Yesterday we looked at the top 5 games of the Brad Childress era. If you missed it, you can check it out right here. But with the yin, comes the yang, and now we're going to look at the 5 worst games of his tenure. I think we all have an idea what number one is, but there are some painful memories we're about to re-live. Pour a triple finger of Glenlivet, turn on a Big Hair Band 80's rock ballad, and get ready to make an appointment with the Geico psychiatrist, you jackwagons. Are you ready?
September 16, 2007: Lions 20, VIkings 17 (OT). The first year of the Brad Childress era was a bit more disappointing than anticipated, and 2007 was the beginning of the Tarvaris Jackson era. Week One was a promising win and debut of Adrian Peterson over Atlanta, but Week Two was a thud with a loss to perennial bottom feeder Detroit. It was the first loss to the Lions since 2001, and Tarvaris Jackson had a horrid, 4 interception game, with at least two coming deep in Detroit territory. A lot of the fans were lukewarm to Chilly and his project QB to begin with, and this early season loss cemented an impression that Chilly didn't know how to develop QB's, and TJ was in over his head.
December 2, 2007: Packers 34, Vikings 0 (OT Not Needed). 2007 was the year of the rotating quarterbacks, as Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, and Brooks Bollinger all started games that season, and the offense had a tough time finding any continuity outside of Adrian Peterson. This was the one game Bollinger started, and he was very Spergon Wynn-ish. Minnesota didn't complete a third or fourth down conversion, Bollinger had under 10 yards passing at halftime, and Adrian Peterson hurt his knee during the game. It was a thorough beating in every facet of the game, and dropped Chilly's record against Green Bay to 0-4.
January 4th, 2009: Eagles 26, Vikings 14 (Wild Card Playoff): A rough start to the season was juxtaposed against a very strong finish, catapulting the Vikings to a 10-6 record and their first division title since 2000, and their first ever NFC North championship. They entered the game against the Eagles as a team that people thought had a winnable game in front of them, but the Eagles defense confused and confounded Tarvaris Jackson all day, causing him to throw a terrible pick-6 right before halftime that the Vikings never recovered from. It was Jackson's performance in this game that started the Vikings down the Brett Favre courtship path, because it was Chilly who thought he needed a QB that could get him over the hump.
November 21st, 2010: Packers 31, Vikings 3. The final straw for Brad Childress came at home against the arch rival Packers less than a week ago. The Vikings season was ostensibly on the line, and the Vikings couldn't have played worse for the final three quarters. Nothing went right, Aaron Rodgers played about as well as he ever has, and Chilly's fate was sealed. It wasn't so much that they lost, it was how they lost, both in this game and the previous week against Chicago, that angered so many fans. It just seemed apparent that the team was no longer responding to Chilly's leadership, and owner Zygi Wilf made the move the next day.
January 24th, 2010: Saints 31, Vikings 28 (OT) (Freakin' NFC Championship). It's still too soon. Peterson fumbles, Harvin fumble, Favre pick late, 12 goddamn men in the huddle to lead to the pick. Just frustrating. I've wondered quite a bit the last few days if the Vikes had made it to the Super Bowl, would that have earned Chilly a pass for 2010? I think it would have, personally, but that's just me. It definitely would've if they had gone on to win the Super Bowl. Hell, they could've gone 0-16 for three straight years if they would've won the Super Bowl and I wouldn't have cared. I swear to God I wouldn't have. But they didn't, and Chilly felt the need to convince Favre to come back one more time. And it didn't work. And now Leslie Frazier is the coach.
After the Thanksgiving holiday, we'll continue our top 5 retrospective of the Brad Childress era by looking at the top 5 moments and then the bottom five moments. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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