Playoffs?!

"Playoffs?! Don't talk about playoffs! Are you kidding me? Playoffs?! I'm just hoping we can win a game, another game!"~Jim Mora

After the win last week, the experts have come to the conclusion that the Vikings are back in the playoff hunt in the NFC North. They base this conclusion on the assumption that 1) The NFC North is horrible and 2) the Vikings can play well enough to make up the two game deficit on Da Bears..

My guess is all this playoff talk will be silenced after the Giants get through with the Vikings on Sunday. Let's look at the reasons why the game is likely to be another 20+ point loss on the road.

• It's at the Meadowlands. The Vikings have lost 32 of 41 on the road since 2000 and 24 of 27 on grass
• The Giants are playing well: they've won their last three, including a blowout 36-0 victory against the playoff contending Redskins that wasn't even that close.
• The Giants have won the last three times they've played the Vikings
• 41-0 (need I say more?)
  
• The Giants' have the players to exploit the Vikings weak linebacking core: Jeremy Shockey is averaging 4 catches and 66 yards a game receiving, while Tiki Barber is always a threat receiving out of the backfield.
  
• The Giants are averaging 125 yards rushing a game, while the Vikings are giving up 127.
  
• On the other side of the ball, the Giants are only allowing 98 yards a game rushing, while the Vikings are averaging 94 yards a game, and have only broken 100 yards rushing in two games so far, both at home. (I have a feeling we're going to see why BJ was backing Daunte up this week)
• Eli and Plaxico v. Brian Williams (Do you really think Ted Cottrell will put Antoine Winfield on Plaxico Burress? Or even double team him with Darren Sharper or Corey Chavous? But that'd be what the Giants are EXPECTING!)

I could probably go on for awhile longer, but I'm starting to get depressed. And to top it all off, the place where I watch the games is usually full of New York Giants fans from New Jersey. Ugh. This game is going to be uglier than the Giants fans. And to think that people are using the word "playoffs" in conjunction with the Vikings without laughing until they cry.