The Vikings were deal unkind circumstances early Sunday morning when buildup from snowfall caused the roof of the Metrodome to collapse. The game against the New York Giants was moved to Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. Brett Favre's streak of consecutive games started came to an end due to injury, leaving Tarvaris Jackson thrust into the primary role against an intimidating Giants defensive unit. The Vikings were befuddled by the Giants defense, unable to build any kind of momentum, and in the end the Giants won 21-3.
One can easily guess the Vikings offense had a poor day when they notice running back Adrian Peterson had only 26 yards on the ground. Peterson has been the foundation on which any Vikings offensive success is built, and he was not able to carry the team on Monday. However, Peterson's trouble was certainly not a reflection on his ability, as the Giants were able to stack the box against a quarterback that has struggled in most of the opportunities the Vikings have given him. The pass rush of the Giants dominated the evening. Tarvaris' mobility, something usual starter Brett Favre lacked, gave him no advantage, as he was often left holding the ball too long after finding no open receivers. The absence of burner Percy Harvin didn't help matters, leaving Jackson with Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe and a group of below-average receivers. The offensive line can't really be blamed for the offensive performance, as they were protecting a QB who was in his first start of the year against one of the premier defenses in the NFL. The Vikings were given plenty of chances early in the game, thanks to early Eli Manning interceptions, but were unable to do much with them. The defenders of New York made sure of that.
Running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw tore throw the Vikings, each amassing over 100 yards and a touchdown. Jacobs got most of his yards on a powerful 73-yard run, while Bradshaw had a 48-yard scamper of his own, a touchdown making the score 21-3 and all but sealing the Vikings fate. New York quarterback Eli Manning started out slow with two interceptions but eventually settled into a rhythm, connecting with tight end Kevin Boss on a 6-yard touchdown pass right before the half expired. Hakeem Nicks was Manning's favorite target Monday, racking up 96 yards on 7 receptions. On the Vikings' side, Kevin Williams and Jared Allen had nice games. Williams made several great tackles for loss in the Giants backfield, and Allen continued his sack streak, making it six games in row in which he has gotten to the quarterback. Nonetheless, the rest of the Vikings defenders were able to corral the backs of the Giants, and New York's ability to build a lead allowed their pass rush to pin their ears back against a vulnerable Vikings offense.
The Giants simply looked like the better team Monday night. Both teams dealt with travel issues over the weekend, and it appears the Giants handled it better. The postseason is out of the picture for the Vikings now, and with the next two games against strong playoff contenders it looks like they may have problems even reaching .500 before the end of the season.
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