Vikings

"When the Twins consistently made the playoffs year after year but always had to play the Yankees in the first round." That's how I feel about the Vikings right now. I am so glad that they won the division but no one gives them a chance of going farther.

And it's weird. I don't seem to mind. NO ONE gave the Vikings the nod at winning the division before the season began either. I was hoping for a middle of the pack, .500 season. That they exceeded that by a large margin makes me positively giddy, but one of the reasons this season went so differently for us is that Green Bay was not the Green Bay team we expected either.

Both the Vikings and Packers are in the playoffs, but at this point, neither looks like a threat to win the NFC title. Packer fans, after years of unfettered success, have to be disappointed. They know Green Bay isn't going to win it all this year. They'd settle for a first round win.

Vikings fans are just excited to be in the playoffs. They'll want more NEXT year. They've exceeded all expectations for this year so anything else will just be gravy.

One last look at the FINAL standings: