Do the Vikings have a chance at the playoffs? Mathematically, yes. Realistically, no.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Matt Krohn | AP
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Audio transcript
["SKOL, VIKINGS" PLAYING] Go Vikings, run up the score
NINA MOINI: Vikings fans have a reason to rejoice after a few rough weeks finally. That sound from US Bank Stadium yesterday at the game. Some of the spectators snagged tickets for a bargain. There were seats available for just about $35. Then, they saw the Vikings shut out the Washington Commanders with a final score of 31 to 0.
Joining me to catch up on this and other Minnesota sports are contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Thanks for being here, guys. Happy Monday.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy Monday.
ERIC NELSON: Same to you, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday for the Vikings, maybe, for a change, Wally. What did you think of the game yesterday?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they took advantage of a Washington team that had lost seven in a row coming in. So take it with a grain of salt. They played well.
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: And as you said, there were-- I noticed-- actually, I took the light rail over. There were a lot of kids on the light rail. I talked to some of the workers for Metro Transit, and they were talking about the fact that they see more-- they saw more kids. That has to do with those low prices on the secondary market. So people were able to bring their kids to the game, which I think was good.
And, Eric, his kids were there. So if you could get in into a football game in the NFL for $35, $36, $37, that's a good deal.
NINA MOINI: It's like allowance money.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, exactly. Those are like-- those tickets are two to three times that normally, so that's the good news.
JJ McCarthy back from his concussion that kept him out against Seattle. He had a good day. Threw three touchdown passes. By the way, so the Vikings shut out Washington yesterday 31-0, and they lost and got shut out by Seattle the week before. It's the first time in Vikings history that they were shut out one week and then shut out their opponents the following week. It's a very rare occurrence in the NFL, but somehow the Vikings managed to do that.
Vikings still mathematically alive, but not realistically alive for the playoffs. They're 5 and 8 now. So listen to this. Here's what has to happen.
NINA MOINI: OK.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Get ready. They need to win all four remaining games, starting with Dallas next Sunday night. They would need the Bears and the 49ers to lose all four of their remaining games. This weekend, by the way, the Bears host a dreadful Cleveland Browns team and the 49ers host a really bad Tennessee Titans team.
And that's not all that has to happen. They have to win tiebreakers. They would need the Lions to lose a bunch of games. There are a lot of things that would have to happen. So I think Vikings fans should focus on the fact that McCarthy played well, and then this hopefully is a precedent for what may, can happen the remainder of this season, and then hopefully next season.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, Eric, let's talk about the remainder of the season and what's next for them. I wonder if they're already thinking about next year? I don't how you go through the rest of the season.
ERIC NELSON: Well, I think, Nina, the key is focusing on next week, specifically Sunday Night Football down in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. They'll take on the Cowboys, who are 6-6-1 this season. They're on the playoff bubble. They desperately need the game. Dallas has an outstanding quarterback in Dak Prescott and they have a tandem of outstanding wideouts-- CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
And this game will be played almost exactly 50 years after one of the most controversial losses in Minnesota sports history. Let's go back to December 28, 1975. The Cowboys stunned the Vikings on a 50-yard home run heave from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson, that erased a Minnesota lead in the final seconds of an NFC Playoff game at Met Stadium in Bloomington. Dallas went on to win 17 to 14.
But Minnesota fans and players were furious. They believed Drew Pearson pushed Vikings cornerback Nate Wright. The play should not have counted. One of these fans threw a whiskey bottle from the stands. It struck referee Armen Terzian in the head. He was knocked out cold.
NINA MOINI: Oh, no.
ERIC NELSON: No, it was not Minnesota nice, for sure. And to this day, that remains one of the most bitter losses in Purple history.
Now, I'm going to segue to the Gopher Football team, Nina. They're going bowling.
NINA MOINI: OK.
ERIC NELSON: Minnesota received an invite to the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, on December 26. They're going to play the New Mexico Lobos at Chase Field. That's the home of the Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. Kick off 3:30 PM Central Time.
I look at this as a way for Gopher Nation, it's a chance to escape the frigid cold--
NINA MOINI: Sure.
