In a mediocre NFL season, the Vikings should forget tanking for Caleb Williams

Dear Tank-4-Caleb crowd:

In trying times, give trying a try.

Why?

Because the NFL reminds us weekly it has no great teams.

Even if our eyes miss it, the league is there to put it in writing before the opening touchback to its Sunday night games.

Heading into the last two games of Week 6, the NFL noted that 10 of the first 13 games (76.9%) were one-score contests in the fourth quarter while eight were decided that way. Then, in the 14th game, the Giants and Bills turned everyone's lock of the week into a one-score Bills escape that should have been a one-score Giants upset in Buffalo with journeyman backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Five teams — Cleveland, the Jets, Cincinnati, Houston and Washington — beat teams with better records.

The Browns came from 10 down to beat the undefeated 49ers with backup QB P.J. Walker fresh off the practice squad and making $370,800, a tad shy of starter Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed $230 million.

Things looked hopeless for Cleveland. Then again, it's a team game, and the Browns' 1,002 yards allowed through five games ranks behind only two defensive bullies since 1970 — the 1971 Colts (836) and your 1970 Purple People Eaters (945).

The Jets, meanwhile, came from 11 down to beat the undefeated Eagles with Zach Wilson and without Sauce Gardner. Perhaps Wilson's 2-0 record against Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts will buy him and his 3-3 Jets some quiet time from the trade-for-Kirk-Cousins crazies.

Probably not since the annual Tank-4-A-QB folks tend to ignore the other side of the ball. That's a shame because the Jets' identity with or without Aaron Rodgers is defense. Last Sunday, Quinnen and Quincy Williams, All-Pro candidates at tackle and linebacker, respectively, became the first brother duo to notch a takeaway in the same game for the same team since the Vikings' E.J. and Erin Henderson on Sept. 19, 2010.

The last of the NFL unbeatens losing at 5-0 — the earliest since 2017 — is a reminder that there are no certain wins, no surefire losses and too many reasons not to tank early.

Things change too quickly in the NFL to give up.

A year ago, the Lions started 1-6. They traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings. They weren't giving up. They didn't want to make him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, as the Vikings did this summer.

Since that trade, the Lions are 13-3, atop the NFC North at 5-1 and have their own promising tight end from Iowa, rookie Sam LaPorta. LaPorta makes $14,133,500 a year less, and his three drops are one fewer than the four Hockenson has posted to lead all tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus.

And, speaking of the phoenix rising in Motown, it wasn't all that long ago that Jared Goff was a punchline and a throw-in to the Matthew Stafford trade. Not anymore.

With 353 yards passing in Sunday's road rout of the Buccaneers, Goff tied Andrew Luck for most games with at least 350 yards passing (17) through eight seasons. Goff has another 11 games to catch Dan Marino (18), Stafford (18) and Patrick Mahomes (21).

Injuries to future opponents are another reason not to tank early. A week ago, the 49ers were healthy, undefeated and seemingly a lock to beat the Vikings at home on Monday Night Football in Week 7.

A loss on Monday would be historic, too. It would be the first time the Vikings started 0-4 at home EV-er. The closest they've come was 1967 when Bud Grant mustered a 20-20 tie with the Colts to start 0-3-1 at Met Stadium.

The Vikings are still seven-point underdogs to the 49ers. But the 49ers have lost, Brock Purdy has proved, finally, to be human and San Francisco's two most physical and dangerous offensive weapons — Christian McCaffrey (oblique) and Deebo Samuel (shoulder) — didn't finish Sunday's game in Cleveland because of injuries.

In other words, if no Vikings are traded this week, it's OK to give trying a try.