A Pleasantly Surprised Vikings’ Fans Year

The Minnesota Vikings are tied for first place in the NFC North division and the Green Bay Packers are tied for last. Wait, what?
I don’t think many Vikings fans expected to hear that even once this season. Granted, only three games have been played, but as fans of a disappointing team, we’ll take it.

The Vikes are sitting at 2-1 and were four points away from being 3-0. Yes, that loss to the Indianapolis Colts left us Vikings fans doing the usual: shaking their heads. But hey, we did as we always do and tuned in to the next week’s game. What a pleasant, unexpected surprise: we beat the 49ers.

The Vikings put together one heck of a game and looked like a true football team against San Francisco. Quarterback Christian Ponder showed off his athleticism and accuracy. Running back Adrian Peterson proved to everyone that he could eat his kneecap and still be an effective runner. Tight end Kyle Rudolph has developed into Ponder’s favorite target. And to top it all off, Minnesota’s defense looked stingy against the run and improved in stopping the pass.

Now, there are plenty of games left. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, but fans should take a deep breath and take in the enjoyment of the great start. Maybe the Vikes can continue their success and produce a winning season, but it is the Minnesota Vikings we’re talking about, so no one really knows what will happen. Not to mention, the team has a tough fan base to play for.

Yeah, I said it. We Vikings fans are ruthless. True, it has been season after season of disappointment, but some fans just won’t give the team full credit, ever.

After the Vikings jumped out to a quick lead over the 49ers, Twitter exploded with support for the team, saying things like, “Vikings are looking legit this year!”

As the lead diminished, in came the tweets from the same people, who said things like, “And here comes the collapse!”

But wait-- the Vikes clamp down and put the game out of reach, and here come the “Skol Vikings!” tweets.

Not so fast... a couple of mistakes give San Fran a chance and the ridicules come up again on the home feed.

The Vikings end up winning, and all is dandy again in Minnesota, at least until next week when the bipolar fans hit the social networks when their team plays Detroit.

That is the life of a Vikings fan. I think we have all embraced the fact that our loyalty will never linger, no matter how many rants we go on about the team. It’s just the way we are.

But for right now, let us all just soak in the feeling of a winning record and a Packers losing record. It really is a good feeling. It may not last long, so whenever you feel like an idiot this season for cheering for the Vikes, just remember: at least you’re not a replacement referee.