Singing the Blues for the Minnesota Vikings

 

Singing the Blues for the Minnesota Vikings

Todd Swank's Diary Entry for November 9, 2025

It’s been a busy stretch at work lately, and this week had me making a quick hop to Chicago for a customer visit. Snapped this shot as we came in for landing — one of those rare moments where the city actually looks peaceful right before you remember how much traffic is waiting down there.

My meeting this week was in Lombard, Illinois. Being on the road for work means I get to see a lot of places I don’t usually visit, so I try to stay somewhere close to the customer site. When I pulled into the hotel and saw a Harry Caray’s Steakhouse attached to the lobby, I figured my dinner plans had just been decided for me.

The road can get a little lonely when you’re dining solo, but this meal hit all the right notes. I sat down, glanced up at the big screen, and there were my Timberwolves playing the Knicks — instant company. The waitress talked me into the Filet Oscar, a mix of steak, crab, and asparagus with rich béarnaise and bordelaise sauces. Anytime your dinner requires a blowtorch, you know you picked the right thing off the menu.

After grinding through a full day of work on Friday, I yelled to Miss Sheri that I needed to get out of the house and do something before my brain melted. Right then, Luke called to say he was heading to dinner with the Walters family and asked if we wanted to join. Perfect timing. Then, in a small-world twist, we walked into Copper Pint and found Avery and Abby there on their own date night. Either great minds think alike or we all hit the same “I’m not cooking tonight” wall at the exact same time.

One of my favorite things about the Walters family is they love karaoke as much as we do. So after dinner, we rolled over to the Shakopee Legion to belt out a few tunes. It wasn’t exactly a packed house — just the kind of place where most people are too busy talking to notice anyone singing. I take that as a challenge. If I can’t impress them with talent, I’ll win them over with volume, enthusiasm, and the occasional “Who’s ready to party?!” strategically yelled between verses.

Sunday morning brought Avery and me to U.S. Bank Stadium for the Vikings game. It was one of those brisk Minnesota mornings where the thermometer said low 20s, but the wind said “you’re not dressed right.” By the time we made the long, frozen trek from the car to our seats, we were more than ready to thaw out and watch some great football. Unfortunately, only half of that plan worked out.

We were pumped to see J.J. McCarthy play at home after his breakout game in Detroit last week, where he threw two touchdowns, ran one in himself, and looked like the future of the franchise. The kid had swagger, and U.S. Bank Stadium was buzzing when he ran onto the field — the crowd roaring, smoke flying, the whole place feeling like maybe this was the start of something special. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. But for a minute there, it really felt like it could be.

The game actually started out great! The defense forced a three-and-out, and J.J. McCarthy came out looking like he was ready to carve up the Ravens’ secondary. On the opening drive, he went 3-for-4 with 76 yards, including a beautiful deep ball to Jalen Nailor that set up Aaron Jones for an easy four-yard touchdown. The place was electric, and for a brief, shining moment, we thought we were watching the start of something big. Little did we know… that was basically the highlight reel.

We probably should’ve known better than to get too optimistic. Lamar Jackson has made a habit of steamrolling the NFC — now 25–5 against them, including 14–1 on the road. The guy’s basically allergic to losing once he crosses conference lines. So yeah, expecting the Vikings to slow him down might’ve been a little ambitious. Let’s just say, history didn’t break in our favor.

It’s easy to forget that J.J. McCarthy is basically still a rookie — last year lost to injury, this year learning on the fly. And like most rookie stories, this one came with some brutal chapters. Two interceptions (and a third that only escaped by a replay review), a few missed open receivers, and plenty of drives that ended with frustration instead of fireworks. The Vikings eventually stumbled to a 27–19 loss, the kind that hurts more because it felt winnable. Growing pains are expected with a young quarterback — but for Vikings fans, the real pain is realizing how familiar it all feels.