Week 11 Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings' losing streak is over. Finally. Their fifth win was on October 9. Their sixth win was 42 days later. Four losses in between. Painful.

The Vikings hosted and defeated the Arizona Cardinals 30-24.

The Vikings sixth win was highlighted by a couple of long returns. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson opened the second half with a 104-yard kick return. Those were the highlights but the key to this Vikings win was their defense in the second half.

The Cardinals offense didn't do much in the second half. They couldn't do much in the second half. This was a great turn of events for the Vikings as the Cardinals offense did just about anything they wanted in the first half. The Vikings were fortunate to lead 20-17 at the half. A lead due mostly to that long interception return by Rhodes.

During the five-game winning streak to open the season the Vikings defense was dominant. During the four-game losing that followed the defense was still pretty good but there were some struggles. The second half against the Cardinals was more like the first five games. The Cardinals second half possessions looked like this:

1. 3 plays, 3 yards, punt
2. 3 plays, -5 yards, punt
3. 1 play, interception
4. 5 plays, 19 yards, punt
5. 6 plays, 27 yards, touchdown
6. 3 plays, -20 yards,
7. 8 plays, 6 yards, turn over on downs

That offensive explosion on the Cardinals fifth possession was ignited by their defense. Chandler Jones sacked Sam Bradford and forced a fumble. Deone Bucannon recovered that fumble on the Vikings 27-yard line. It was the only time in the second half that the Cardinals had any sort of opportunity to score. They took advantage and made it a one-score game with over seven minutes to play.

It looked like the Cardinals were going to get an excellent opportunity to threaten the Vikings lead with over two minutes to play. The Vikings had to punt from their own 15-yard line. That's when and where punter Jeff Locke became one of the heroes of the game. His punt was 52 yards in the air. Cardinals returner John Brown waived for the fair catch but opted not to catch it. The football bounded another 20 yards for a 72-yard boomer by Locke. Instead of excellent field position the Cardinals were forced to start from their own 13-yard line. The game should have been over four plays later when Carson Palmer threw incomplete while dealing with a heavy pass rush. Instead the Cardinals had some life when the officials called Tom Johnson for roughing the passer instead of allowing the football play that he made. It was a ridiculous call. Fortunately for the officials and my sanity the Cardinals desperate efforts ended five plays later on their own 34-yard line.

Speaking of the officials. The Vikings had a second half field goal drive that was supported largely by Cardinals penalties. It was the sort of penalty-fueled drive that looked like it could do serious damage to the continued heath of Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians. The three most significant penalties were personal fouls.

1. Roughing the passer, low hit by Markus Golden
2. Unnecessary roughness, Patrick Peterson hit Sam Bradford
3. Unnecessary roughness, Tony Jefferson hit to the head of Stefon Diggs

The most curious of these penalties was the unnecessary roughness call on Peterson. The Vikings lined up with running back Jerick McKinnon taking a direct snap from center. Bradford was split very wide of the formation and very much out of the action. Peterson took this opportunity to give the Vikings quarterback a little bit of business. By the letter of the rule book this might not be a penalty and it probably shouldn't have been called. The quarterback should be treated like any other player when he's lined up at another position. The reason that I can understand the official calling the penalty is the hit wasn't necessary and I really doubt that Peterson roughs up any other player in such a situation. He hit Bradford simply because he's the quarterback. There was no football reason for it. If the tables were turned and Xavier Rhodes was across from Carson Palmer, I'd rather see Rhodes involved in the play than taking an unnecessary shot at Palmer. Still, I can see why the color of Arians' face matched that of his jacket.

This was an entertaining, defensive game. There were some nice offensive moments in the first half, especially for the Cardinals, but the best performances came from the respective defenses. The Cardinals had 290 total yards. Nearly all of that was gained in the first half. The Vikings offense ran only 19 plays in the first half. The Cardinals had about twice that many.

Last spring the Vikings decided not to pick up the fifth-year option on Cordarrelle Patterson's rookie contract. They picked up those options on fellow 2013 first-round picks Sharrif Floyd and Xavier Rhodes but not Patterson. I have little doubt that the Vikings will try to re-sign Patterson before he becomes a free agent next offseason. He's been dynamite on kick returns for all of his 3.5 years with the team but until this season that's all that he's done. He's been helping the team in so many more areas this season. He's probably their most explosive offensive player. Good things tend to happen when the ball is in his hands. His 30-yard catch and run on third-and-short in the first half was their most explosive offensive play of the game. It set up their second touchdown a few plays later. Defenses have to pay particular attention to him so he's a factor even if he doesn't touch the ball. He's also been a terrific, sometimes game-changing, gunner this season. The Cardinals were particularly focused in not letting him change the game in that capacity.

Xavier Rhodes has played at a high level but under the radar for a couple of seasons. This is the sort of game that can change the "under the radar" part. Two interceptions, five tackles, a couple of passes defensed. The media loves big plays and that 100-yard touchdown return certainly qualifies. He's been shutting down top receivers all season. Actually he's been doing that for a couple of seasons.

Terence Newman usually starts opposite Rhodes. Trae Waynes got the start yesterday and played most, if not all, of the game. He was called for a couple of penalties in the first half that kept a Cardinals drive alive. Fortunately for the Vikings, and Waynes, that drive ended with Rhodes' interception return. Waynes still has some contact issues (he gets his hands on receivers a little too much) but his coverage is always tight. He's also makes a lot of plays against the run. He's played well when he's had opportunities. A lot of fans are down on him because Newman has been starting ahead of him. A first-rounder on the bench! That's inconceivable! Newman starting says far more about Newman than it does about Waynes. An illness caused Newman to miss some practice time last week. He played yesterday but it remains to be seen whether Waynes starting was due to that illness/missed practice time or whether there's been a change at the corner position. Waynes was going to start eventually. Maybe that time has come.

