Three weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings were left for dead.
On Nov. 11, a 34-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers dropped Minnesota to 3-6 in the weak NFC North. To make matters worse, star rookie running back Adrian Peterson tore a ligament in his right knee, sidelining Minnesota's lone bright spot for one to two weeks. Nobody in Minnesota was talking about a potential playoff spot; they were talking about whether it would be wise to shut Peterson down for the season.
But since that Sunday in Green Bay, the Vikings have won three straight games, pulling their record up to .500 at 6-6, and brought some sunshine back to the Minnesota skies. If the season ended today, the Vikings would get the final NFC playoff spot.
When Peterson went down, many thought that the Vikings' offense, lacking much of a passing game, would completely crumble. Instead, backup Chester Taylor subbed in for Peterson the next week against the Oakland Raiders and put up exactly the kind of numbers his team needed: 164 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 29-22 win. Taylor's numbers were all the more important given the less-than-studlike performance of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who threw for only 171 yards.
The next week against the New York Giants, the offense that showed up was the anemic one that fans had come to fear. Jackson threw for only 129 yards, and Taylor rushed for just 77. But the Vikings' defense was their saving grace. The unit intercepted four of Eli Manning's passes, and more impressively, returned three of them for touchdowns. That was all the Vikes needed to pull out a 41-17 drubbing of the Giants.
Sunday marked the return of Peterson - or, as he has been dubbed by the blogosphere, "Purple Jesus."
Peterson returned at a crucial time, as his team faced the 6-5 Detroit Lions, also in contention for the final wild card playoff spot. Jackson passed for 204 yards, his highest total of the season, and Peterson gained 116 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns in little more than two quarters of work. The Vikings ultimately won 42-10 and secured a possible playoff tiebreaker.
Peterson effectively silenced any concerns regarding his ability to return to full force. His most impressive run came in the third quarter, when he took a handoff from Jackson, dashed to the left side, faked Detroit safety Kenoy Kennedy out of his shoes at the 5 and high-stepped into the end zone. Despite missing almost three games to injury, Peterson still leads the NFL in rushing yards by over 100.
With four games left to play, the Vikings look poised to make a playoff run. The two teams that they are currently tied with in the NFC record-wise, the Arizona Cardinals and the Lions, simply have not been as good this season.
Detroit's point differential is -44 on the year, and the team has dropped four straight games after a hot start. The Cardinals have won three of their past four, but their point differential is an uninspiring +1. In addition, they have to play at the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints the next two weeks in two games that are far from guaranteed wins.
Considering this, Minnesota can almost punch its playoff ticket now. The team has a point differential of +41, clearly better than that of its playoff competition, and it has a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way. Every opponent left for the Vikings is currently at least two games under .500.
All Minnesota fans have to do is worship Purple Jesus. Perhaps their prayers will be answered.
