It didn't get any bigger than this. In order to save their season and their head coach's job, the Vikings had to defeat the Green Bay Packers Sunday at the Metrodome. Quarterback Brett Favre had his favorite target from last season, Sidney Rice, back and was looking to find some holes in a Packer defense that has faced its share of injuries this season. However, it was Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers who took advantage of his opposing defense and ended up single-handedly destroying the Vikings, leading to a 31-3 Packers victory.
The Vikings have lived and died by Brett Favre this season, and on Sunday the quarterback took the team right down with him. As he has all season, Favre gave a fantastic effort, but most of his throws were wild and inaccurate. He targeted Rice 10 times, but was able to complete a pass to him only three of those times. This year it has seemed as if Favre is hesitant or even scared to throw the ball deep down the field, and this trend didn't change even with the addition of the best true wide receiver on the team. Favre's interception in the second quarter gave the Packers all the moment they needed in order to score the biggest touchdown of the contest, a pass to receiver James Jones. Running back Adrian Peterson had a nice day with 72 yards but did not have a noticeable impact for most of the game, as the Vikings were trailing by a large deficit at halftime. The offensive line had their hands full with the Packers pass rush, allowing seven hits on Favre and one sack by star Clay Matthews. Had the Vikings defense been able to show any ability to stop Aaron Rodgers the results would likely have been different, but they were playing from behind for most of the game, shifting their game plan from the running game, something that has been quite successful for them this season to throwing the ball, which has usually harmed rather than helped Minnesota.
Aaron Rodgers was able to do anything he wanted Sunday. Part of this was due to the inexperience of cornerbacks Asher Allen and Chris Cook, both of whom were exposed on touchdown passes. Rodgers had little trouble getting the ball to receiver Greg Jennings regardless of who the Vikings decided to assign to him, and the two connected for three touchdown passes. The defensive line tallied three sacks on the day, so it's hard to put the blame of Rodger's big day on the unit. It really comes down to the lack of skill in the Vikings secondary and the missed opportunities. Rodgers threw a ball right at safety Husain Abdullah only to have it go right through his hands. A few plays later the Packers took the lead for good on an 11-yard touchdown to Jennings, who easily evaded the coverage by Abdullah. Sunday was the first game one could notice the absence of cornerback Cedric Griffin. Starter Antoine Winfield has had a fine season, but the Vikings have struggled between Allen, Cook and veteran Lito Sheppard to find someone to cover the better receivers of the league. The at-times invisible defensive line has not helped, but the Vikings can't help but wonder how much stronger their secondary would have been with one of their more skilled players in the lineup.
Sunday's loss against the Packers was one of the most embarrassing in recent memory and the final nail in the coffin for coach Brad Childress. It was common opinion that most of the Vikings players had soured on Childress and were playing for the team instead of their coach. The rather cold and succinct Childress had never seemed like a real "player's coach", as there had been plenty of controversial moments between him and the Vikings players. It is almost assured that quarterback Brett Favre did not have confidence in Childress' ability to run this team, and there was always a question of who the real leader of the Vikings was. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier takes over as head coach of the team and will hope to reinvigorate his players the same way Dallas Cowboy interim coach Jason Garrett has. The 3-7 Vikings travel to Washington Sunday to face the Redskins.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
MIN@CHI Recap
The Vikings headed into Soldier Field Sunday with feeling extremely confident after overcoming a two touchdown deficit and defeating the Arizona Cardinals in overtime. A win over the Bears would have kept the Vikings a player in the NFC North and still in the hunt for a playoff spot, despite multiple heart-wrenching losses early in the season. Instead, mistakes reigned and turnovers conquered the Vikings as the Bears handled Minnesota by a score of 27-13.
