The Vikings reversed a trend in Sunday’s 24-21 road win over the Carolina Panthers. Outside of a 39-10 licking against Chicago, the Vikings have been pretty consistent this season; they’ve played well in the first half of games and been brutal in the second half.
But despite being tied 14-14 at halftime in this game, you couldn’t say the Vikings had played well up to that point. Cam Newton was moving the Panthers down the field easily. Viking-killer Steve Smith was abusing Asher Allen. Adrian Peterson was being smothered and Christian Ponder couldn’t find anyone open. If not for two sweet strip sacks forced by E.J. Henderson and Jared Allen, the Vikings probably would have been shut out in the first half against the Panthers and on their way to loss #7.
So the Vikings actually came out and played a pretty strong second half of football for a change. The defence got some stops on Newton. The Vikings running game got going and Ponder – as he did last week against the Packers – made some key third down conversions. Minnesota also got lucky when Panthers kicker Olindo Mare missed the tying field goal (incredibly, that’s the first time an opposing kicker has missed a field goal against Minnesota all year.) It all made for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon for Vikings fans – a rare road win and a victory with the quarterback of the future at the helm.
I have no idea if this performance means this team is set to surge in the last eight games and avoid the franchise’s worst season since the 3-13 debacle in 1984. But a tough win on the road in a year where so much has gone wrong is a fine way to go into the bye week and a positive sign for this team – even if it might hurt their draft position.
A few other observations
Christian Ponder: The rookie built on a promising first start against the Packers with his play on Sunday. He’s not scrambling as much as I thought he would. But he looks much more composed than I could have hoped for and he has shown a knack for converting on third downs – something his predecessor Donovan McNabb could not do.
His accuracy on deep throws needs to improve, but an 18 for 28 and 236 passing yards stat line is solid for a guy’s second NFL start. And it’s what Ponder didn’t do in this game that I liked as much as what he did do. He didn’t take silly sacks. He didn’t bounce passes in front of open receivers. He didn’t turn the ball over trying to make something out of nothing. He didn’t look flustered or frustrated once during a first half when the Vikings offence couldn’t get much going. The Vikings look like they have something to build on here. I’m probably getting way ahead of myself, but I see a promising future for this team again with Ponder behind center.
Adrian Peterson: I’ve been wondering all year why offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave hasn’t gotten Peterson more involved in the passing game. If your wideouts can’t get open, throwing a few screens to your best offensive player seems like a wise thing to do. Today, with the running game getting nothing done in the first half, Musgrave did that, using shovel passes and screens to get the ball into the hands of Peterson, who was the Vikes leading receiver. I hope this happens more often during the second half of the season.
Percy Harvin: He probably needs the bye week more than any other Viking. He’s always banged up. But I loved it when he got that 15-yard personal foul for rag dolling Carolina safety Captain Munnerlyn into the Panthers bench. Some would say it was a stupid penalty on Harvin’s part. What it showed me was Harvin was going to keep fighting and that he wasn’t going to be intimidated on the road. The Vikings could use more guys with that kind of attitude. I also love it when Musgrave lines him up in the backfield. Good things happen when Harvin has the ball.
Husain Abdullah: I don’t mind Abdullah as a player, but he’s had a couple of tough weeks in pass coverage. And when Carolina tight end Greg Olsen beat him easily for a 39-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, I thought the rout might be on. But the Vikings stuck with it and so did Abdullah. With the Vikings defence needing someone to make a play on the final drive, Abdullah did that. His sack of Cam Newton should have sealed the win. Yet when the Panthers managed to get down to the Vikes 14-yard line on the same drive, Abdullah broke up what would have probably been a game-winning touchdown catch to Olsen. Two plays later, Mare missed the tying field goal. Give Abdullah credit for staying with it and not losing his confidence.
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