ERIC NELSON: --have some fun in the sun. There's also a ton of Minnesota transplants in the Valley of the Sun, who have relocated to Arizona. So I bet some of them are going to show up.
NINA MOINI: Mm-hmm.
ERIC NELSON: The Gophers and Lobos each should get somewhere between $2 and $3 million just for playing, so that's a pretty good deal. Minnesota 7 and 5 this season. New Mexico's 9 and 3. The Lobos finished in a four-way tie for first in the Mountain West Conference. And the Gophers have won eight straight Bowl games. That's the longest active streak in the nation, the longest in Big Ten history--
NINA MOINI: Wow.
ERIC NELSON: --and it's tied for the fourth-longest in College Football history. Now, most of these have been minor Bowl games, not the Rose Bowl or the Orange Ball, but nonetheless, PJ Fleck, he's a Bowl guru. He's 6-0, the Gophers head coach, in Bowl games.
NINA MOINI: Wow. OK, yeah. He's always got a great attitude. I feel like that helps. But let's talk about Gopher Volleyball. Wally, do you want to talk about how they're doing in the NCAA Tournament?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, rounds one and two went well for the Gophers. They hosted at Maturi Pavilion, on Friday, in what is their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance, and their 11th straight. Gophers improved to 29 and 1 in first-round matches in those 30 appearances. They beat Fairfield in three straight games.
Then on Saturday, Gophers took down number five-seeded Iowa State. Iowa State, the night before, had knocked off Saint Thomas in their first appearance-- Saint Thomas's first appearance as a Division I contender in the NCAA Tournament.
And then the Gophers took Iowa State down, also in three sets with the win. The Gophers head to the NCAA Sweet 16. That is this coming weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, against top-seeded, the Pitt Panthers. The scores of that match against Iowa State, by the way, were close-- the first two games, anyway-- 25-22, 25-21, and then 25-14. So congratulations to the Gophers. Marching on to Sweet 16.
NINA MOINI: Nice. OK, Eric, talking about hockey now. It was a tough weekend for the Wild and Frost.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, it was, Nina. The Minnesota Wild are back on the ice tonight, though, in Seattle. Wild with 35 points. The Kraken have 28. The Wild continue their road trip. They've already gone to Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. And they lost, as you mentioned, the games against the Flames and the Canucks.
Goalie Jesper Wallstedt, though, his goals against average is 1.95, that's still number one in the NHL. So tonight, they face the Kraken. Yes, they're playing a team named after a mythical giant sea monster. Seattle became the NHL's second team when the Kraken joined the league as an expansion club in 2021. And there's some Minnesota connections if you're going to watch the game tonight. Ex-Gophers Ben Meyers and Ryan Lindgren play for Seattle.
The Wild, though, after the game, will hop on their charter and fly back to the Twin Cities. They will host Dallas Thursday. That's the beginning of a four-game homestand.
And the Minnesota Frost lost yesterday in Boston 4 to 1 to the Fleet. The Frost are 2 and 2 this season. And again, they're trying to make it a three-peat and win their third straight Walter Cup title.
Kendall Coyne Schofield has four goals this season. She is tied for first in the PWHL league with five points overall. And their next game is Friday at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul. They play the Boston Fleet again, so it's a chance for revenge for your Minnesota Frost.
NINA MOINI: OK, cool. So, Wally, let's finish out here with the Timberwolves. They're on a winning streak. What's going on there?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, they're on a five-gamer right now, including a win this past Saturday night. They just got by the LA Clippers. And that's a game where they actually trailed for a fair portion of the game.
NINA MOINI: Oh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: They will host Phoenix tonight. And before we go, I wanted to at least mention Gopher Basketball, if you don't mind. Gopher Women, boy, they lost a heartbreaker to seventh-ranked Maryland on Sunday. They lost in double-overtime. They blew a nine-point lead in the final minute of the game, imagine that.
Meanwhile, the men last Thursday upset 22nd ranked Indiana. They travel to Purdue on Wednesday to take on the top-ranked Boilermakers, who suffered a huge loss over the weekend. So the Boilermakers are going to be hopping mad, if you will pardon the pun, with the Boilermakers and hops. Anyway, so good luck to the Gophers on Wednesday.
