The Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings will both likely be making
changes in the offseason after disappointing years.

Whether the quarterbacks are among those changes remains to be seen.

The Vikings visit the Redskins on Saturday, needing to win their final two
games to avoid finishing with the worst record in the franchise’s 51-year
history.

Minnesota’s worst 16-game record was 3-13 in 1984 while the 1961 Vikings
went 2-11. This year’s squad has shown little reason to make anyone believe it
can win at least one of its final two games – the last of which will come at
home against Chicago – much less two.

Minnesota’s losing streak reached six – its longest single-season skid since
1984 – with a 42-20 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. The Vikings (2-12) were
outgained 573-207 and had 12 first downs to the Saints’ 36.

This will be the second straight season Minnesota has missed the playoffs
after reaching the NFC title game in 2009.

“There’s a lot at stake,” linebacker Erin Henderson said of the final two
games. “They’re watching closely right now to see who’s still fighting, who’s
still coming out here trying to give their best and give it their all, and look
to see who they can build this team with next year and continue to move forward
with.”

While coaches are often the first to take the fall for a team’s failures,
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier reportedly has the support of the team’s owners.
Frazier took over after Brad Childress was fired last season.

“I’m really optimistic about the future, as difficult and as crazy as that
may sound,” Frazier said. “I think I have a good idea of what we need to do to
not be in this situation in the future. So no, I’m not concerned about 2012 at
this point.”

Frazier hopes quarterback Christian Ponder is part of the team’s plans going
forward. Ponder, the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, took over when
Donovan McNabb struggled. However, after showing promise early on, Ponder had
regressed. In the last two weeks, he’s 25 of 52 for 235 yards with four
touchdowns and four interceptions.

“With Christian, like so many young quarterbacks, you don’t want to base
your judgment on one or two games,” Frazier said. “Give him a chance to have an
offseason to get with our coaches in OTAs that are going to help him. I think
it’s a little bit too early to panic about Christian.”

With Ponder struggling, Minnesota needs Adrian Peterson at full strength.
Peterson, who is 68 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards for a fifth straight
season, had 10 carries for 60 yards last week after missing three games with a
sprained ankle.

Like the Vikings, the Redskins (5-9) also face questions about their roster
as they near the end of a third straight losing season.

Washington won for the second time in 10 games, beating the New York Giants
23-10 last Sunday.

Rex Grossman completed 15 of 24 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and two
interceptions while the defense held the Giants to a field goal until the final
minute of the fourth quarter.

Grossman’s two interceptions give him 18 this season – two shy of his career
high. His 71.4 passer rating ranks 29th among qualifying quarterbacks, just
behind Ponder’s 72.3.

However, Grossman could have better luck against the Vikings secondary,
which hasn’t forced an interception in the last nine games while giving up an
average of 271.9 passing yards.

Grossman will be a free agent at the end of the season, but he has the
support to come back from at least one of his teammates.

“We’ve been feeling that rhythm again once Rex got back out there, giving us
that swag that he carried on the first part of the season,” receiver Santana
Moss said. “That’s leading us to go out there and do what we do. We needed a guy
like that to take advantage of those opportunities that we have.”

The Vikings defeated the Redskins 17-13 in Washington last season in
Frazier’s first game as head coach.

STORY LINES

Woeful pass D: The Vikings have lost four in a row, six of their past seven, and nothing can be blamed more than their inept pass defense. Over the past seven games, the Vikings’ secondary has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 71% of their passes and throw for 1,808 yards, 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Vikings’ pass defense ranks 26th overall and has only six interceptions.

Will Ponder, Peterson play? The game-time decisions of starting running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Christian Ponder will impact the Vikings’ game plan and the Lions’ defensive scheme drastically. If Peterson, who has missed the past two games, can’t go, third-year running back Toby Gerhart will start. Gerhart is strictly a between-the-tackles runner who doesn’t have the speed to get outside like Peterson can. If Ponder can’t start due to a hip pointer, backup Joe Webb will make the third start of his career. Webb was 0-2 in two starts last season, including a 20-13 loss to the Lions.

