I'd sum it up for you, but you wouldn't believe me.

The Saints really made something out of less than nothing and came from behind this week, according to that graphic.

I'm a Vikings fan through and through, but I don't think that many Vikings teams could have pulled that off, although I faintly recall a game in which Sean Salisbury had seemingly done everything he could to score -1 points.  I think it was this one.  Losing to Tampa Bay was almost the same as playing a negative game back then.

Onto another subject...

This time, I ranked and awarded points (like fantasy baseball standings) in these categories: W-L%, Point Differential, W% vs. teams that are .500 or better (quality opponents) so far, % of games vs. quality opponents, and then added the # of wins vs. quality opponents.  The results may surprise you.

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With a 39-year-old QB, it is natural to worry for his health and durability and continued effectiveness.  It is also normal for some fans of teams with older QBs to develop cases of Older Quarterback Anxiety Fatigue.  Symptoms of OQAF include: sleeplessness; irrational fears and nightmares of the older QB's arm falling off; irritability; wishing that potentially helpful free agents who could represent a real upgrade sign with other teams if over the age range of 26-29; living in a state of denial about the likely odds of a below-average backup becoming a future all-star; sometimes escalating to delusional magnification of the actual performance or worth of any young QB which could become associated with the team; and dysentery.  Anyone who plays Madden football is familiar with the algorithm which ages players by subtracting from key attributes, but even the Madden algorithm which perpetuates much of this myth and  does not subtract from accuracy or awareness (yes, I'm still on the old attributes as a PS2 user).  As it turns out, Brett Favre is not the only QB to play well into his 30s, and the 30-ish dropoff is kind of a myth.  There are many great examples of QBs who did their best work in their 30s, and not all of them were Hall of Famers.

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Remember 2006's 4-2 start and only 2 more wins the rest of the way for a 6-10 finish?
What about 2007 (a.k.a. the Tarvaris Jackson Amateur Year) when they started out 2-5 and finished 8-8?
Even 2008 seemed awful after a 3-4 start, but that team won the Division and promptly lost its only playoff game.

Fun with numbers: # of games in which the Vikings scored at least 21 points; # of games in which they scored 0 TDs:

2006: 5; 1
2007: 8; 1
2008: 7; 1
2009 through 7 games: 6; 0

The KAO appears to have arrived with Brett Favre, although the D we expected to see has been AWOL at times.

With all of that in mind, how do you expect the Vikings to finish 2009?

Overall, the Minnesota Vikings' defense has played well so far, ranking in the top 10 in yards per attempt, least time of possession allowed, fewest 1st downs, 3rd down % allowed and several rushing categories.  They are 17th in points allowed (t-20th in TD passes allowed, 1st in rushing TDs allowed), 14th in yards allowed (10th in rushing yards allowed).  Aside from defensive penalty yards (228, 26th), most of their rankings are good overall, but the pass defense is still their weakness.  Stats, rankings and possible suspects will be discussed after the jump.

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After a nail-biting last-second win vs. the 49ers (.500 over their past 20 games) and a 1-TD win vs. the Packers (losing record over their last 20 games), the Vikings are 5th (and probably will be no higher until they beat somebody good).  This time I sorted by W% and then by point differential in a spreadsheet...

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In the first 2 weeks, we saw the Vikings struggle and come from behind against some bad teams.  Few thought of the 49ers as a powerhouse going into week 3, and after doing everything they could to lose this one, the Vikings came from behind again, but this time in such a miraculous fashion that my dad and probably thousands of others had already shut off the teevee in disgust.  The numbers suggest that this win was not only because of one pass...

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There has probably been a post about this already, but I don't recall one about the entire list.  After the jump, there is a poll, a summary of the list, and more...

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Here are some of the key numbers which explained why things happened as they did, illustrated what was done well and/or poorly and may be harbingers of what is to come.

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After the jump, there is a poll.  Feel free to comment about your predictions about tomorrow's game and for the Lions' losing streak and all other appropriate things related to the Lions and Vikings.

In the meantime, I must get to seventy-five words.  Some say that the Lions are cursed after not appreciating Barry Sanders (mostly at the end of his career) for losing so many yards.  For those who don't remember him so well (and for those who do and enjoy watching him again), you may see him run here (I recommend muting the sound, though).