Sunday, November 09, 2008

Adrian Peterson

The 192 yards was his third highest single game total: last season he rushed for 224 yards against the Bears and 296 yards against the Chargers.  But those games were displays of Peterson's awesome abilities.  He ripped off long run after long run with a glimmering smile.  Those games showed us he is special.

But this game was different.  The awesome talent was certainly on display once again.  But against the Packers, Peterson willed the Vikings to a victory.  He became the offensive leader of a team, taking over the game when the team needed him to.  The play-by-play of the Vikings' final scoring drive displays the dominance not just of Peterson's talent, but his competitive presence.  There was one important five yard pass to Bobby Wade on 3rd and 1.  Other than that, it's Peterson for 4 yards, Peterson for 5 yards, Peterson for 2 yards, a pass to Peterson for 16 yards, a pass to Peterson for 8 yards, and finally a touchdown run by Peterson for 29 yards.  It was Peterson's drive.  

And ultimately, it was Peterson's game.  It was a sloppy game that the Vikings both should have won by 20 and should have lost.  It was a game featuring a smothering performance by Viking pass rushers, consistently stymieing Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense.  The defense was spectacular, controlling, constantly pressuring the quarterback, even as Gus Frerotte did all he could to lose the game.  But when we think back on this game, we'll think of Peterson making up for his 4th and 1 fumble by taking the Vikings down the field to score the go-ahead touchdown.  It will be Adrian Peterson driving piles with the strength of his desire to win.  It will be Adrian Peterson cutting back across the field with dazzling runs.  It will be Peterson's 225 yards from scrimmage carrying the Vikings to their first victory over the Packers since 2005.

10 comments:

  1. If the Vikings would have lost that game, Brad Childress would have had no one to blame but himself. By that statement I mean it would have been totally because of his blind trust in Tarvaris Jackson at QB and not getting a bonified backup QB. Gus almost cost us that game by not doing what he is supposed to do (game manage and not turn the ball over)

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  2. This game was hard to watch. Defense was spectacular, Peterson dominating. Berrian didn't get any chances to be a factor, Frerrotte was basicaly playing for the other team. The interceptions hurt, but the wide open other players on those drives was what hurt the most. Pack brough pressure, and I felt we handled it pretty well (for viking's standards), but Gus just wasn't on his game, he was way off it.

    Chilly again making some poor calls as I felt like the Packers knew exactly what offensive play was coming. They stacked the line when we ran and they played off when we passed. At least I was surprised on defense, I really was guessing wrong on what we were doing, props to Frazier for that.

    Where does this put us on the season? We're still stuck with Chilly, and we're tied for first with a team I feel we can pound in the thunderdome. Our schedule isn't very tough, I think we have to win at least 4 games to have a shot at playoffs, and 2 of those wins HAVE TO be against the bears and lions to give us a 4-2 division record. We'll probably end up tying the bears or packers to for the division (best case scenario) so we need to get the tie breakers. I think Tampa, Jacksonville, and Atlanta are all definately win-able games for us. Just think what this team could look like with an offense that doesn't turn over the ball and special teams that tackles people...

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  3. 40 runs to 30 passes (and one kneeldown). Who's that new guy coaching the team who looks like Brad Childress?

    (Captcha is "woremba," which kinda sounds like the sound I made when Crosby missed the FG.)

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  4. I want to savor this win before thinking too far ahead, but briefly:

    For the Vikes to get to 10 wins, they must:

    1. win their remaining home games (possible, though difficult: remaining home games against the Bears, Falcons, and Giants).

    2. win at Detroit's dome (probably, but not guaranteed).

    3. win one more road game (their remaining road opponents are the Bucs, Jags, and Cards: I think the Cards are the best chance.

    Looking at that, I think it will be difficult. For the Vikings to win 10 games, they have to play better than they have been. They've been in a lot of close games (7 of 9 games have had a final margin of a touchdown or less), hence a 5-4 record that could be better but could be worse. If you play a bunch of close games, you're probably going to lose as many as you win. If the Vikes keep playing close games, they'll have around 8 wins (7 or 9 depending on luck).