Although quarterback Brett Favre accounted for four turnovers, he was really only responsible for one of them- a fumble towards the end of the end of the second half. Receivers fell down on two of his throws, leading to two interceptions at crucial times in the fourth quarter. Receivers Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian were inactive for the game, leaving Favre to rely heavily on Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe and a who's who of mediocre pass-catchers. Like he has all season, Favre put everything he had on the field, throwing for 170 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions that for the most part weren't his fault. Peterson's inability to get anything started in the run game made things more difficult for Favre, who already had to deal with an offensive line blocking against a talented defensive line. Peterson struggled all day, with his play of the day being a 20-yard run. He ended the day with 51 yards on 17 carries. Peterson's backup Toby Gerhart had a much better afternoon, averaging 5 yards-a-carry and catching two passes out of the backfield for 17 yards. Much was expected out of the rookie from Stanford this season, and although he had 20 total rushing yards he made several positive plays on a day the team's superstar could rarely make it past the line of scrimmage. More often then not the Vikings are successful when Peterson is successful, and had Peterson been able to find some holes in the offensive line the results would likely have been much different. The turnovers in the fourth quarter didn't help, either.
The Vikings defense could not control Jay Cutler and the Bears offense for the majority of the day. Bears play-makers Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and Greg Olsen were impossible to cover for the Vikings. Olsen, the team's tight end, had a touchdown reception called back in the second quarter only to find end zone success on the very next play. The Vikings defensive line went back to its dormant state after finally waking up in the fourth quarter of last week's game against Arizona. Jared Allen did have a sack, but more was expected from the pass rush against a less-than-stellar Chicago offensive line. Although the defense forced him out of the pocket several times, Cutler was able to able to escape what should have been easy sacks and gathered 24 yards on the ground with his runs. The Vikings tried blitzing, but that only left Cutler with fewer defenders covering, or trying to cover, his suddenly Pro Bowl targets. He was able to find any opening he wanted down the field and connected with three different receivers for touchdowns. One bright spot for the Vikings pass defense was the play of safety Husain Abdullah. Abdullah, who has started every game this year, had two interceptions Sunday to go with six tackles and two pass deflections. The safeties have really struggled this year for the Vikings, but Abdullah worked his role extremely well. The run defense did a better job but still gave up more than 100 yards. However, 24 of them came when Cutler decided to leave the pocket and scramble. Running backs Matt Forte and Chester Taylor each averaged under four yards a carry, and neither were able to find the end zone. At the end of the day, it was the inability for the Vikings to get to Jay Cutler that cost them this ball game. His short, quick throws went untouched throw Vikings coverage, allowing the Bears to convert an unacceptable 11 of 19 third downs, while Minnesota was a mere 1 for 9 in opportunities.
Another week, another chance blown to put themselves back into playoff relevancy. It is quite safe to say that if the Vikings will be playing for pride the rest of the season if they don't win at home next Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. It doesn't look like the Vikes are going to fix this "how to get to that sneaky quarterback" puzzle anytime soon, so it looks like skilled Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have another big day on a defense that has an underwhelming 13 total sacks on the season. The Vikings offense will have to keep the pace against a defense led by Clay Matthews, who has been a terror off the edge this season. The Packers passing attack in addition to Matthews rushing does not bode well for a lackluster pair of lines for the Minnesota Vikings. Don't hold your breath.
Although quarterback Brett Favre accounted for four turnovers, he was really only responsible for one of them- a fumble towards the end of the end of the second half. Receivers fell down on two of his throws, leading to two interceptions at crucial times in the fourth quarter. Receivers Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian were inactive for the game, leaving Favre to rely heavily on Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe and a who's who of mediocre pass-catchers. Like he has all season, Favre put everything he had on the field, throwing for 170 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions that for the most part weren't his fault. Peterson's inability to get anything started in the run game made things more difficult for Favre, who already had to deal with an offensive line blocking against a talented defensive line. Peterson struggled all day, with his play of the day being a 20-yard run. He ended the day with 51 yards on 17 carries. Peterson's backup Toby Gerhart had a much better afternoon, averaging 5 yards-a-carry and catching two passes out of the backfield for 17 yards. Much was expected out of the rookie from Stanford this season, and although he had 20 total rushing yards he made several positive plays on a day the team's superstar could rarely make it past the line of scrimmage. More often then not the Vikings are successful when Peterson is successful, and had Peterson been able to find some holes in the offensive line the results would likely have been much different. The turnovers in the fourth quarter didn't help, either.