NINA MOINI: All right, you guys, always appreciate your time. Have a great week.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You too, Nina.
NINA MOINI: That's our sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
NINA MOINI: Vikings fans have a reason to rejoice after a few rough weeks finally. That sound from US Bank Stadium yesterday at the game. Some of the spectators snagged tickets for a bargain. There were seats available for just about $35. Then, they saw the Vikings shut out the Washington Commanders with a final score of 31 to 0.
Joining me to catch up on this and other Minnesota sports are contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Thanks for being here, guys. Happy Monday.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy Monday.
ERIC NELSON: Same to you, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday for the Vikings, maybe, for a change, Wally. What did you think of the game yesterday?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they took advantage of a Washington team that had lost seven in a row coming in. So take it with a grain of salt. They played well.
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: And as you said, there were-- I noticed-- actually, I took the light rail over. There were a lot of kids on the light rail. I talked to some of the workers for Metro Transit, and they were talking about the fact that they see more-- they saw more kids. That has to do with those low prices on the secondary market. So people were able to bring their kids to the game, which I think was good.
And, Eric, his kids were there. So if you could get in into a football game in the NFL for $35, $36, $37, that's a good deal.
NINA MOINI: It's like allowance money.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, exactly. Those are like-- those tickets are two to three times that normally, so that's the good news.
JJ McCarthy back from his concussion that kept him out against Seattle. He had a good day. Threw three touchdown passes. By the way, so the Vikings shut out Washington yesterday 31-0, and they lost and got shut out by Seattle the week before. It's the first time in Vikings history that they were shut out one week and then shut out their opponents the following week. It's a very rare occurrence in the NFL, but somehow the Vikings managed to do that.
Vikings still mathematically alive, but not realistically alive for the playoffs. They're 5 and 8 now. So listen to this. Here's what has to happen.
NINA MOINI: OK.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Get ready. They need to win all four remaining games, starting with Dallas next Sunday night. They would need the Bears and the 49ers to lose all four of their remaining games. This weekend, by the way, the Bears host a dreadful Cleveland Browns team and the 49ers host a really bad Tennessee Titans team.
And that's not all that has to happen. They have to win tiebreakers. They would need the Lions to lose a bunch of games. There are a lot of things that would have to happen. So I think Vikings fans should focus on the fact that McCarthy played well, and then this hopefully is a precedent for what may, can happen the remainder of this season, and then hopefully next season.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, Eric, let's talk about the remainder of the season and what's next for them. I wonder if they're already thinking about next year? I don't how you go through the rest of the season.
ERIC NELSON: Well, I think, Nina, the key is focusing on next week, specifically Sunday Night Football down in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. They'll take on the Cowboys, who are 6-6-1 this season. They're on the playoff bubble. They desperately need the game. Dallas has an outstanding quarterback in Dak Prescott and they have a tandem of outstanding wideouts-- CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
And this game will be played almost exactly 50 years after one of the most controversial losses in Minnesota sports history. Let's go back to December 28, 1975. The Cowboys stunned the Vikings on a 50-yard home run heave from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson, that erased a Minnesota lead in the final seconds of an NFC Playoff game at Met Stadium in Bloomington. Dallas went on to win 17 to 14.
But Minnesota fans and players were furious. They believed Drew Pearson pushed Vikings cornerback Nate Wright. The play should not have counted. One of these fans threw a whiskey bottle from the stands. It struck referee Armen Terzian in the head. He was knocked out cold.
NINA MOINI: Oh, no.
ERIC NELSON: No, it was not Minnesota nice, for sure. And to this day, that remains one of the most bitter losses in Purple history.
Now, I'm going to segue to the Gopher Football team, Nina. They're going bowling.
NINA MOINI: OK.
ERIC NELSON: Minnesota received an invite to the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, on December 26. They're going to play the New Mexico Lobos at Chase Field. That's the home of the Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. Kick off 3:30 PM Central Time.
I look at this as a way for Gopher Nation, it's a chance to escape the frigid cold--
NINA MOINI: Sure.
ERIC NELSON: --have some fun in the sun. There's also a ton of Minnesota transplants in the Valley of the Sun, who have relocated to Arizona. So I bet some of them are going to show up.
