Bill Simmons Isn’t Ready To Quit On the Vikings
Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
It’s rare to see a regular-season loss send a 14-3 team into an existential crisis, but that’s what happened on Sunday night, at least to those outside the Minnesota Vikings locker room. The Detroit Lions smoked Minnesota 31-9, making Sam Darnold‘s resurgence look like a fraud and establishing themselves as the cream of the NFL crop. How could the Vikings come back from that loss and win in Ford Field two or three weeks from now? Especially when their Wild Card opponent is the LA Rams, the only other team Minnesota has taken an L from in 2024?
At the same time… they’re a 14-3 team. The Vikings may have three losses to playoff teams, but they’re 3-3 against them overall, having defeated the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers twice. It’s easy to remember the trauma seared into Vikings’ fans brains on Sunday, but the overall picture is bright.
At least, that’s what Bill Simmons is pointing out on the Monday episode of his eponymous podcast.
“Are we ready to write off the Vikings after that game, as a real contender?” Simmons posits before answering his own question. “Because I am not.”
Is it safe to write off the Vikings after last night's loss in Detroit?@BillSimmons and @TheCousinSal explain why they're both still in on Minnesota as contenders in the NFC. pic.twitter.com/6UyVQu2zHf
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 6, 2025
He went on to explain his reasoning, which was that the Vikings’ poor play on offense was probably a fluke. “I actually think they just had a bad game where a bunch of shit went wrong, and I’m not ready to be like, ‘Nope! That’s who they are!'”
In fact, the public perception plummeting on a 14-3 team is intriguing Simmons. “If anything, I want to buy in on them in the playoffs, because I think everybody’s off now. ‘Oh, Sam Darnold, there he is, the Lions kicked their ass, you just have to rush them.'” he says, echoing the naysayers. “I’ve watched them all year! I’m not ready to sell on them yet, I think they just sucked tonight.”
Guest “Cousin” Sal Iacono agreed, pointing out that the stakes might have been even higher for Detroit than Minnesota. “I felt like the Lions defense wasn’t gonna be able to travel on the road. They had to be a 1 seed, right? So they needed it more.”
Cousin Sal also stood firm in his belief in Darnold. “I don’t think it’s the pumpkin Cinderella thing… I think they’re all right with Sam Darnold.”
And while the road to the Super Bowl goes through Ford Field, it’s been fairly difficult to defeat the same team three times in NFL history. Since the move to eight divisions in 2002, a team has faced a division rival in the playoffs after sweeping them in the regular season just 11 times. Here are the results of those games:
2022 49ers (Seahawks), Win
2022 Eagles (Giants), Win
2021 49ers (Rams), Loss
2020 Saints (Buccaneers), Loss
2017 Saints (Panthers), Win
2009 Cowboys (Eagles), Win
2008 Steelers (Ravens), Win
2007 Cowboys (Giants), Loss
2004 Rams (Seahawks), Win
2004 Packers (Vikings), Loss
2002 Steelers (Browns), Win
Total: 7-4
Sure, the history isn’t in Minnesota’s favor, but that didn’t stop them from upsetting the Packers in 2004 despite getting swept. Detroit is an excellent team, and they proved it on Sunday, but we also saw the Vikings at their worst. While they have to prove it against Detroit, the fact remains that the Vikings are a 14-3 team that is dynamic and able to hang with anyone. Minnesota’s season isn’t over yet.
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