* So the Vikings are one game away from the Super Bowl; this is typically about when they crush their fan's spirits. Remember '98 against Atlanta, perhaps the most crushing defeat any team has ever suffered in any sport (hyperbole, yes, but not that far off)? Remember 41-donut to the Giants? In 1987 they lost at Washington in the NFC Championship Game after driving inside the 5 to tie the game but not punching it in. I'm as guarded as anybody over the possibility of a soul-crushing defeat, but at the same time Viking fans should enjoy this time. It's not every year you make it this far in the playoffs, so enjoy it while you can.
* There's a lot to say about Dallas' performance today, but the biggest thing was their A players did not play at an A level. I felt all week that for Minnesota to even have a chance they'd have to control DeMarcus Ware, and they did. Spencer had a good game and Ratliff made a few plays, but it was nothing major. Miles Austin caught a couple passes early and then disappeared. Roy Williams will be starring in the remake of the Chevy Chase flop "Memoirs of an Invisible Man." The Cowboys had been dominating with their pass rush, and Miles Austin had been making a lot of plays, and none of it happened today. Their top players were conspicuously absent today, especially in the 2nd half when they were needed most.
* I came into today not even thinking about Wade Phillips' job security, but it has to be tenuous. There is no way Minnesota is 31 points better than Dallas, if they're better at all. It's not that Dallas lost that puts Phillips in trouble, it's how they lost.
* Speaking job security...hello Norv Turner! I try to refrain from using hyperbole to make a point (not really), but the Chargers' loss today to the Jets is one of the more unacceptable playoff losses I've seen. Nothing will match the '01 Rams losing to the Patriots, but this was bad. The Chargers are a better team than the Jets, with a much better QB. They were playing at home. How did the Chargers lose today? I understand Nate Kaeding missed 2 chip-shot field goals, but it shouldn't have come down to that. Philip Rivers vs. Mark Sanchez is a no-contest, and yet the Chargers managed to lose this one. The Chargers had over 200 yards of offense in the first half and 7 points, and that is essentially when the game was lost. When you're controlling the game, you need to capitalize on the scoreboard, and the Chargers didn't.
* If Marty Schottenheimer can get fired after a 14-2 season, then Turner can definitely be fired after a 12-4 season. Schottenheimer's Chargers lost to the Patriots and Tom Brady; Turner's Chargers lost to the Jets and Mark Sanchez. Fair is fair here, and if the standard in San Diego is Super Bowl or bust, then Turner needs to go. That's a Super Bowl-caliber roster with zero Super Bowl appearances.
* I don't have much to say about Saturday's games. The Cardinals' defense was no match for the Saints, and the Ravens did what they've done all season, which is shoot themselves in the foot at inopportune times. I came into this weekend expecting a lot of close matchups, and there was only one. Oh well, that's how it usually goes.
* Looking forward to next week, I favor a Saints-Colts Super Bowl but that could change over the week. There's no way I'd take the Jets over the Colts; Peyton Manning is too damn good to ever pick against. The Saints-Vikings is a closer matchup, but the Saints' strength is their passing game and the Vikings' weakness is their passing defense. The Vikings' defensive line will need to be superhuman again, and they won't have the advantage of the Metrodome next week.
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