Sansevere’s Nano-Column: Never favor these Vikings by 10 points
Bob Sansevere
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The Nano Column: You can read it while at a stoplight, during a commercial break or when dropping a deuce.
If you’re a winless NFL team or one with a substantial losing streak, the Vikings often have been the elixir for what ails you.
The Jacksonville Jaguars got a whiff of that elixir and nearly ended their extremely long losing streak Sunday, but the Vikings came up with just enough plays to win 27-24 in overtime and extend the Jags’ misery to 11 fails in a row.
The Vikings were favored by 10, and that’s never a good thing for this franchise. When they are double-digit favorites, they have been known to crap the bed.
The Vikings have a long, stained history of playing down to the level of the competition.
After opening 0-5, the Atlanta Falcons routed the Vikings 40-23 in Week 6. The Dallas Cowboys snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over the Vikings just a couple of weeks ago.
And remember this one from September 2018: The Vikings were favored by 17 points to beat Buffalo. The Bills battered the Vikings in the biggest upset in the NFL in 23 years.
What made Sunday’s game different is, the Vikings won. Yep, they beat a very bad team just a week after beating Carolina, another bad team.
That’s progress, right?
“A win is a win,” rookie sensation Justin Jefferson said. “Doesn’t matter how much we win by. Definitely a lot of things we have to fix.”
Oh, yeah. Lots of things.
They must cut down on turnovers, penalties, all manner of screw ups.
Some good news, though: The Vikings are 6-6, winners of five out of six and in the playoff hunt.
And they won’t be favored by 10 or more points in any of their four remaining games. If there are no mental letdowns and fewer screwups, they might just make the playoffs.
And then lose.
Bob Sansevere does a daily podcast called “The BS Show,” which can be heard on radio stations in Duluth (KDAL), Hibbing (WNMT) and St. Cloud (WBHR).