Vikings look to avoid going 0-4 against winless Chiefs

Vikings vs. Chiefs

On December 14, 1974, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Fran Tarkenton and Bob Berry split the quarterback duties that day. Berry, surprisingly, was the more efficient player, completing 11 of 12 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns while Tarkenton was nine of 17 for 135 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Vikings wide receiver Sam McCullum was the star of the game, with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the lopsided result, the Vikes only lead 14-12 at halftime but outscored the Chiefs 21-3 in the second half. That game also marks the last time the Vikings won at Arrowhead.

But as the Vikings try to get a win in 2011 this Sunday in Kansas City, this losing streak isn’t as bad as it sounds. Minnesota has only played in Arrowhead three times since winning there in 1974 and they’ve lost each game by a field goal. It’s not like the Chiefs home stadium is a house of horrors for the Vikings.

The 0-3 Vikings are also facing a Chiefs team that is hurting even worse than they are. You probably know about the injuries. Running back Jamaal Charles, safety Eric Berry, tight end Tony Meoaki – all gone for the season. The Chiefs top cornerback Brandon Flowers may also miss this game with a knee injury. And the Kansas City players still standing aren’t doing so hot. Starting quarterback Matt Cassel has the league’s worst QB rating and is averaging a weak 5.2 yards per pass attempt. The Chiefs haven’t even had a lead at any point in their three losses.

So the team that can’t get a lead hosts the team that can’t hold a lead. What a matchup.

My head tells me the Vikings should get their first win at Arrowhead in almost 40 years on Sunday. They may be 0-3 but have been more competitive in their losses than the Chiefs have. But the Vikings playing on the road and on grass always worries me. I have a few other concerns.

Will the Vikings defence be able to snuff out the short passes to tight ends and running’s backs that have killed them in their second half collapses this season? (This has always been the Achilles heel of the Vikings Tampa Two defensive philosophy). Can Donovan McNabb elevate his play and make up for a receiving corps that’s been average at best? Will Bernard Berrian continue to be the invisible man? Can the Chris Cook and Cedric Griffin prevent Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe – a big, fast man – from making the kind of game changing plays Detroit’s Calvin Johnson – another big, fast man – made against them last week?

With so many key Chiefs players out with injuries, the Vikings should win this game. Both teams are 0-3. Both teams have to be desperate. But I’ll take the desperate home team against the desperate visiting team in this one.

Chiefs 20 Vikings 17

Other Worries
* The Vikings haven’t been a very disciplined team this year.

This is a strange early trend. It’s been said teams often take on the personalities of their head coach. When you look at Leslie Frazier on the sidelines during games, it’s difficult to tell if he has a pulse, that’s how stoic he is. So why are the Vikings taking so many dumb penalties?

* ESPN NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert isn’t optimistic that working on Donovan McNabb’s mechanics will improve his accuracy.

I agree. Throwing accuracy seems to be one of those things that can’t be improved at the NFL level. I’ve watched McNabb play for years when he was with Philadelphia and he’s always had stretches in games where it looks like he’s trying to kill some ants. But at 35, with average receivers and a bad offensive line to work with, his accuracy issues are magnified. Without better personnel around him, which he is not going to get in 2011, I don’t think this is a problem that can be solved.

The Peterson thing
I’ll end this post by discussing the issue of why Adrian Peterson was “ignored” in the second half of the Detroit loss. Both Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have said this week that they should have gone to Peterson more in the second half. But could they have done so? Let’s look at how the Vikings six offensive drives in the second half evolved by consulting CBS Sportsline’s play-by-play feature.

Drive #1:
1-10-MIN 20: A.Peterson left guard to MIN 22 for 2 yards.
2-8-MIN 22: D.McNabb scrambles left end, ran out-of-bounds at MIN 25 for 3 yards.
3-5-MIN 25: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to B.Berrian. Penalty on MIN, Illegal Shift, declined.
4-5-MIN 25: Vikings punt.

