MNF Week 15 - Snow Game!

If you tuned in to just about any NFL game yesterday you probably saw some kind of long-standing streak or record broken, extended, matched, approached, avoided or obliterated. Brett Favre set the career passing yardage record. The Tampa Bay Bucs scored their first ever kickoff return TD (in 1865 attempts). Eli Manning threw the most incomplete passes in a game since 1967. Stuff like that.

The record receiving the most hype this season was matched when the Patriots became the first team to open a season 14-0 since the '72 Dolphins. The '72 Dolphins, meanwhile, were in Miami , being honored for the 35th anniversary of that feat, and perhaps to witness the current Fins matching the '76 Bucs one-and-only 0-14 season.

Alas, it was not to be, thanks once again to colossal stupidity on behalf of the Baltimore Ravens. (Yes, the same Ravens who squandered the best opportunity any team has had to beat the Patriots two weeks ago.)

Trailing by three yesterday, the Ravens had the ball one foot from the goal line on fourth down with 8 seconds to play. Coach Brian Billick decided he had better odds going to overtime on the road, winning the toss or getting a defensive stop, and executing a scoring drive with their 3rd string QB for at least a field goal, rather than try to get one more yard out of Willis McGahee who already had 104 and was signed in the off-season to boost the Baltimore power running attack.

Well, Matt Stover kicked the tying field goal, the Ravens got the ball back in OT and marched down the field only to miss a game winning 44-yard kick. The Dolphins got the ball back in good position, and three snaps later second-or-third-string-depending-on-how-you-count-starting-as-second-then-playing-then-getting-benched-for-the-third-stringer-then-taking-the-job-back QB Cleo Lemon hoisted the ball to Greg Camarillo over the middle. Camarillo , a Stanford man who to that point had a career of one catch for 2 yards, took the reservations for the Lemon party of 6 all the way to the goal line with Coach Shula and all the other 72 Dolphins cheering on. (And what's a Lemon party without old Don? Sorry For my next trick I'll water-board a dead horse.)

While the most intrigue surrounded Pats-Jets, I was engrossed in the Bills-Browns fight for playoff survival in a massive blizzard. Two cold weather teams, slugging it out with young Pac-10 QBs in six inches of fresh snow. The game was won by Jamal Lewis, who dragged the ball and a pile of tacklers 163 yards up and down the field. The Bills rookie Marshawn Lynch, from Cal , playing in snow for the first time, could only manage half as many. The Browns won 8-0 the hard way, scoring on two field goals in the wind and a safety when a snap went over the head of the Bills punter and he alertly kicked out the back of the end zone, but Buffalo nearly closed the gap in the final minute. Needing only one touchdown to tie the game, their final drive ended only 10 yards shy. Odd game, in that not only did neither team cross the goal line, but despite the conditions there were no turnovers. Think about that. Anyway, this one edged out Pittsburgh 3, Miami 0 for my favorite of the year.

With a kickoff temperature of 25 degrees, tonight's game would have a chance at being as much of a brutal contest in harsh elements if the good people of the Twin Cities had the nuts to build a real stadium. Instead, the Vikings and Bears will duke out another chapter in their ageless grudge on a big sheet of green carpet. Yes, for the second consecutive week, it's MNF in a dome.

Chicago was the NFC Champion last year behind a stifling defense, and a productive offense led by Rex Grossman. Right now they're 5-8 and out of the playoffs behind the #29 defense and have juggled QB's to the point that they'll be starting their third-stringer, Kyle Orton. Minnesota , however, has the inside track on a playoff spot and is playing well on both sides of the ball. They are one of the dwindling number of teams still starting the same QB as they were in week one, which is amazing considering that it's Tarvaris Jackson.

Though I'm sure all the attention will be on the Jackson-Orton fireworks, keep an eye on the ground game, which will be led by Minnesota 's rookie sensation Adrian Peterson and Chicago 's six-year veteran The Other Adrian Peterson. With 1200 yards even, Adrian Peterson (a.k.a. All Day or Purple Jesus) is just 117 yards shy of the league lead, despite missing 2 games with a hurt knee and not yet playing this week. He's averaging a ridiculous 6.1 yards per carry, but has been a bit inconsistent, setting the league single game record one week with 296 yards and rushing for just 3 yards on 14 carries against the 49ers last week. Lucky for the Vikings, if Adrian Peterson has an off night, they can rely on veteran Chester Taylor, who has almost 800 yards, himself. For Chicago, who traded away Thomas Jones and lost Cedric Benson to injury, if The Other Adrian Peterson has an off night, the Bears don't have much else to rely on at all.

Rightfully, the Vikings should run all over the Bears, and normally I'd be rooting for them to run up the score. But tonight the fortunes of my imaginary football team rest in Purple Jesus and Chester Taylor having an off night, because I'm playing our league's homer for all things Viking, Joel. Ah, still, fantasy playoffs or not, dome or not, I gotta like the Vikes. So I'll be cheering for the Purple People to win and keep in the playoff driver's seat…just in a nice, low scoring way.

So will Kyle Orton and Tarvaris Jackson live up to their low billing? Can The Other Adrian Peterson show up the rookie who stole his name? And what happens when one eats a heaping helping of chili for the third dinner in a row? Come on down to the New Casa Con Carne and find out with us! You'll be glad you did.

- jdlrm

PS Next week is the last MNF of the year. I don't know if I'll get another invitation out, but since it's Broncos at Chargers on Christmas Eve, we thought we'd do something special and have it at my folks place in Colorado. So if you want to learn the true meaning of Christmas with us while watching Jay Cutler trying to evade Shawn Merriman, make your travel plans now. We'll have eggnog! You'll be glad you did.