Football
Associated Press 17y

Vikings still have playoffs in sight

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yes, the Minnesota Vikings can still make the
playoffs.

For five weeks now, it seems like all the players and coaches
have been saying is that every game is a "must win" if they want
to get into the postseason after a one-year hiatus.

Yet almost every week, they lose and still remain in the hunt.

The Vikings fell to 6-8 after Sunday's 26-13 loss to the New
York Jets, but still remain just one game out of the final playoff
spot with two to play in the mediocre NFC.

"You never know what's going to happen," center Matt Birk
said. "We've been 8-8 before and made the playoffs and won a game.
Whether you're in the playoffs, we have another chance to compete
against the best, and that's a great opportunity to have."

Birk doesn't have to look back far to find an 8-8 team that made
the playoffs. Two years ago, the Vikings backed into the playoffs
after finishing the regular season with two straight losses.

They then went into Lambeau Field and shocked the Packers,
31-17, before losing at Philadelphia in the second round.

The Vikings play at Green Bay on Thursday night and finish the
regular season with a home game against St. Louis on Dec. 31.

"Mathematically, we're still in it," coach Brad Childress
said. "We have 100 hours to prepare for this next game against a
big opponent on a Thursday night on national television, so we have
to get over this one a lot faster."

If the Vikings win out, one thing they will have in their favor
is an 8-4 conference record. That's the first stat used to break a
tie between two teams in the wild-card race.

For now, Childress isn't paying attention to any of those
scenarios.

"Well you lose control of that, so I'd like to think that we'd
rather focus on the Green Bay Packers here on a short work week and
what we need to do to beat them," he said.<

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^McDANIEL HONORED:@ Longtime left guard Randall McDaniel became
the latest former Viking to be named to the team's Ring of Honor on
Sunday.

The team held a halftime induction ceremony for McDaniel, who
was named to 12 Pro Bowls and nine All-Pro teams in his brilliant
career.

"This has been such an amazing day," McDaniel said during his
acceptance speech before thanking the fans for their support during
his career in Minnesota.

One of the most soft-spoken stars the Vikings have ever seen,
McDaniel praised former line coach John Michels for his development
into one of the most decorated offensive linemen in league history.

"My accomplishments were earned in the trenches with my fellow
linemen, so today I share this honor with each of you," McDaniel
said. "I would also like to thank all of my teammates and coaches.
I would not be here today if it wasn't for them."<

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^DOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE?:@ The Metrodome used to be considered one
of the most difficult places to play in the NFL.

The Vikings enjoyed a tremendous homefield advantage thanks in
large part to an earsplitting crowd that made it nearly impossible
for the opposing offenses to operate, especially in the red zone.

That advantage has disappeared this season.

Sunday's loss to the Jets was the team's fourth loss at the Dome
this season, marking just the third time in the last 14 years that
the Vikings have lost that many games at home.

Even when they went 5-11 in 2001, the Vikings only lost three
games at home. They also lost four in 2002 and 1993.

The struggles have turned a once ultra-supportive fan base
against the Vikings. On Sunday, starting quarterback Brad Johnson
was booed off the field, and the crowd noise more closely resembled
the apathetic Gopher fans.

"You'd like this to be a lions' den, which it hasn't been,"
Childress said. "You'd like it to be tougher at home. You have to
give them something to holler about though."<

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^ROBINSON DEACTIVATED: Receiver Marcus Robinson was surprisingly
deactivated on Sunday.

Robinson has twice as many receiving touchdowns (four) as any
other Viking, despite not playing in four games this season, three
due to injury and one as a healthy scratch.

He was listed as probable this week on the injury report with an
ankle injury, but Childress said after the game that he was
bothered by a strained hip flexor during the week.

"He had trouble getting all the way up to speed," Childress
said, adding that Robinson is "a little extra sore; he's a little
older."

The 10-year veteran left without commenting, and the hip flexor
injury was a curious development after not being mentioned all
week.

"We kept thinking he was going to battle through that,"
Childress said. "He just couldn't answer the bell."<

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^PENALTIES: The Vikings are the most penalized team in the NFL,
and that trend continued against the Jets.

Minnesota committed eight penalties for 56 yards in the game,
including two false starts by rookie right tackle Ryan Cook, who
was making his first career NFL start.

Childress was upset by the penalties, particularly from Cook, a
second-round pick out of New Mexico who the coach said outplayed
veteran Mike Rosenthal to earn the spot.

"Obviously it's disappointing to be the most penalized team in
the National Football League," Childress said. "That's the one
advantage the offense has is the snap count, so we should stay
onsides."

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Jon Krawczynski can be reached at jkrawczynski(at)ap.org.

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