The Minnesota Vikings faced a tough task in New Orleans yesterday. The Saints entered their home opener at a surprising 0-2. Two tough losses for a Super Bowl contender. They defeated the Vikings 20-9 but it wasn't easy.
"We're not doing enough things to win games."
-Mike Zimmer
The Vikings defense was barely a speed bump on the Saints first two possessions. A blocked extra point by Everson Griffen was the lone defensive highlight. 13-0 and it looked ugly.
The Vikings defense settled down after those first two ugly drives.
The Vikings defense actually played pretty great after that. Outside of those two ugly drives (beautiful drives if you're on the Saints side of things), this was a very even game.
This game turned on a bullshit roughing(?) the passer penalty against the Vikings at the end of the third quarter. 3rd and 13 from the Saints 32-yard line. The Vikings blitzed Brees and the quarterback had no chance. Corner Captain Munnerlyn hit Brees and threw the tender QB on his back. Considering it throwing is a stretch as Munnerlyn was releasing Brees as both players were going backwards. With a mosh pit surrounding the action, Munnerlyn made a football play in a tackle football game. There was nothing excessive about it. Brees immediately jumped up to start his belly-aching so he was hardly impacted by this supposedly violent play. I suppose that Munnerlyn could have just stood there holding onto Brees as he fought to get free but that might have been judged to be excessive as well. Instead of punting from inside their own 20-yard line, the Saints were sitting pretty with a first down near midfield. The Saints took advantage of the official's kind gesture and continued their gifted drive to a touchdown and a 20-9 lead. It was the Saints only score of the game after their early offensive fireworks.
This game will likely be forever known to Vikings fans as the debut of Teddy Bridgewater. First round pick and expected franchise quarterback, Bridgewater entered the game about three minutes into the 2nd quarter. Starting quarterback Matt Cassel apparently broke his foot while scrambling at the end of the previous drive.
An indication of Bridgewater's debut performance might have been seen at the end of the game. Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan sought out the rookie quarterback. Ryan sent much of his defense at Bridgewater on several occasions. The kid stood in there, scrambled, and made some throws. On one play in particular, he displayed some elusiveness that I wasn't sure that he had. In the preseason and in this first real action, Bridgewater has shown a terrific ability to stay calm in the chaos of the pocket.
Bridgewater completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards. He came into the game cold, on the road, against an aggressive defense. He looked good. He certainly didn't look overwhelmed. Cassel is going to be out for a while. The Vikings are at home next week against the Atlanta Falcons. It will be good to see him after a week of first team reps and a game plan with him in it.
Cassel directed one scoring drive. Bridgewater directed two scoring drives. All three scoring drives ended in field goals. Field goals are nice but touchdowns are so much better. The three scoring drives ended at the 7, 12, and 22-yard lines. The Vikings have to punch those into the end zone.
The Vikings lost Cassel, guard Brandon Fusco, tight end Kyle Rudolph, and corner Josh Robinson to injuries in the game. Linebacker Chad Greenway entered the game with a broken hand. He started, played, and left the game with a rib injury. Those are heavy hits. Cassel is out for a while. Fusco has a pect injury. They need Fusco. He's quickly become their most dependable lineman.
It was great to see the Vikings put those first two Saints drives behind them and go from there. They were playing one of the best teams in the league and they played them pretty much evenly (after those two damn drives). All those things that they didn't do well early (tackling!) they did very well later. The improvements on defense were actually quite impressive. They could have used some turnovers.
Vikings rookie linebacker Anthony Barr got his first sack. I'm just waiting for him to start making game-turning plays on a regular basis. His extraordinary athletic ability is easily apparent. Once he figures out the game he'll be a dynamite defensive player.
One of the most remarkable things about Drew Brees is that he's done what he's done with the receivers that he has had over the years. Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and others have made plays over the years. That is mostly due to Brees' accuracy and patience with them. Collectively, they have some of the worst hands that I've ever seen on NFL receivers. It's pretty sad to see. Tight end Jimmy Graham has been Brees' best pass catcher for a while now. It took Graham a couple of years to adjust to the NFL but he's one of the best tight ends ever. Brees finally has an excellent pass catching receiver. Rookie Brandin Cooks. A first round pick out of Oregon State, Cooks is going to be a terrific playmaker for Brees. 8 catches yesterday for 74 yards. And, no drops. Unlike Colston. Even Graham had a ridiculous drop and he usuall catches everything.
The Saints were 9-13 on third down attempts. That sort of conversion rate often leads to wins. Those nine conversions were from 5, 9, 4, 16, 1, 7, 7, 10, and 11 yards. On 3rd and long, defenses have to get off the field.
Vikings losses always suck. This one doesn't feel as bad as most. Except for those first two Saints drives. My goodness, visions of those drives could make for sleepless nights for a while. The way the defense responded and the debut and play of Bridgewater make this loss feel more like a step forward than a step back.
Yep. DeSean Jackson is still an ass.
The difference that a week can make in the NFL is amazing. The New England Patriots were exposed in week one by the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots thumped the Vikings in week two, Yesterday, the Patriots had a rough day at home against a struggling Oakland Raiders team led by rookie quarterback Derek Carr. The Patriots won yesterday but who are they?
The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers checked their respective offenses at the dome door. Lions win 19-7. The Packers are probably a little surprised to be 1-2 but they are lucky to be only 1-2.
Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch hurt himself celebrating. He'll have an MRI on his knee tomorrow. Brilliant!
Speaking of offenses, the Washington Redskins have found some with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Robert Griffin III gets hurt and Cousins starts leading touchdown drives.
The Arizona Cardinals defeating the San Francisco 49ers 23-14 might not be a surprise. Even with Drew Stanton at quarterback for the Cardinals. Arizona is a tough place to play. What is a surprise is that quarterback Colin Kaepernick led the 49ers in rushing with 54 yards on 13 carries. The rest of the 49ers runners combined for 28 yards on 11 carries. Even when Kaepernick has run wild before, the backs at least made an impact of their own.
The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos played a more competitive game yesterday than they did in February. Overtime this time. Can't get much more competitive than that. A Marshawn Lynch touchdown run on the only possession of overtime won the game.
One of the great sites in all of football is a confused, stunned Pete Carroll. He looked just that way when Peyton Manning threw a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the game and then added the two-point conversion to tie it. Forcing overtime. Fortunately, I didn't see Carroll after Lynch's game-winning touchdown. Can't stand seeing that little elf bouncing around the field. These feelings are mostly due to the sleaze that he fostered at USC.
Through two games, the new Broncos defense had yet to truly make an impact. Things were a little bit different yesterday. It was the defense that triggered the comeback against the Seahawks. A safety and an interception got things going. The defense displayed a physicality, a toughness that was missing last year. Much of that toughness was on display on the safety. DeMarcus Ware hit Lynch in the backfield and Lynch was stopped cold. That doesn't happen often. A parade of Broncos defenders followed Ware. Each knocking Lynch back a little further. When he was finally on the ground, Lynch was about seven yards deep in the end zone.
It's Teddy Time in Minnesota!
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