    I want to see the Vikings beat somebody by 10-14 points. I want to see them get some well-played, controlled wins. To do that, they have to eliminate the fumbles and interceptions, and they can't give up any more special teams touchdowns. They're capable of some dominating victories, but they keep playing close games because of the turnovers and special teams touchdowns.

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  5. Anonymous5:19 AM

    Packer fan here. We played in Tennessee last week and the Titans' highly-rated d-line pretty much outplayed our o-line. In the Metrodome, our o-line got stomped. That's one awesome defense the Vikings have.

    I thought Frazier called an amazing game; our o-line was out-thought as well as outfought. I can't remember a pass play where at least one member of our line wasn't blown out of the play.

    It's also kind of unusual to see linebackers who don't miss on tackles; do you have any spare?

    Frerotte was terrible though. I don't think the Packers got much pressure on him at all, but he began wobbling as though they did. His throws were repeatedly low and behind the intended receiver. Nick Collins seemed to anticipate a number of his throws; was he keying in on receivers?

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  6. As for the games the vikings have to win or can win, I do not think we can beat the Giants, even at home. You think the Vikings blitzed well today? That would be considered a low day for the Giants D-line.

    Here's my prediction on the rest of the season:

    Tampa (away) L - I think we play well but the williams suspension hurts us here

    Jacksonville (away) W - Jags have suffered all season, we beat them in another ugly win

    Chicago (home) W - we get our sweet revenge and win

    Detroit (away) W - joke

    Arizona (away) W - another ugly win, but we come away with it because we have to

    Atlanta (home) W - Matt Ryan is a badass, but we end up shutting them down somehow, another must win for us

    NY Giants (home) L - I don't think we have a chance at beating this team and the vikings get a wakeup call to the intensity that the NFC East will bring in the post season.

    I'm optimistic, but odds are we'll blow one of these games that we SHOULD win with either interceptions or on special teams. That's the reality. It's do-able, but we're making too many piss-poor mistakes to really solidify a post-season slot.

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  7. Packer fan, I agree with the praise for Frazier. It wasn't just that the Viking pass rushers played excellent; it was also that Frazier consistently made calls to allow for a rush to frazzle Rodgers.

    Frerotte had a lot of time to throw, but then the GB secondary is very good--I didn't expect the MN WRs to be very effective. But Frerotte's INTs were just awful. Two of them looked identical: Gus looked for a deep throw, and when it wasn't there, he threw a pass over the middle without really looking long, and thus threw inaccurate passes and didn't see the DB there. The best thing Frerotte could have done all game was either just chuck it deep or check it down to a RB. When he tried to do anything else it was a disaster.

    And here's where I'd disagree with Pastor Justin: Gus Frerotte is not a game manager, and has never been a game manager. He's a QB that's going to look to take shots downfield, and he's a QB that throws INTs in bunches when he's throwing them. Even knowing that, he seems like a better QB right now than Tarvaris Jackson--but the turnovers make it debatable.

    But once again, the pass rush was the reason the Vikings should have won by a lot. They completely took Rodgers out of any productive play, either by sacking him, or making him hurry throws, by hitting him, by making him skittish. I thought once again turnovers and special teams were going to cost the defense a well-earned win. Luckily Adrian Peterson took over.

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  8. Anonymous9:36 AM

    Well that was on of the most frustrating wins I have watched. I do not like Ferrotte and was not happy when we picked him back up. The guy is past his prime and should be retired from football. 3 interceptions most of the time means a loss. Our defense and Adrian Peterson saved us. We need to get even a mediocre QB or let Booty play some. I am happy we won but still frustrated at how pathetic our air game is. Kings got revenge on the T-Wolves Friday, that was nice to watch!

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  9. Anonymous10:21 AM

    Meanwhile that Thigpen kid is looking pretty good...

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  10. Anonymous10:59 AM

    Thigpen was another Childress mistake, letting him get away.
    Ferotte is our only option right now.
    Interesting how when the Packers took the lead they show the fans in the crowd. Most of them drove less distance than the Vikings fan drive to the games!

    A win is a win!

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