Scoggins: Vikings-Giants game is a compelling argument against an 18-game NFL season

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The game finally came to an end, mercifully. Sixty minutes of football produced one offensive touchdown, 27 penalties called and a steady stream of injuries as players from both the Vikings and New York Giants kept needing assistance from medical staffs.

A football masterpiece it was not.

As workers hustled to finish their postgame duties in the bowels of MetLife Stadium, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made his way to the exit with a group in tow.

He appeared to be smiling. Or maybe it was a grimace.

The Dec. 21 game, a 16-13 Vikings victory, served as a case study for why any conversation about adding another regular-season game to the schedule should be punted to the moon.

The two-win Giants kept alive their bid for the title of “Worst Team in the NFL” with another loss, inching closer to the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The Vikings extended their winning streak to three games by continuing to display professional pride after being eliminated from playoff contention, though the postgame medical report was nothing to celebrate.

Of course, that will happen at some point. It’s inevitable, because more games means more money for the NFL, and owners won’t turn down a chance to grow their billions. The league also knows that fans will devour the product — good, bad or Giants-level — like a delicious surf-and-turf buffet.

The limp to the finish line will just become a little bit longer for players whose bodies are beaten to a bloody pulp by December, thus affecting the overall quality of play.

Harrison Smith is nearing the end of his 14^th and potentially final NFL season. Smith loves the game of football more than any player I’ve ever met. He wishes the NFL would have stayed at a 16-game season.

“I think 16 was enough,” he said.

Smith wasn’t complaining. Just giving his opinion. He understands the business reasons behind adding games. He noted that rule changes designed to keep quarterbacks “as healthy as possible so it’s watchable” likely play a role in the conversation.

The Vikings were called for two highly questionable roughing the passer penalties against the Giants on sacks, one on Smith and the other on Eric Wilson. These were the type of penalties that make fans scream, “Come on, this is football!”

Smith, a wily vet who doesn’t get rattled by much of anything, basically shrugged.

“I’m not going to complain about the calls,” he said. “Early in my career, I often complained about calls. It doesn’t matter. You have to just change how you play. I need to find a way to where there’s no question about it. That’s hard to do. But that’s fine.”

December games after being eliminated from playoff contention can become a slog, but Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has kept his team competitively engaged. O’Connell mentioned that being in this position might compel some players to “focus their intentions elsewhere,” but the Vikings have not checked out mentally or emotionally.

Aaron Jones Sr. kept taking handoffs despite injuring an ankle in the first quarter. He was clearly hobbling and hurting. He refused to pull himself out of the game.

Teams take cues from their best players, and Justin Jefferson provided more reminders of that as he weaved and dragged defenders in converting third-and-long screen passes into first downs Sunday.

“It’s just a blessing to play this game,” he said. “I’m just glad this whole team has continued to stay with it, continued to fight until the end of the season. We definitely don’t give up.”

One might expect that as a baseline expectation for professionals being highly compensated, but the physical toll is unrelenting. Bodies are breaking down by this point in the season. Losing on bad teams probably makes it feel even worse.