Vikings in big trouble after throwing away another clunker
 
by Tom Pelissero | 1500ESPN.com

Updated: September 19th, 2010 5:52pm

MINNEAPOLIS -- There's no point mincing words now.

The Minnesota Vikings are in trouble. Big trouble. And throwing draft picks and millions at a suspended receiver who's already suffering from the blue flu can't cure everything that ails this bunch.

If I'm Zygi Wilf, sitting in a private box as my supposed Super Bowl contender throws away a 14-10 clunker to the Miami Dolphins, I'm not trying to get Vincent Jackson's agent on the phone.

I'm wondering if I'm throwing good money after bad by trying to add the missing piece to a puzzle that has a bunch of holes.

Sure, the receiving core needs help. Percy Harvin's on one leg and Bernard Berrian wouldn't fight for a jump ball if you gave him boxing gloves.

But Brett Favre looks flat-out old as he chucks bombs into double coverage. The offensive line can't count on John Sullivan or Phil Loadholt blocking the wind.

The only good things going on offense are Adrian Peterson and Visanthe Shiancoe, and even they couldn't save the Vikings from 1-for-4 ignominy on fourth downs in this one.

The short-handed secondary got torched again on the game's opening drive, which started with Lito Sheppard giving up a 46-yard completion to Brandon Marshall and ended with Brian Hartline beating Sheppard for a 5-yard touchdown.

The defense held the Dolphins to 153 yards and no points the rest of the way, but one of Favre's four turnovers turned into an end-zone fumble recovery for Koa Misi. And that was enough on a day the Vikings' only touchdown "drive" went 1 yard in two plays, leaving what remained of the 63,846 fans in the Metrodome to boo lazily as the home team shuffled off the field.

It all leaves the Vikings here: under a freight train of negative momentum, two games back already in the NFC North standings and staring at a visit from the improved Detroit Lions to avoid going winless into their Week 4 bye.

Asked how big a hole the Vikings have dug, Favre said, "You guys are going to be the ones who can print that a little clearer. I know this -- 0-2 is not good."

Printed a little clearer: since 1990, 169 teams have started 0-2. Only 22 of them (13%) have rebounded to reach the postseason.

The Green Bay Packers started 0-2 three times with Favre at quarterback and never made the playoffs. Twice they put together late-season winning streaks to 9-7 and 8-8, respectively; once they spiraled to 4-12 and coach Mike Sherman got canned.

These Vikings are too talented to predict that sort of total collapse. But their schedule immediately after the bye -- at New York Jets on a Monday night, home against Dallas on a short week, at Green Bay on a Sunday night, at New England -- makes it worth wondering what chance they have at even being .500 by midseason.

"It's like this -- I came back to give this team a chance to win, be a part of it," Favre said. "My hope is that we still do that. I know it's going to be tough, I knew it was going to be tough to begin with and all I can ask of myself and this team is effort, great effort.

"We can't make excuses. There will be what-ifs or shoulda-coulda-wouldas -- that's just part of it. But you go down swinging and you win swinging. You do all you can do, and if we don't make it, we don't make it."

All of which sounds like the words of a soon 41-year-old quarterback who's resigned himself to the reality he might be going out with a pop-gun shot instead of one last blast.

The Vikings outpaced the Dolphins in net yards (364-226) and first downs (22-12) on Sunday. They gave up three points for a failed fourth-down throw to Greg Lewis early and at least six more on two goal-line interceptions.

Simply kick three field goals, and maybe the Vikings don't have to try the doomed stretch play to Peterson on fourth-and-goal at the 1, or the doomed square-in to Shiancoe against blanket coverage on fourth-and-6.

"I don't think any of these guys are panicked," coach Brad Childress said. "But I do feel like the urgency will definitely pick up."

Maybe the Vikings do trade for Jackson, who would be eligible to help by their fifth game. Maybe a big target to at least contest for balls downfield adds the element they're lacking while Sidney Rice keeps stalking the locker room on crutches.

And maybe the young offensive linemen improve, the injured cornerbacks heal up, Favre starts playing a little more like he did in 2009, and on and on and on.

There's no reason any or all of that can't happen, no matter what happened the past week-and-a-half.

It's just that these Vikings have yet to provide reason to believe they'll make the plays they need to dig out of this hole, which got a whole lot deeper on Sunday.

"It's a 14-game season right now, and we're sitting at the bottom of it," Favre said. "What we do with it from here remains to be seen. Won't be any easier."

Tom Pelissero is Senior Editor of 1500ESPN.com