Adrian Peterson takes blame for Vikings’ playoff loss

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Nobody wants to be in Blair Walsh’s shoes this Monday morning. “But if I don’t put that ball on the ground, they don’t kick that field goal to take the lead”.

So you can say the better team lost.

Playing in unfriendly conditions, not to mention having to go it yet again (seven games now) without Lynch, Seattle’s Pete Carroll still found a way to come out smiling when all was said and done.

Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.

Much like fictional Miami Dolphins’ kicker Ray Finkel learned the importance of football placement during an infamous scene from the 1993 movie Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Walsh found himself in a similar situation. His season wasn’t that bad. “I missed an extra point yesterday, and I obviously wish I could have that one back”.

– Amid a sea of crass commentary, former Vikings wide receiver Nate Burleson offered some words of encouragement for kicker Blair Walsh on social media after he missed a 27-yard chip shot to end Sunday’s playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Walsh was brought onto the field to kick the winning 27-yard field goal, to put an end to the Vikings’ playoff woes, as they hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2012.

Heck of a defensive effort on Sunday!

Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts. From there it looked like the Seahawks chances of turning things around with only 26 seconds left on the play clock and a chance at a third Super Bowl appearance were grim.

But even after all of that, Seattle still had to stop Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings offense on three drives before the game was over. It was only the second road playoff win since their first, in the memorable upset of Miami that pushed them to the AFC title game following the 1983 season. Was it poor planning or simply a mistake? “There was just something about this game that made it really special”. The laces were facing the wrong way, sure, but Walsh took all the heat for the miss.

An unfortunate trend I noticed this season was the inability to close out the game, especially in critical moments. Gary Anderson hadn’t missed a kick throughout the 1998 season when he lined up in the NFC Championship Game to kick a goal ahead field goal with 2:18 left in the game. With Bridgwater at quarterback the Vikings couldn’t even score a touchdown. Games coming down to the wire and hinging on one play is commonplace in the NFL. “We can’t figure out how he didn’t get it. So they went quite a bit faster”. It was the week after the win at Washington, in the divisional round against the Falcons.

Walsh did bang through three field goals to keep Minnesota’s hopes of winning alive. “That’s something that will haunt me throughout the offseason”.

“It’ll take a while for me”.

“I thought the fans were outstanding”. I feel for the guy. Thanks to all of you for your support! I’m the only one who didn’t do his job.

Agreed. You win as a team and lose as a team. I get all that.

This, the second year under coach Mike Zimmer, was an unquestionable success. I’m already looking forward to next year. Thank you, Vikings organization! I’m proud to be a Vikings fan.