Allen-Cunningham Feud: The Vikings’ best defensive player, Jared Allen, ripped on Detroit this past week, saying he would not want to live here because it is gloomy, among other things. Lions defensive coordinator — and Allen’s former defensive coordinator in Kansas City — Gunther Cunningham fired back at Allen on Friday, saying he’s “not good enough to live here. I know him well; he should go back to California, Los Gatos, where all those nice people live. This is too tough of a town for him.”

LAST GAME

The Vikings led in each quarter but couldn’t stop Broncos QB Tim Tebow from orchestrating another fourth-quarter comeback in a 35-32 loss. Broncos kicker Matt Prater’s 23-yard field goal as time expired capped the scoring and sent the Vikings to their fourth consecutive defeat. Vikings WR Percy Harvin had a career-high 156 receiving yards, and Gerhart gained 91 yards on 21 carries to lead the offense. Ponder was picked off twice, lost a fumble and was under constant pressure.

LAST MEETING

The Lions trailed, 20-0, at halftime in the Metrodome in September before a furious second-half comeback forced overtime. Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes in the second half, and Jason Hanson kicked a 32-yard field goal to win it in overtime. Calvin Johnson had seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions, who started 3-0 for the first time since 1980. This also was the Lions’ first win at the Metrodome since 1997, snapping a 13-game skid.

Join Free Press special writer Nick Meyer for a live blog of the Lions-Vikings game Sunday at freep.com/sports.

Week 13 of the NFL season was a huge day for individual performances. From a record-setting performance by Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton(notes) to huge days by New York Jets running back Shonn Greene(notes) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin(notes), here are the best fantasy football players from each position on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Quarterback

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers – 38.26 points*

Week 13 statistics: 204 passing yards, 54 rushing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 3 rushing touchdowns, 27 receiving yards

Along with setting a new NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season, Newton had a dominating performance over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite only completing 12 passes. Newton’s one catch also made him the team’s leading receiver for most of the game until a Legedu Naanee(notes) reception. Newton now has 13 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 13 rushing touchdowns on the year and has been one of the best fantasy players this season.

Honorable mentions: Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers(notes) (32.96), New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees(notes) (25.68), Minnesota Vikings’ Christian Ponder(notes) (24.44)

Running back

Shonn Greene, New York Jets – 29.40 points

Week 13 statistics: 88 rushing yards, 26 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

A disappointment for most of this season with only two touchdowns coming into this game, Greene finished the day with 114 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. While he likely led owners to a Week 13 win, Greene hasn’t put up RB1 numbers this season and has still only had one 100-yard rushing game this year; he is a mediocre RB2 for the rest of the season.

Honorable mentions: Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson (27.70), Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice(notes) (27.40), Houston Texans’ Arian Foster(notes) (21.20)

Wide receiver

Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings – 29.50 points

Week 13 statistics: 19 rushing yards, 156 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

The only reliable player on the Vikings offense when Adrian Peterson is out, Harvin had the best game of his career in a near-victory over the Denver Broncos. With rookie Ponder at the helm, Harvin has now had four straight games with at least six receptions and has shown great explosiveness all over the field. View Harvin as a WR2 against the Detroit Lions in Week 14.

Honorable mentions: Indianapolis Colts’ Pierre Garcon(notes) (27.00), Denver Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas(notes) (26.40), New York Giants’ Hakeem Nicks(notes) (20.80)

Tight end

Rob Gronkowski(notes), New England Patriots – 24.60 points

Week 13 statistics: 2 rushing yards, 64 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

The best tight end this season, Gronkowski’s three touchdowns give him 13 receiving touchdowns on the year and a touchdown in five straight games. One of the biggest threats in the NFL to score in the end zone, Gronkowski is just one touchdown catch away from being the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns by a tight end in a season set by San Diego Chargers’ Antonio Gates(notes) in 2004 and San Francisco 49ers’ Vernon Davis(notes) in 2009.

