North, at least than maybe the whole NFC. You know, I feel a little better that they may actually win the NFC North, but I don't think that's going to get them the number one seat because I just feel like Philadelphia,

again, I don't know what the tie breaking. Well, it is important that if they end up with the same record as Philly at this moment, the Vikings would have that tiebreaker. So that does matter. But also the Vikings could lose one Detroit, lose one, and then you beat Detroit and that's how they could win the North, but not the NFC. So just to clarify that. Good. Clear as mud. Um, no, you don't want to go on the road anywhere. I wouldn't even want to go to Tampa because as you mentioned, you know, it's, it's funny, you kind of, we've

been viewing all of the, as the Vikings have progressed and ascended, we've been measuring them against Philadelphia, Detroit, somewhat Green Bay. Early in the season, it was like, boy, you know, what about the Niners? And what about, you know, but nobody's kind of paid attention to Tampa. And Tampa's getting better week by week. And they also know that they're sitting pretty, that they don't have to win, run the table, and they're going to get a home game. That's just the way this is working out. The Rams, you know, Sean McVay, boy, they're a wild card, aren't they? I mean, it's Super Bowl winning coach. You don't want to go to LA. You don't want to face them when they may be peaking. So we've been constantly measuring the Vikings

against their divisional opponents and maybe even the Eagles for much of the season. Whereas Seattle, Tampa, and also the L.A. Rams are still getting better and finding their identity and finding their ways to win, and they're beating quality opponents. And they've still got three games to kind of boost their confidence and define who they are. And oh, by the way, if you're right, if the Vikings end up with 14 wins, they're getting on a plane. That's a very difficult task.

So it's it's I think it behooves them for their own confidence, not just to run the table because it gets you at 15 and two, but because it also positions you to have the comfort of a home game and maybe, you know, facing tough quarterbacks and maybe making that environment just that much more difficult for them and how that can maybe make the difference as opposed to getting on a plane and going into a hostile environment against a team that's peaking at the right time. I do feel like Brian Flores' defense

is different at U.S. Bank Stadium because the communication of the offensive line, the quarterback's adjustments, the noise that just beats down on opposing quarterbacks. It was really amped up in there the other night. Playoff atmosphere for a team that's 15-2 would be insane. Or even if they were able to pull it off at 14-3, insane. It would be in there for an opposing quarterback to walk in. They could really use that advantage. I think that it's gone down a little bit in the NFL home versus road, but in a playoff game, in that type of environment,

could have a very serious significance to this team specifically. And also Sam Darnold playing in his home building would be really good for them, but we will see if that happens. Murph, I'll be headed out to Seattle this week. So we're going to have to figure out I'm coming back on a red eye, how we're going to do a Monday morning Murph,

but it will definitely happen. So thank you so much for your time as always. People can look forward to your column over at purpleinsider.football. And we will talk to you again next week, Murph. 12-2, man. Football. Lean into the ride, folks.