It's Not Really a Question... Is It?

To better understand this post, you should click the picture and read what the headline is for ESPN Boston this afternoon. I felt the need to write about this, because truthfully, I am quite befuddled by it. But it's just raising a question. Who are Patriots fans rooting for tonight? I didn't think there could even possibly be any doubt -- we want the Vikings, right?

Isn't this a no-brainer? Look, I don't know if anyone is still holding a grudge against Randy Moss or not, but quite frankly, it's absurd to do so. When we traded for Randy Moss back before the '07 season, he was the egotistical big-headed wash-up that Oakland was hardly able to get off their hands. The expectations weren't all that high, and we never really expected he would become a class-act here in New England. Well, needless to say, Randy Moss went above and beyond (and then some) the expectations during his time here in Foxboro. He set the NFL record for receiving touchdowns in a season, and he was an absolute blast to watch each week. For the first time in a long time, the Patriots had an absolute game-changer at wide receiver. Be honest with yourself though. Everyone has already made the comparisons. Moss and the Patriots clearly weren't meant for marriage. It wasn't in the plans. Be appreciative for the ride, because it was fun while it lasted. There should be no bad blood -- Randy Moss is still Randy Moss. He has been all the while.

So back to my point. Why on earth would any Patriots fan be rooting for the Jets tonight? Forget records and standings and everything for a moment. Brett Favre is probably the only reason you might not want the Vikings to win. I hate seeing Favre succeed myself. But we're talking about the Jets here folks. It's just in your blood if you're a Patriots fan. You never root for the Jets unless you absolutely have to (a la 2008-09 season when we needed Favre and the Jets to win... and they failed). If you hate Randy Moss more than you hate the New York Jets, then I hate to break this to you -- but you really aren't a Patriots fan. You're just a football fan, or a Jets fan, or something else that I can't really pinpoint. Patriots fans don't root for the New York Jets.

But alright, fine. Now let's ignore the emotional factors, the allegiance and rivalry factors. As a fan of an AFC team, you are watching a Monday Night game between a 1-2 NFC team and a 3-1 AFC team that is in your own division. What reason is there to root against the divisional opponent? The team who is currently standing in your way of first place? Even as a fan of football, you generally want a balance of power. So for that argument, you're still rooting for the Vikes to beat the Jets. I don't care what team you root for, if you're in a situation like this as far as the divisional placements and standings of the teams -- there's simply no two ways about it.

That's the way I see it, anyway. I ask you, though -- am I missing something? Is there a factor I'm not including here that would be so immense that it would sway the decision? Maybe you can find something, but if you ask me, there's no chance in hell that I'm rooting for the New York Jets tonight.