Honorable mentions: Green Bay Packers’ Jermichael Finley(notes) (14.70), New York Giants’ Travis Beckum(notes) (12.70), Atlanta Falcons’ Tony Gonzalez(notes) (10.00)

Kicker

Connor Barth(notes), Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 18.00 points

Week 13 statistics: 3 FG 40-49, 1 FG 50+, 1 PAT made

Not known as one of the top fantasy kickers this season, Barth made field goals from 50, 47, 46, and 44 yards against the Panthers and all in the first half. Playing for a Buccaneers offense that struggled with Josh Johnson(notes) filling in for the injured Josh Freeman(notes), Barth is an unreliable option due to the offense’s inconsistency.

Another monster day for Janikowski in fantasy football as the Raiders kicker set a team-record six field goals. Consistently giving fantasy owners six to ten fantasy points a week, he is a consistent fantasy producer with upside thanks to his strong leg.

Honorable mentions: Washington Redskins’ Graham Gano(notes) (15.00), San Francisco 49ers’ David Akers(notes) (14.00), Minnesota Vikings’ Ryan Longwell(notes)/New York Jets’ Nick Folk(notes)/Tennessee Titans’ Rob Bironas(notes) (13.00)

Team defense

Kansas City Chiefs team defense – 20.00 points

Week 13 statistics: 3 points allowed, 7 sacks, 3 interceptions

As a team dealing with their own quarterback troubles between Tyler Palko(notes) and Kyle Orton(notes), the Chiefs defense was able to step it up and shutdown Caleb Hanie(notes) in his second career start. In this game, the Chiefs defense set a season-high in sacks and also forced a fumble by Hanie (who did recover the ball) in a dominant performance over an inexperienced quarterback.

Honorable mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers team defense (19.00), San Francsico 49ers team defense (18.00), Baltimore Ravens team defense (15.00)

*Points are determined by Yahoo! fantasy football default scoring settings.

Sources:

Who’s Hot Week 13, Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Cam Newton, CBS Sports

Shonn Greene Game Log, Yahoo! Sports

Percy Harvin Game Log, Yahoo! Sports

Fantasy Football Rob Gronkowski, CBS Sports

Connor Barth News & Notes, Yahoo! Sports

Kansas City at Chicago Box Score, Yahoo! Sports

More from this contributor:

Most Popular Last-Minute Drops for Week 13 Play: Fan’s Take

Most Popular Last-Minute Pickups for Week 13 Play: Fan’s Take

Most-dropped Players into Free Agent Pool for Week 13: Fan’s Take

Most-added Waiver Wire Free Agents for Week 13: Fan’s Take

Six Star Players with Bad Fantasy Matchups for Week 13: Fan’s Take

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and fantasy football player since 2005. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

It is becoming almost expected that
Tim Tebow
will engineer a fourth-quarter comeback in a
Denver Broncos
victory.

A late rally against the struggling
Minnesota Vikings
, however, might not be necessary.

Tebow looks to lead the Broncos to a fifth consecutive win Sunday when they visit a Vikings team that will be without
Adrian Peterson
for a second straight game.

Since becoming Denver’s starting quarterback, Tebow has directed three fourth-quarter comebacks, two of which set up overtime
wins. He also rallied the Broncos (6-5) from a halftime deficit in a 38-24 victory over Oakland on Nov. 6.

In the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s game at San Diego, Tebow led Denver on a 68-yard drive, setting up
Matt Prater
‘s 24-yard, game-tying field goal with 1:34 remaining. Denver went on for a 16-13 victory in overtime, its fourth straight
win.

