The Vikings should not be in the playoffs. No way. No one expected it. Even through most of the season, people hardly mentioned them, except perhaps for noting that head coach Mike Zimmer (for most of his career a defensive coordinator) put together a really good defense. Why shouldn’t they be in the playoffs? Last year’s record was mediocre (8-8), and you don’t often improve that much in one year, particularly when your starting quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) isn’t expected to play much and you trade away your franchise running back (Adrian Peterson). Moreover, even when they got off to a decent start, the QB brought in to replace...

I’ve always been something of a “quiet” Aaron Rodgers fan. Quiet simply because, having lived in the Twin Cities for the past thirteen years, I root heart and soul for the Vikings and, well, Rodgers quarterbacks the Vikings’ arch rival Green Bay. But still, after the Vikings, when it comes to the NFC North Conference, I root for the Packers. (Not only do I think you should root for your rivals if they beat you and go into post season play – you only look better if they succeed 🙂 – but I love that Green Bay is owned by the fans.) More than that, I thought Rodgers endured a lot during the post-Brett Farve years and handled it...