The Vikings defense could not control Jay Cutler and the Bears offense for the majority of the day. Bears play-makers Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and Greg Olsen were impossible to cover for the Vikings. Olsen, the team's tight end, had a touchdown reception called back in the second quarter only to find end zone success on the very next play. The Vikings defensive line went back to its dormant state after finally waking up in the fourth quarter of last week's game against Arizona. Jared Allen did have a sack, but more was expected from the pass rush against a less-than-stellar Chicago offensive line. Although the defense forced him out of the pocket several times, Cutler was able to able to escape what should have been easy sacks and gathered 24 yards on the ground with his runs. The Vikings tried blitzing, but that only left Cutler with fewer defenders covering, or trying to cover, his suddenly Pro Bowl targets. He was able to find any opening he wanted down the field and connected with three different receivers for touchdowns. One bright spot for the Vikings pass defense was the play of safety Husain Abdullah. Abdullah, who has started every game this year, had two interceptions Sunday to go with six tackles and two pass deflections. The safeties have really struggled this year for the Vikings, but Abdullah worked his role extremely well. The run defense did a better job but still gave up more than 100 yards. However, 24 of them came when Cutler decided to leave the pocket and scramble. Running backs Matt Forte and Chester Taylor each averaged under four yards a carry, and neither were able to find the end zone. At the end of the day, it was the inability for the Vikings to get to Jay Cutler that cost them this ball game. His short, quick throws went untouched throw Vikings coverage, allowing the Bears to convert an unacceptable 11 of 19 third downs, while Minnesota was a mere 1 for 9 in opportunities.
Another week, another chance blown to put themselves back into playoff relevancy. It is quite safe to say that if the Vikings will be playing for pride the rest of the season if they don't win at home next Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. It doesn't look like the Vikes are going to fix this "how to get to that sneaky quarterback" puzzle anytime soon, so it looks like skilled Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have another big day on a defense that has an underwhelming 13 total sacks on the season. The Vikings offense will have to keep the pace against a defense led by Clay Matthews, who has been a terror off the edge this season. The Packers passing attack in addition to Matthews rushing does not bode well for a lackluster pair of lines for the Minnesota Vikings. Don't hold your breath.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
ARI@MIN Recap
Head coach Brad Childress' job was on the line Sunday as two struggling teams, the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals, faced each other in an afternoon contest. The Vikings wanted to take out their frustrations after two close, extremely disappointing losses to the Packers and Patriots, respectively, while the Cardinals were trying to stay afloat in an NFC West division they were slowly falling behind in. In what has to be the signature win of the season so far, the Vikings erased a 10-24 deficit within four minutes to send the game into overtime, where kicker Ryan Longwell nailed a clinching 35-yard field goal.
The Vikings offense had several long and time-consuming drives Sunday, yet only managed to put up 10 points in the first half against a below-average Cardinals defense. For most of the game it seemed like the Vikings had no trouble getting to the red zone, yet they were unable to capitalize on the opportunities, with drives either ending in turnovers or field goals. Despite an early first quarter interception that was almost taken back for a touchdown, Favre did a nice job managing the Vikings offense in the first half. It didn't seem as if Randy Moss was missed too badly, as Favre connected at least four times with six different receivers. Receiver Percy Harvin and the almost-forgotten Bernard Berrian combined for 18 receptions and 215 yards. Even little-known receiver Greg Camarillo, who the Vikings picked up earlier this season from the Dolphins, had 66 yards and a crucial touchdown-saving tackle of Kerry Rhodes after Favre's interception in the first quarter. The offensive line showed it still has plenty of work to do, letting Favre get sacked three times and allowing nine hits on him. However, even with lackluster protection Favre was able to set his career record in passing yards, with 446. Much of those yards came with under 4:00 to go when the offense finally decided that scoring touchdowns would be the best way to win the football game. The Vikings cut the deficit to a touchdown with a 4-yard Adrian Peterson run, who himself had trouble finding a rhythm during the first three quarters of the game. After holding the Cardinals offense to a three-and-out, the Vikings were on with 2:24 on the clock to try and tie the game. Favre sliced through Cardinals pass defense on the final drive, and with :27 left he magically guided the ball past a defender to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for a 25-yard touchdown. The Vikings offensive theatrics continued into overtime, where Adrian Peterson started off with a 30-yard blast to the Arizona 39 yard line. Favre followed that up a few plays later with a beautiful 22-yard throw to Berrian. Well within their kicker's range, the Vikings left the rest to Ryan Longwell, who sank the game-winning field goal right down the center of the goal posts.
