I am Charlie Brown, Lucy is the Vikings and the football is a fun day of watching football. Every time I think I am going to boot that ball and really have fun watching my favorite team, the Vikings yank it away to send me falling on my butt and wondering how I got here... again.

The Vikings are rarely bad enough to write them off altogether, making it difficult to quit my embarrassing addiction. Unlike the Twins, who are typically garbage for seven to eight years before having one fluky good season, the purple is usually in the playoff conversation from year to year.

Take Sunday's game for example. The Vikings entered their game against the Bengals in Cincinnati as Vegas favorites, giving fans hope that they could start their season on the right foot with a win. You probably know how this story ends.

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Minnesota embarrassed itself by being flagged for 12 penalties totaling 116 yards (the Bengals had just three for 15 total yards) and generally looked discombobulated throughout the contest.

But in true Vikings fashion they ended up making the game close. Kicker Greg Joseph made a long field goal to improbably send a game Minnesota was once trailing 21-7 to overtime tied at 24.

I, again, bought in and began to hope that my favorite team might have a chance to steal a season-opening win! What a fool I was. Star running back Dalvin Cook fumbled the ball away late in the extra period and the Bengals earned the win with a field goal of their own.

Next week I will again be camped out in front of the TV, excited to watch the Vikings take on the Cardinals (3:05, WJON). Again, I will believe they can win. Again, they will choke and lose.

And, again, I will be back the next week... a glutton for punishment.

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