“I’d say our mentality changed to where it’s not, ‘Oh-oh, here we go again,’ it’s, ‘OK, give us the ball, we’re going to go
and score,” ‘ said
Eric Decker
, who has caught four of Tebow’s eight TD passes.

The Broncos are 5-1 since Tebow became the starter and have won all four road games. They’re one game back of Oakland in the
AFC West race and are seeking their first five-game streak away from Denver since winning six in a row in 1998.

“This is a special team, a special team when you have a bunch of guys that when things aren’t going good we get closer instead
of pulling apart,” said Tebow, who passed for 143 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. “The No. 1 reason we are like
that is because we believe in each other.”

Tebow is making a believer out of some of his critics.

With the former Heisman Trophy winner running the offense, the Broncos have scored 11 times in the fourth quarter or overtime
compared to 10 scoring drives in the first three quarters combined. Tebow’s first-half passer rating of 64.9 is fourth-worst
among the 37 quarterbacks with at least 50 first-half attempts, but his fourth-quarter QB rating of 107.8 trails only
Eli Manning
,
Aaron Rodgers
and
Tom Brady
.

Minnesota’s opponents have a 97.2 QB rating in the fourth-quarter, fifth-worst in the NFL.

But the Vikings have also been quite vulnerable early. During a three-game losing streak, Minnesota has been outscored 58-7
in the first half.

The Vikings (2-9) were down 17-0 at halftime last Sunday to Atlanta, and despite pulling within three early in the fourth
quarter, lost 24-14.

“It doesn’t feel good,” said quarterback
Christian Ponder
, who is now backed up by
Joe Webb
after Minnesota released benched veteran
Donovan McNabb
on Thursday. “It’s getting repetitive, but I have to say that I am proud of the team. They played for four quarters. … We
are going to improve. We’ve got guys doing everything possible to win games.”

The Vikings placed four players on injured reserve Tuesday – receiver
Michael Jenkins
, long snapper
Cullen Loeffler
and safeties
Husain Abdullah
and
Tyrell Johnson
– but Peterson’s injury is the most significant.

The four-time All-Pro, who is seventh in the NFL with 872 rushing yards and enters Week 13 tied for the league lead with 11
rushing touchdowns, will miss a second straight game due to a sprained left ankle.

Peterson said Thursday he was feeling better and that the soreness was “winding down,” but he was unable to practice Friday
and the team announced he will be inactive Sunday.

Toby Gerhart
took Peterson’s place against the Falcons and rushed for 44 yards with a touchdown on 17 carries.

Percy Harvin
also missed practice Friday due to an illness, but coach Leslie Frazier said it’s not related to the migraine issues that
have plagued his career and listed the team’s leading receiver as questionable.

While Tebow is receiving most of the attention for Denver’s surge, a strong running game and stingy defense have perhaps even
more to do with the Broncos’ surprising playoff push.

Denver rushed for 208 yards last week, the third time during the winning streak it eclipsed the 200-yard mark. Running the
option, Tebow gained 67 yards on 22 attempts – the most carries by a quarterback since at least 1950 – and
Willis McGahee
finished with 117 yards on 23 carries.

The Broncos will be facing a Minnesota defense that is ninth against the run, allowing an average of 99.6 yards.

Denver’s defense has been at its best lately, keeping the score close to give Tebow a chance to orchestrate a comeback. The
Broncos haven’t allowed more than 13 points in their last three games.

“We would love to go and blow a team out, but if not, we’re going to fight and scratch and claw to pull (out) these so-called
ugly victories,” safety
Brian Dawkins
said. “I’ll tell you what, though … we’ll take ugly victories any day.”

Rookie linebacker
Von Miller
underwent a surgical procedure to repair a strained ligament in his left thumb on Wednesday, and returned to practice Friday.
He’s listed as questionable, but even if he does play, it’ll likely be with a cumbersome cast.

Miller is a key piece of Denver’s defense and, with 10 1/2 sacks and 58 tackles, is a favorite for the Defensive Rookie of
the Year award.