Much like the offense, the Vikings defense took a little over three quarters of the game to find itself. The Cardinals offense really awoke the beast that was (at least last year) Jared Allen and the defensive line in the last two minutes of the game. Despite being invisible for most of the game, the pass rush squandered Arizona's hopes of a game-winning field goal by sacking quarterback Derek Anderson twice in the last drive of regulation. The defense was not done there, as they sacked Anderson two more times in overtime, forcing a Ben Graham punt to a Vikings offense that had just scored 14 points in under two minutes. End Jared Allen had his first noticeable game of the season, recording 2.5 sacks to go with a tackle for loss and a pass deflection. Opposite end Ray Edwards also contributed two of his own sacks. Needless to say, if the defensive line can play the rest of the season the way it did in the last part of Sunday's game the Vikings will find themselves winning the game coming into the fourth quarter, rather that trailing it, allowing the Jared Allen and the rest of the pass-rushers to pin their ear backs and at least force the opposing quarterback out of the pocket. A menacing defensive line that puts constant pressure on the quarterback will certainly help the Vikings forget about the loss of cornerback Cedric Griffin and the rest of the coverage issues the Vikings secondary has experienced this season.
Whether Sunday's game against the Cardinals was an apparition or the real start of a run, the Vikings have been given something to build on the rest of the season. The end of the game showed that the Vikings have not packed it in yet this season and is still playing hard, regardless of whether or not they believe in their supposed leader Brad Childress. The team travels to Soldier Field next Sunday to face the division rival Chicago Bears, who are 5-3.
The Vikings offense had several long and time-consuming drives Sunday, yet only managed to put up 10 points in the first half against a below-average Cardinals defense. For most of the game it seemed like the Vikings had no trouble getting to the red zone, yet they were unable to capitalize on the opportunities, with drives either ending in turnovers or field goals. Despite an early first quarter interception that was almost taken back for a touchdown, Favre did a nice job managing the Vikings offense in the first half. It didn't seem as if Randy Moss was missed too badly, as Favre connected at least four times with six different receivers. Receiver Percy Harvin and the almost-forgotten Bernard Berrian combined for 18 receptions and 215 yards. Even little-known receiver Greg Camarillo, who the Vikings picked up earlier this season from the Dolphins, had 66 yards and a crucial touchdown-saving tackle of Kerry Rhodes after Favre's interception in the first quarter. The offensive line showed it still has plenty of work to do, letting Favre get sacked three times and allowing nine hits on him. However, even with lackluster protection Favre was able to set his career record in passing yards, with 446. Much of those yards came with under 4:00 to go when the offense finally decided that scoring touchdowns would be the best way to win the football game. The Vikings cut the deficit to a touchdown with a 4-yard Adrian Peterson run, who himself had trouble finding a rhythm during the first three quarters of the game. After holding the Cardinals offense to a three-and-out, the Vikings were on with 2:24 on the clock to try and tie the game. Favre sliced through Cardinals pass defense on the final drive, and with :27 left he magically guided the ball past a defender to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for a 25-yard touchdown. The Vikings offensive theatrics continued into overtime, where Adrian Peterson started off with a 30-yard blast to the Arizona 39 yard line. Favre followed that up a few plays later with a beautiful 22-yard throw to Berrian. Well within their kicker's range, the Vikings left the rest to Ryan Longwell, who sank the game-winning field goal right down the center of the goal posts.
