Week 12 Thoughts

A Tie!

The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers played an extra quarter of football and still couldn't settle the score. 26-26 No one.

For the fourth time this season the Vikings have had a lead late in a game only to lose, and in this case to tie, the game. They keep those leads and they're 6-5 and in the thick of the NFC North race. Instead, the Vikings are 2-8-1 and in the race for the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

It's strange to see the Packers take the field without Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers.

Scott Tolzien took the field for the Packers. Matt Flynn took the field for the Packers for their second possession of the third quarter. He led the Packers back into the game.

The Vikings were feeling pretty good about themselves when they took a 23-7 lead early at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The Packers took a 7-0 lead on 6-yard touchdown run by Tolzien. Tolzien breaking the ankles of Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion with a spin move(!) was just sad. The Packers quarterback showed his athletic ability when his 6-inch vertical didn't get him close to a successful Lambeau Leap.

The Vikings defense has had a bunch of issues this but tackling has been, by far, the biggest.

Packers rookie running back Eddie Lacy took serious advantage of that poor tackling. Now, Lacy is looking better as the season moves along. He's a real challenge to get to the ground. The tackling has to be perfect. It wasn't and Lacy took advantage. The Packers really scored when they drafted the Alabama back in the second round. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers and Lacy running the way he's been running the Packers offense is scary. If they can get receiver Randall Cobb healthy, oh my.

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder played another decent game. Completing 21 of 30 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. He was three dropped passes away from having a very good game. Maybe, a great game. He threw a real nice deep pass to rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the fourth quarter. Patterson couldn't come down with the ball. It's a catch that should be made and needs to be made. In overtime, Ponder threw a pass to Patterson that would've/should've been a game-winning touchdown. It was tipped but Patterson can make that catch. He actually did catch the ball but the bobble took him out of the end zone. Instead of that game-winning touchdown pass the Vikings had to settle for a game-tying field goal. Later in overtime, Ponder threw a short pass to Greg Jennings that would've moved the chains. Jennings dropped the ball and the Vikings had to punt. Three passes away from a very good passing game and a win in Lambeau. This is perhaps the issue with Ponder. He has efficient passing games in a league that demands elite passing games. I think that the tools are there for him to creep closer to those elite passing games. He may not have them as often as many fans would like but with Adrian Peterson he doesn't have to. If he can avoid the mind-numbing mistakes that has truly plagued his 2+ years, I think that he can grow into a quarterback that can win in this league.

Adrian Peterson was a beast. Again. 32 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown. I sure do enjoy watching Peterson run. Vikings fans are truly blessed.

The Vikings finally gave Toby Gerhart some much deserved carries. Eight of them for 91 yards. It's tough to take Peterson off of the field but he does need a break on occasion. This game was a perfect example of what the Vikings can do when they convert some first downs. And, the defense can stop the opponents on a few third downs. They get more possessions and more plays. Peterson had 32 carries. Gerhart had eight. Ponder had thirty attempts. This game did go into overtime so there were some extra possessions. There should be carries out there for Gerhart. He ran great yesterday.

The first accepted penalty didn't occur until 3:47 was left in the first half. A false start call against the Packers.

The second penalty occurred about a minute later. It was a joke. Packers safety Morgan Burnett was called for a personal foul. Supposedly, he hit a defenseless Jerome Simpson. They bumped shoulders. It was about as violent as that. As a Vikings fan, the extra fifteen yards were nice. As a football fan, the flag should not have been thrown. The officials try to lean towards the safe side in their calls but some of these calls are simply ridiculous. The competition committee should make the targeting and hits on the quarterback calls reviewable.

Vikings rookie cornerback Xavier Rhodes played perhaps his best game. He had several terrific passes defensed. He had a leg injury or cramps in the second half. He returned to the game but seemed to play a little cautious or the coaches had him playing a little less aggressive. Rhodes is getting better each week. He may already be the Vikings top corner. His future is bright.

Opposite Rhodes, I wish that Chris Cook would stay healthy. When he's on the field he's effective. He's just not on it enough. People often bring up his lack of interceptions. He has zero in his three plus seasons. The interceptions will come. I'm more concerned about his ability to stay on the field. Cook is a free agent after this season. His inability to stay healthy should keep the cost to re-sign him down. I hope that the Vikings do. Cook and Rhodes could become one of the better young corner duos in the league.

Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has been fantastic as a kick returner. He leads the league in return average. He has two 100+-yard touchdown returns. He's a threat to run a great distance every single time that he touches the ball. He had his biggest presence of the season on offense yesterday. Eight catches for 54 yards. He was two dropped passes and a Ponder misfire from a huge game. Patterson is an electric football player. When his comfort in the offense catches up with his ability he'll be dynamite.

I've said it before and I'll say it for, at least, the next three weeks. The Vikings defense really misses safety Harrison Smith.

Ponder's touchdown pass went to second-year tight end Rhett Ellison. It was great to see. Ellison is one of those football players that does a lot of everything. He plays on all of the special team units. He blocks on the line. He blocks in the backfield. He catches some passes. He converts some first downs. He gets little attention but he's such an important part of so many aspects of the game for the Vikings. It was great to see him get that score.

"Ice up, son! Ice up."-Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith

The battle between Smith and New England Patriots corner Aqib Talib last Monday night was a game within the game. All games with Smith get a little feisty. Smith and Talib just got nasty with each other. For whatever reason, Talib thought that it would be a good idea to provoke Smith. It doesn't take much with the little receiver and Talib certainly went past it. Talib didn't finish the game. This prompted Smith's classic advice to "Ice up..."

Clips of a mic'ed up Richard Sherman against the Vikings last week have been popping up all over. It's funny that a player that never shuts up went very quiet when Vikings receiver Jarius Wright took him apart on a 38-yard touchdown.

The Seahawks defense leads the league in pass interference penalties. The defensive backs may also lead the league in suspensions with Walter Thurmond's recent 4-game hit.

I was stunned by the Arizona Cardinals 40-11 beat down of the Indianapolis Colts. The Cardinals have been playing great football recently and it's no fluke. I just didn't expect this. The Colts are still in good shape in their division but they are going through quite a rocky stretch. Slow starts in games are killing them.

Those Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't so shitty.

The Denver Broncos-New England Patriots game was a tale of two halves. The Broncos took the first 24-0. The Patriots took the second 31-7.

The Patriots might have entered the game at 7-3 but quarterback Tom Brady wasn't having anything close to his best season. He saved his best game for last night.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had his worst game. 150 yards on 36 attempts. That can't be a Peyton Manning stat line.

The Broncos' early defensive impact and a surprising emphasis on the run might have kept Manning from getting warm and comfortable in this game. I can't recall ever seeing him with only fourteen first half passes.

Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno's monster game might have keyed the dedication to the run. 37 carries for 224 yards!  He seemed to have some pep.

The San Francisco 49ers came into this season among the top four or five teams in the league. It's a surprise now to see them in a struggle to keep up with the Arizona Cardinals.