NINA MOINI: Mm-hmm.
ERIC NELSON: The Gophers and Lobos each should get somewhere between $2 and $3 million just for playing, so that's a pretty good deal. Minnesota 7 and 5 this season. New Mexico's 9 and 3. The Lobos finished in a four-way tie for first in the Mountain West Conference. And the Gophers have won eight straight Bowl games. That's the longest active streak in the nation, the longest in Big Ten history--
NINA MOINI: Wow.
ERIC NELSON: --and it's tied for the fourth-longest in College Football history. Now, most of these have been minor Bowl games, not the Rose Bowl or the Orange Ball, but nonetheless, PJ Fleck, he's a Bowl guru. He's 6-0, the Gophers head coach, in Bowl games.
NINA MOINI: Wow. OK, yeah. He's always got a great attitude. I feel like that helps. But let's talk about Gopher Volleyball. Wally, do you want to talk about how they're doing in the NCAA Tournament?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, rounds one and two went well for the Gophers. They hosted at Maturi Pavilion, on Friday, in what is their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance, and their 11th straight. Gophers improved to 29 and 1 in first-round matches in those 30 appearances. They beat Fairfield in three straight games.
Then on Saturday, Gophers took down number five-seeded Iowa State. Iowa State, the night before, had knocked off Saint Thomas in their first appearance-- Saint Thomas's first appearance as a Division I contender in the NCAA Tournament.
And then the Gophers took Iowa State down, also in three sets with the win. The Gophers head to the NCAA Sweet 16. That is this coming weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, against top-seeded, the Pitt Panthers. The scores of that match against Iowa State, by the way, were close-- the first two games, anyway-- 25-22, 25-21, and then 25-14. So congratulations to the Gophers. Marching on to Sweet 16.
NINA MOINI: Nice. OK, Eric, talking about hockey now. It was a tough weekend for the Wild and Frost.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, it was, Nina. The Minnesota Wild are back on the ice tonight, though, in Seattle. Wild with 35 points. The Kraken have 28. The Wild continue their road trip. They've already gone to Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. And they lost, as you mentioned, the games against the Flames and the Canucks.
Goalie Jesper Wallstedt, though, his goals against average is 1.95, that's still number one in the NHL. So tonight, they face the Kraken. Yes, they're playing a team named after a mythical giant sea monster. Seattle became the NHL's second team when the Kraken joined the league as an expansion club in 2021. And there's some Minnesota connections if you're going to watch the game tonight. Ex-Gophers Ben Meyers and Ryan Lindgren play for Seattle.
The Wild, though, after the game, will hop on their charter and fly back to the Twin Cities. They will host Dallas Thursday. That's the beginning of a four-game homestand.
And the Minnesota Frost lost yesterday in Boston 4 to 1 to the Fleet. The Frost are 2 and 2 this season. And again, they're trying to make it a three-peat and win their third straight Walter Cup title.
Kendall Coyne Schofield has four goals this season. She is tied for first in the PWHL league with five points overall. And their next game is Friday at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul. They play the Boston Fleet again, so it's a chance for revenge for your Minnesota Frost.
NINA MOINI: OK, cool. So, Wally, let's finish out here with the Timberwolves. They're on a winning streak. What's going on there?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, they're on a five-gamer right now, including a win this past Saturday night. They just got by the LA Clippers. And that's a game where they actually trailed for a fair portion of the game.
NINA MOINI: Oh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: They will host Phoenix tonight. And before we go, I wanted to at least mention Gopher Basketball, if you don't mind. Gopher Women, boy, they lost a heartbreaker to seventh-ranked Maryland on Sunday. They lost in double-overtime. They blew a nine-point lead in the final minute of the game, imagine that.
Meanwhile, the men last Thursday upset 22nd ranked Indiana. They travel to Purdue on Wednesday to take on the top-ranked Boilermakers, who suffered a huge loss over the weekend. So the Boilermakers are going to be hopping mad, if you will pardon the pun, with the Boilermakers and hops. Anyway, so good luck to the Gophers on Wednesday.
NINA MOINI: All right, you guys, always appreciate your time. Have a great week.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You too, Nina.
NINA MOINI: That's our sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
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