Much like the offense, the Vikings defense took a little over three quarters of the game to find itself. The Cardinals offense really awoke the beast that was (at least last year) Jared Allen and the defensive line in the last two minutes of the game. Despite being invisible for most of the game, the pass rush squandered Arizona's hopes of a game-winning field goal by sacking quarterback Derek Anderson twice in the last drive of regulation. The defense was not done there, as they sacked Anderson two more times in overtime, forcing a Ben Graham punt to a Vikings offense that had just scored 14 points in under two minutes. End Jared Allen had his first noticeable game of the season, recording 2.5 sacks to go with a tackle for loss and a pass deflection. Opposite end Ray Edwards also contributed two of his own sacks. Needless to say, if the defensive line can play the rest of the season the way it did in the last part of Sunday's game the Vikings will find themselves winning the game coming into the fourth quarter, rather that trailing it, allowing the Jared Allen and the rest of the pass-rushers to pin their ear backs and at least force the opposing quarterback out of the pocket. A menacing defensive line that puts constant pressure on the quarterback will certainly help the Vikings forget about the loss of cornerback Cedric Griffin and the rest of the coverage issues the Vikings secondary has experienced this season.
Whether Sunday's game against the Cardinals was an apparition or the real start of a run, the Vikings have been given something to build on the rest of the season. The end of the game showed that the Vikings have not packed it in yet this season and is still playing hard, regardless of whether or not they believe in their supposed leader Brad Childress. The team travels to Soldier Field next Sunday to face the division rival Chicago Bears, who are 5-3.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
MIN@NE Recap
Halloween evening produced quite a haunting Sunday for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were looking to bounce back after an extremely disappointing outing against the Green Bay Packers the previous week, and the two teams this week were neck and neck at halftime. While it might not be seen on the stat sheet, quarterback Brett Favre had one of the best games of the season and once again did everything he could to win the game for the team. Despite the offensive success, the Vikings plagued themselves with too many mistakes and miscues on both sides of the ball and the Patriots ended up with 28-18 victory at home.
The Vikings offense had a great day statistically Sunday, amassing 410 total yards of offense against a strong New England defense. Both Favre and running back Adrian Peterson were running the offense smoothly through the first quarter, although they didn't end up scoring a touchdown until the second. The underneath route was Favre's weapon of choice as he spread the ball to eight different targets Sunday, his most common one being speedster Percy Harvin. Harvin had a fantastic night with 104 yards on six catches, but a play he was involved in during the third quarter was a game-changer. The Vikings had the ball at the Patriots 41 yard line after a punt and were looking to take the lead when Favre threw a 15-yard pass to Harvin that was seemingly stolen from the receiver by cornerback Devin McCourty. The Patriots then proceeded to stroll down the field and score on a BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushing touchdown, making it 21-10 in favor of the Pats. However, the Vikings were able to bring the game to within a field goal at 21-18 with a Tarvaris Jackson touchdown dump off to fullback Naufahu Tahi. Favre had been knocked out of the game the previous play on what looked to be a late hit by Patriots defensive lineman Myron Pryor. Favre was only sacked once on the evening but was stil hit by the Patriots defense six times. Although the game was out of hand by the time he was on the field again, Tarvaris did a servicable job trying to bring the Vikings back somehow. For the most part the Vikings offense did it's job Sunday, but the defense was unable to stop quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots at the most important times.
The credit for the loss Sunday can go straight to the Minnesota Vikings defense. They played quite well through the first two quarters, but at the end of the day the defense could not make the plays they had to. Safety Madieu Williams had an interception go right through his hands in the second quarter, leading to a 32-yard reception for receiver Brandon Tate. Second-year corner Asher Allen couldn't wrap up Patriots Jack-of-all-trades Danny Woodhead on a vital down third down with less than four minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings defensive did nothing to compensate for these errors and ended the game with a no longer shocking zero quarterback sacks. Brady evaded the rush on several plays and went to dump-offs to alleviate and pressure the linemen tried to put on him. The Vikings needed to make Brady quiver in the pocket in order to have any chance to stop him and the rest of the offense, and they could not do it. The run defense was equally unimpressive. Starting running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis was able to rack up 112 yards on 17 carries to go with two touchdowns. It is quite apparent that the line has lost the swagger and talent it had the last few seasons when it was the premier run-stuffing unit of the league. Age can't be used as an excuse, as the only noticeably old player on the line is nose tackle Pat Williams, who has probably been literally the biggest liability in the run stopping corp. The linebackers didn't do anything to help them Sunday, as it seemed the Patriots runners were covered with Vaseline. It sounds simple: get to the quarterback often, and you will likely win the game. Somehow the Vikings have been stumped time after by this formula, and no variable they've tried using has produced the right answer.
