The Viking’s win on Monday can be attributed to a few select plays; something that is never good if you are a team “on the verge.” The truth is that the Vikings owe this win to the pass rush, Ryan Longwell, Antoine Winfield, and Gus Frerotte. When you look anywhere else disappointment abounds.

The most obvious example of disappointment is the special teams’ coverage. Like I said earlier, no words can describe how pitiful, pathetic, or piteous that aspect of the game was to watch. In fact, it was so bad I refuse to talk about it any more. I’ll leave it at this: something needs to be done before we come closer to Devin Hester than anyone wants in two weeks.

Speaking of Hester and the Bears, they are the surprise of the NFC North this year. Chicago has soundly beaten the Eagles, Colts and Lions, while losing by a combined six points to the Panthers and Buccaneers. The Vikings will travel to the Windy City in Week Seven and fight for their lives before going into the bye week. A reader has asked me if this upcoming Chicago game is a must-win, assuming the Vikings beat the Lions next week. Is it crucial that the Vikings head into the bye week on a three game win streak?

I would say that it is. If the Vikings can win out the remaining two games before the week of rest they would stand at 4-3. While nothing is guaranteed, a 4-3 record would put any team near the top of the NFC North—something that is especially crucial for the Vikings.

In case you came here looking for post-game thoughts, be sure to check out my earlier post: A Wacky Game, a Wild Win. Also, hang around VikingVigil this week as I’ll be handing out unit grades in the near future, among other things.