Powers: Vikings leave behind trail of maybes

MINNEAPOLIS - That game should have been played in mud. Or maybe underwater. Yet it was somehow a perfect ending to a plodding, often tedious season.
The Vikings came away with a butt-ugly 13-9 victory made possible by an opponent whose quarterback had mentally checked out several weeks ago. Vikings fans should thank God their team has no hefty financial commitment to a quarterback like Jay Cutler.
Furthermore, Bears coach Marc Trestman spent the game with his head on the block, just waiting for the guillotine to fall. It was all rather morbid.
And so we slogged along, with Minnesota prevailing and raising its final record to 7-9. It seemed a proper way to finish off a transitional year in which the drudgery of it all was partially offset by flashes of promise from key players.
The Vikings are committed to Teddy Bridgewater. Anthony Barr looked good before getting hurt. Everson Griffin came into his own. These are good things that emerged from the weekly grind.
What exactly does this last victory of the season mean with regards to the big picture?
“I honestly don’t know,” Mike Zimmer said.
I don’t either. The Vikings won their season finale in 2013, too, and that didn’t exactly launch them into the stratosphere this time around.
“I think it maybe it just gives you a good feeling about going into next year,” Zimmer said, sounding somewhat skeptical.
Well, 7-9 sounds better than 6-10. It rolls off of the tongue more easily. Double digits in the loss column tend to create emotional stress.
So a skinny number 9 is way smoother than a fat 10.
Plus, a guy could wake up on a sunny day, find himself in a good mood and, with seven victories, feel as if he could almost reach out and touch that .500 mark. It’s all psychological.
Certainly, the Vikings have to get better. They also need to get ... sleeker. What a ponderous and dull offense. And the defense, which had its moments, is on the verge of being retooled as a result of old age and/or declining play at several positions.
But for the next several months, everyone will be able to think back to this last game and relive a victory. They certainly were a happy bunch in the locker room afterwards. The happiest of all were some of the less-celebrated Vikings who enjoyed a moment in the sun.
Reserve linebacker Audie Cole led everybody with 14 tackles. Adam Thielen caught his first ever touchdown pass. Matt Asiata, a Dodge in the Tesla world of running backs, had 91 yards rushing.
And then there was Corey Wootton, a backup defensive end who recorded a sack against Cutler, his teammate in Chicago until this season.
When he popped up from the sack, Wootton displayed a set of dance moves that brought to mind the glory days of Studio 54 in New York. I think he did the Funky Chicken.
“No, no that was The Robot!” Wootton said. “I’ve been waiting for it! I knew I had to do it if I had a sack.”
There’s a fine line between a little Robot celebration and hogging the dance floor. Wootton, who demonstrated the extended version, boogied right up to that line before tastefully turning and heading to the sideline.
“Right at the line, right?”
Yes, I think so. At least, nobody threw a flag or took a swing at him.
A few lockers away, Cole was still bubbling about his big day.
“I want to make every tackle I can make,” he said. “I want 30 every game. It’s fun!”
Meanwhile, a couple of defensive backs who have had their ups and downs – Xavier Rhodes and Josh Robinson – also played well Sunday. Of course, Cutler couldn’t have hit a bull in the rear end with a shovel. And if he did, it would be the wrong bull. Still, those two guys stuck to their men like glue while in coverage.
Rhodes shadowed big-play receiver Alshon Jeffery and held him to two catches.
“My goal was just to go out there and cover him. That was the only thing I had to do,” Rhodes said. “That was the game plan.”
My guess is that there will be a tremendous amount of churn on the Vikings’ roster this offseason. Just one more year until moving into Zygi World and the team clearly isn’t ready for prime time. Yet this game will be a good one for fans to think about over the summer.
After a while, the details will fade and it won’t seem quite so homely – just a Vikings victory. Maybe the sign of a better day to come. Maybe a springboard. Maybe even a launching pad.
It’s good to have maybes during the offseason.
The Pioneer Press is in a media partnership with Forum News Service.