MNF: Vikings @ Seahawks Support Group

Who wants to look like a team desperately trying to avoid the shutout as opposed to winning on national TV?  With how the game was going, it was absolutely the right call. If you don't get it, you're getting another shot with good field position. If you do get it, you have the lead! With the defense playing so well up to that point, it would have been a good spot to be in. Of course, DeFliippo and Cousins had other ideas, though...  

Yeah, shutouts are ugly, but it's also pretty ugly to choose to be cowards and take the 3 there with how the game was playing out. So what if we got the 3 there and lost 13-3 or 21-3 or whatever? What difference does it make? Yeah, the game ended up being 21-7, but did it feel like 21-7 to you? Or did it feel more like 21-0? Anyone looking at the score might think, "Eh, not that bad. Could've been worse." HARDLY! It was effing AWFUL from start to finish! We were extremely lucky to score at all! But here's the thing, after 10 whole freaking points last week, if the Vikings had been shut out last night, they would have earned it! Let the scrubs own it! Don't bail them out with the cowardly FG try. BS... 

Were you watching the game live or are you playing Captain Hindsight now?  

People criticize Zimmer left and right about not being aggressive enough, and when he is, it's the wrong choice? Would it have been the wrong choice had Cousins found Thielen in the end zone? Doubt it... 

Eh, you believe in your guys there and try for the lead; don't settle for 3. What good does 3 do? Again, with how THIS game was going, absolutely the right call. If we failed to convert, we would have been right back in field goal range again with a defensive stop and a couple plays by your offense. So, again, go for the lead there... try for a FG later if it doesn't work out as planned. We were too close there to not try to score. 

Yeah normally I'd be in favor of going for it, but I really do believe the shutout was part of the problem, psychologically. I've seen coaches get grilled before, for kicking what seemed like useless FG's late, and later explaining in press conferences how they did it to get the shutout off everyone's mind so they could get focused back on the game.

It's about context brah. Context! Not hindsight, context. We're talking about context man. Don't make me go context on ya, but yeah it's about context. If it's 48-42 then you go for it because your offense is clearly clicking and your defense can't stop a bloody nose with a wet paper bag, but it was 6-0 and you've been failing to pickup 2 yards the entire game, but your defense has been playing lights out.

Then there's the context of being shut the eff out. Am I the only one who seems to understand how bad it is to get shut the eff out, and how a mere 3 points can give your team a psychological boost? I mean sure, a TD there is an even bigger psychological boost, but again, your offense hasn't been doing diddly squat all night. Maybe 3 points helps them do slightly more than diddly squat going forward? Having ZERO on the board that late probably tightened them up and made them press too hard.

But the context also includes our kicker. He's awful, and we've been burned by kickers so many times, so that's the only thing that makes me ok with going for it there. If the kicker misses, then that's a huge blow the other way and the 2nd guessing comes. Not that failing to convert on 4th down did us much good, other than Seattle was backed up at it's own goal line, which worked out for us captain hindsight. 98 yard drive the other way and this team is probably broke for the rest of the year, if they're not already.

Maybe, just maybe Kirk has been pulling an Aaron Rodgers the past few games to get Flipper fired? If he throws for 400 yards and 5 TD's against the Dolphins (before garbage time), I'm going to assume my theory is true.

I was thinking maybe that image was photoshopped because it looks unbelievable, and the yard lines look a little goofy by Thielen, but nope, it's legit. It almost looks damn near intentional that Cousins didn't throw the ball to Thielen. He's looking at him as he comes out of his break so he knows he's wide open, and yet he does that double clutch 180 to Murray anyway.