Drive #2
1-10-MIN 24: D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to V.Shiancoe. Penalty on MIN-C.Johnson, Illegal Formation, declined.
2-10-MIN 24: D.McNabb sacked at MIN 17 for -7 yards. FUMBLES, recovered by MIN-P.Loadholt at MIN 16.
3-18-MIN 16: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short left to M.Jenkins.
Vikings punt.

Drive #3
1-10-MIN 20: D.McNabb pass short middle to A.Peterson to MIN 23 for 3 yards
2-7-MIN 23: A.Peterson right tackle to MIN 29 for 6 yards.
3-1-MIN 29: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short left to P.Harvin.
Vikings punt.

Drive #4
1-10-DET 37: A.Peterson right end to DET 23 for 14 yards. PENALTY on MIN-M.Jenkins, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at DET 37 - No Play.
1-20-DET 47: D.McNabb pass short middle to P.Harvin to DET 26 for 21 yards.
1-10-DET 26: A.Peterson up the middle to DET 27 for -1 yards.
2-11-DET 27: A.Peterson left end to DET 25 for 2 yards.
3-9-DET 25: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to M.Jenkins to DET 17 for 8 yards.
4-1-DET 17: T.Gerhart up the middle to DET 17 for no gain.

Drive #5
1-10-MIN18: D.McNabb pass incomplete deep middle to J.Kleinsasser.
2-10-MIN18: A.Peterson left end to MIN 14 for -4 yards.
3-14-MIN 14: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep right to B.Berrian.
Vikings punt

Drive #6
1-10-MIN 17: D.McNabb pass short middle to A.Peterson to MIN 24 for 7 yards. Penalty on DET-C.Williams, Defensive Offside, declined.
2-3-MIN 24: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to M.Jenkins to MIN 28 for 4 yards. 1-10-MIN 28: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to M.Jenkins to MIN 41 for 13 yards.
1-10-MIN 41: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to A.Peterson to MIN 44 for 3 yards.
2-7-MIN 44: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass deep right to K.Rudolph to DET 36 for 20 yards.
1-10-DET 36: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short right to D.Aromashodu to DET 31 for 5 yards.
2-5-DET 31: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short right to D.Aromashodu.
3-5-DET 31: (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep right to B.Berrian.
4-5-DET 31: R.Longwell 49-yard field goal is GOOD, Center-C.Loeffler, Holder-C.Kluwe.

Okay, that’s a lot to take in, but look closely at the down-and-distance situations the Vikings faced and what Peterson did with the carries he got. Two yards here, minus four yards there, a 14-yard run wiped out by a holding penalty, and the Vikings final drive was one where they had to throw the ball to get a tying score and didn’t have time to grind it out on the ground.

You can argue the Vikings should have given the ball to Peterson on the third-and-one on the second drive. They definitely should have given it to him on the fourth-and-one on the fourth drive. But you can only get Peterson more carries if the offence is moving the ball and picking up first downs. The Vikings were unable to do that in the second half against the Lions, and Peterson (with a lot of assistance from his brutal offensive line) contributed to that with runs that produced either minimal gains or negative gains.

When you’re facing second-and-10s and third-and-nines, which the Vikings offence was against the Lions, it makes it hard to hand it off to Peterson. So the Vikings offensive unit isn’t magically going to get better if Peterson runs the ball 80 per cent of the time (Wasn’t that the criticism of the Vikings in the loss to San Diego? Musgrave was too predictable in his play calls, giving the ball to Peterson on first down too often?)

The offensive line needs to pass and run block much better. The backs, tight ends and receivers have to do a better job of getting open. McNabb needs to throw fewer passes at the feet of open pass catchers. Musgrave needs to be more creative in getting the ball to studs like Peterson and Percy Harvin. Solving the Vikings offensive woes will require more than just getting Peterson more touches.