The Vikings started 5-0. Then they lost eight of 10 games. And then they scored a blowout victory in a meaningless finale to finish the year at 8-8.
Minnesota blasted the Bears, 38-10, in the last game of the 2016 season. The victory included quarterback Sam Bradford setting the single-season completion-percentage record of 71.6.
Of course, most of those throws traveled 4-6 yards, reducing the degree of difficulty significantly.
The win by the Vikings was a loss for the Eagles, who hold Minnesota’s first-round pick via the trade that brought Bradford to town eight days before the regular-season opener. That pick likely will now be lower than it otherwise would have been.
Bradford completed 25 of 33 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Kyle Rudolph caught 11 of this passes for 117 yards and a score. Defensive end Everson Griffen capped the scoring with a 20-yard return of a fumble.