After the toughest stretch of the season the Vikings finally have a break of some degree with the just as underachieving Arizona Cardinals coming to town. If the Vikings win Sunday, and they should, they have a decent chance to make a run with the two games after being against division rivals. However, in order for those games to matter they need to focus on Arizona and win in front of a restless crowd that will probably be calling for the head of its coach Brad Childress at any play stoppage.
The Vikings offense had a great day statistically Sunday, amassing 410 total yards of offense against a strong New England defense. Both Favre and running back Adrian Peterson were running the offense smoothly through the first quarter, although they didn't end up scoring a touchdown until the second. The underneath route was Favre's weapon of choice as he spread the ball to eight different targets Sunday, his most common one being speedster Percy Harvin. Harvin had a fantastic night with 104 yards on six catches, but a play he was involved in during the third quarter was a game-changer. The Vikings had the ball at the Patriots 41 yard line after a punt and were looking to take the lead when Favre threw a 15-yard pass to Harvin that was seemingly stolen from the receiver by cornerback Devin McCourty. The Patriots then proceeded to stroll down the field and score on a BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushing touchdown, making it 21-10 in favor of the Pats. However, the Vikings were able to bring the game to within a field goal at 21-18 with a Tarvaris Jackson touchdown dump off to fullback Naufahu Tahi. Favre had been knocked out of the game the previous play on what looked to be a late hit by Patriots defensive lineman Myron Pryor. Favre was only sacked once on the evening but was stil hit by the Patriots defense six times. Although the game was out of hand by the time he was on the field again, Tarvaris did a servicable job trying to bring the Vikings back somehow. For the most part the Vikings offense did it's job Sunday, but the defense was unable to stop quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots at the most important times.
The credit for the loss Sunday can go straight to the Minnesota Vikings defense. They played quite well through the first two quarters, but at the end of the day the defense could not make the plays they had to. Safety Madieu Williams had an interception go right through his hands in the second quarter, leading to a 32-yard reception for receiver Brandon Tate. Second-year corner Asher Allen couldn't wrap up Patriots Jack-of-all-trades Danny Woodhead on a vital down third down with less than four minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings defensive did nothing to compensate for these errors and ended the game with a no longer shocking zero quarterback sacks. Brady evaded the rush on several plays and went to dump-offs to alleviate and pressure the linemen tried to put on him. The Vikings needed to make Brady quiver in the pocket in order to have any chance to stop him and the rest of the offense, and they could not do it. The run defense was equally unimpressive. Starting running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis was able to rack up 112 yards on 17 carries to go with two touchdowns. It is quite apparent that the line has lost the swagger and talent it had the last few seasons when it was the premier run-stuffing unit of the league. Age can't be used as an excuse, as the only noticeably old player on the line is nose tackle Pat Williams, who has probably been literally the biggest liability in the run stopping corp. The linebackers didn't do anything to help them Sunday, as it seemed the Patriots runners were covered with Vaseline. It sounds simple: get to the quarterback often, and you will likely win the game. Somehow the Vikings have been stumped time after by this formula, and no variable they've tried using has produced the right answer.
After the toughest stretch of the season the Vikings finally have a break of some degree with the just as underachieving Arizona Cardinals coming to town. If the Vikings win Sunday, and they should, they have a decent chance to make a run with the two games after being against division rivals. However, in order for those games to matter they need to focus on Arizona and win in front of a restless crowd that will probably be calling for the head of its coach Brad Childress at any play stoppage.
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