American football: No stopping rampant Vikings

AFTER WINNING 15 of their 16 regular season contests and breaking the NFL all-time record by scoring 556 points along the way, expectations are high amongst the players, coaches and fans of the Minnesota Vikings. Despite qualifying for four previous Super Bowls, the most recent in 1977, the Vikings have yet to taste success in America's premier sporting spectacle. Following Sunday night's 41-21 drubbing of Arizona Cardinals, however, the feeling is growing that the current Vikings are simply unstoppable.

Minnesota scored on five of their first six possessions, but of greater significance was the fact that while other teams tend to rely on one or two players for their points, the Vikings are able to generate contributions from a variety of sources.

The quarterback Randall Cunningham had a relatively quiet day yet still completed 17 of his 27 pass attempts for 236 yards, while his touchdowns went to three different receivers - Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Andrew Glover. Running back Robert Smith gained 124 yards rushing, while his back-up Leroy Hoard scored three touchdowns. Even the little-used return specialist David Palmer was thrown into the mix, rushing twice, catching two passes, and even lining up at quarterback in place of Cunningham.

The Cardinals simply did not know where the ball was going to go on any given play. "This offensive scheme is very easy for success," Smith said. "People can be brought in and taken out. It is so dangerous because you can't stop everything. You just can't take it all away."

Arizona's cause was also undone by their promising but inexperienced quarterback, Jake Plummer, who gave up two early interceptions, both of which were claimed by Robert Griffith. "It was a case of me being young and hyped-up, and wanting to make a big play when I should have been patient," he admitted.

However, Plummer's overall performance served to confirm that he is one of the game's rising stars. Both his and Arizona's misfortune was to run into a team seemingly destined for greatness. Only the Atlanta Falcons now stand between the Vikings and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII.

The likelihood is that the Denver Broncos will be there to oppose them. The Broncos were at their best in the 38-3 humbling of the Miami Dolphins and will now meet the New York Jets, who booked their place in the final four with a hard-fought 34-24 triumph over the stubborn Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jets held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, generating 29 first downs and converting 10 of their 14 third downs, yet still made careless mistakes which kept the Jaguars in the game.

The differences were the Jets' running back Curtis Martin, who gained 124 yards on 36 attempts, and a big day from the receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who scored two touchdowns.

Though he was the first player selected in the 1995 collegiate draft, Johnson's early career was less than sparkling: dropped passes, altercations with team-mates and a self-centred autobiography, fittingly entitled Just Give Me the Damn Ball alienating fans and the media alike.

However, the paternalistic influence of the head coach, Bill Parcells, has seen Johnson talking less and contributing more, and he has matured into one of the best receivers in the game. His nine catches for 121 yards were essential against the Jags and he even made a defensive contribution, intercepting Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell's pass to end the contest.

The Washington Redskins have been sold for $800m (pounds 485m) to a group headed by the businessmen Howard and Edward Milstein and Daniel Snyder. The sale beats the previous record of $530m, paid last year for the Cleveland Browns.

Marty Schottenheimer quit as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday following a season in which his team was one of the NFL's biggest disappointments.The Chiefs finished the year 7-9, Schottenheimer's first losing season as a head coach.