The Sinking of the Viking Ship.

A bunch of readers have asked me to analyze the clock-management decisions in the Vikings-Falcons NFC Championship game held on January 17th. They disagree with two Vikings' decisions, one at the end of each half. Atlanta won in overtime and advanced to Super Bowl XXXIII. Would better clock management have sent Minnesota to the Super Bowl instead? Yes. With 1:17 left in the first half, Minnesota fair-caught a punt at their own 18. They ran three pass plays. The first two were incomplete. On the third, Randall Cunningham was sacked and fumbled the ball to Atlanta. The Falcons scored a touchdown on their first play after the fumble at :59. Critics complain that Minnesota should not have been trying to score from their own 18 with only 1:17 left, especially since they were ahead 20-7 at the time. Rather, they should have just run out the clock. I agree. On your last possession of the first