EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota was once a team with Super Bowl ambitions. Now, a fourth loss in five weeks has Randy Moss wondering whether the Vikings can even reach the playoffs.

	Randall Cunningham lost his starting job during the Vikings' loss in Detroit.

"I've never really been in this situation in my whole life, playing basketball, football, baseball, anything," Moss said. "So I can't really tell you if we're going to make the playoffs or not. Hopefully we can, but if not, bite your tongue and look for next year."

The Vikings are reeling. At 2-4, they're heading into a difficult stretch against San Francisco, Denver and Dallas without running back Robert Smith, who flew to Tampa on Monday for a hernia operation that will sideline him up to six weeks.

His backup, Leroy Hoard, has a mouthful of stitches after biting through his bottom lip Sunday. He'll need plastic surgery and might not be able to practice much this week.

But unlike so many of their fans, the Vikings aren't ready to give up on their season, not with the NFC Central so unsettled and not with a quarterback change providing optimism for a turnaround.

Jeff George replaced Randall Cunningham with Detroit ahead 19-0 at halftime Sunday and led a comeback that was rendered futile when Jason Hanson's last-second field goal lifted the Lions to a 25-23 victory.

"It's not the end of the road, there's 10 games left and the way the division and the league's going right now, everybody's getting beat," George said. "All it takes is one win to get this thing turned around and get the confidence back."

George, a 10-year veteran who signed a one-year, $400,000 contract, produced more points in one half than the Vikings had managed in any full game this season under Cunningham, whose five-year, $28 million deal he signed last December spurred the now regrettable trading of Brad Johnson.

George was 10-for-12 for 214 yards and two touchdowns, providing the spark that was missing all season.

"I talk about the fire in the Vikings' eyes and that second half we had that fire, we came back," Moss said. "That field goal ... it was like they put it out with a fire extinguisher."

And that led to some fuming in the Vikings locker room, where Moss criticized the coaches' decision to play the percentages and settle for a field goal that put them ahead 23-22 with 1:40 left.

Moss wanted George to throw into the end zone on third-and-7 from the Lions' 12 with 1:51 remaining, but coach Dennis Green and offensive coordinator Ray Sherman called for another run.

"Last year's team went for everything," Moss fumed.

Soothing many of Moss' concerns, however, was the promotion of George.

George has worn out his welcome everywhere he's played, but his reputation as a talented troublemaker more concerned about himself than his team hasn't followed him to Minnesota.

"They said the same thing about Randall Cunningham," Green said.

And Cunningham said he's George's biggest fan now.

"I'm pulling for him to do well, not only for us as a team, but also I know what he's been through. I'd love to see him have a lot of joy in his life," Cunningham said.

The Vikings can still save their season, but George called for patience.

"We all have one goal in mind, and that's get this thing turned around and ultimately get to the big one," George said. "It's not something that's going to happen overnight. I'm not this Houdini who's going to come in here and do tricks."

But restoring a little bit of last year's magic would go a long way toward returning the swagger around Winter Park.