The Vikings offensive line certainly isn't fixed but they weren't terrible against a very good Cardinals front seven. Bradford had time to throw and there were some holes for the run game. There were still too many negative runs. On a few occasions a nice first down gain was followed by a loss of a few yards. Those sorts of plays can kill a drive before it starts. Overall, the offensive line play was improved. The Vikings even converted some third-and-shorts!

It's impossible to review a Cardinals game without gushing about running back David Johnson. He's so good. With his playing at Northern Iowa I didn't know much about him in college. It took a single run in a college all-star game to know that he had a bright NFL future. That's all it took. It was a 10-15-yard touchdown run. Over those 10-15 yards he showed subtle speed, incredible feet, and surprising power. The Cardinals might have found an all-time talent in the third round. There were stretches in the first half in which the Vikings defense looked helpless against him. He makes a significant impact in both the running game and the passing game. He's an incredible football player. One of the truly bright, young stars in the league.

Larry Fitzgerald is still great!

It's such a relief to finally get that sixth win. Now, the Vikings have to regroup quickly and get ready for a Thanksgiving date with the Detroit Lions. A game for first place in the NFC North.

***

There were some other games. 

The Cleveland Browns are 0-11. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers handed the Browns that 11th loss. The Steelers really needed this win. They had lost their previous four. Despite sitting at a modest 5-5 the Steelers are sitting in first place in the suddenly mediocre AFC North.

The Browns simply can't keep a quarterback healthy. So many have taken a snap this season. Cody Kessler started but didn't finish this game. He sustained his second concussion of the season. Browns head coach Hue Jackson said that Kessler's season could be over. Josh McCown, back from injury himself, replaced Kessler. Fortunately, maybe, for the Browns is that season-opening starter Robert Griffin III might be close to returning. 

Speaking of streaks, the Dallas Cowboys won their ninth straight game. A 27-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens kept it close in the first half. 10-10 at the half. The Cowboys took over in the second half. Running back Ezekiel Elliott has been the Cowboys engine for most of the nine game win streak. The Ravens did a decent job against him yesterday. They kept him under 100 yards. That's something! Elliott had 97 yards on 25 carries. A 3.9 average. No defense has come close to doing that sort of thing recently. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott more than made up for Elliott's "modest" day. Prescott completed 27 of 36 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns.

A couple of milestones were hit in this game. Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr. made his 1,000th career catch. Elliott broke Tony Dorsett's Cowboys rookie season rushing record. With six games to play Elliott should put quite a bit of distance between his record and the old record. 

The 2016 Detroit Lions hold the remarkable stat of winning five of their six games despite trailing in the fourth quarter. This time they trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-16 in the fourth quarter. Unlike most of their other unlikely wins this late deficit was very early in the fourth quarter. 

The Lions are a puzzle. They are 6-4 and tied for first in the NFC North but they are so close to being 0-10. The main reason they aren't is quarterback Matthew Stafford. He's often had some spectacular moments in his career but this season is by far his best. 

In recent weeks the Tennessee Titans had been playing like the team to beat in the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts had something to say about that yesterday. The Colts jumped out to a 21-0 lead before the game was 20 minutes old. Then they hung on for a 24-17 win. 

This was the Colts 11th-straight win in their series against the Titans. 

The Cincinnati Bengals entered this season with Super Bowl dreams. If it wasn't for the fact that they play in the surprisingly sad AFC North those dreams would only be dreams now. After their 16-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills the Bengals are now 3-6-1. That's quite a drop for a team that had made the playoffs the last five seasons. 

The Bengals lost receiver A.J. Green to a hamstring injury on the first possession of the game. That didn't help. Neither did two missed extra points. Make those and the Bengals could have won with a field goal at the end rather than a touchdown. They had that chance. 

The upset of the day goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Kansas City Chiefs have quietly been one of the best teams in the league this season. Offense, defense, special teams. They were doing just about everything right. Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston played one of his best games of the season. If he had led his team to touchdowns rather than field goals it would have easily been his best game. Winston completed 24 of 39 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers had to settle for four field goals. All four of which came from within the Chiefs 25-yard line. Three from inside the 20. 19-17 Buccaneers.

The New York Giants struggled to their fifth straight win with a 22-16 decision over the Chicago Bears. No other team in the league has struggled so much and had so much success. The Bears had a shot at the end but Giants safety Landon Collins put an end to that threat with an interception of Jay Cutler. 

Speaking of Landon Collins, he's been the best player on a solid Giants defense this season. His game-sealing interception of Cutler was his fifth in the last four games. 

Jared Goff, the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, got his first start for the Los Angeles Rams against the Miami Dolphins. The Rams defense didn't allow the Dolphins offense to do anything until their final two possessions. The Dolphins offense gained 240 yards in the game. 152 of those yards came on those final two possessions. Both ended in touchdowns. The Dolphins spoiled Goff's first start with a 14-10 win. 

The San Francisco 49ers probably thought that they had a shot against the New England Patriots. It was 13-10 Patriots at the half. It was still 13-10 entering the fourth quarter. The Patriots turned it on at the end. 30-17 Patriots. Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes. LeGarrette Blount ran for 124 yards. Rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell really stepped up with four catches for 98 yards including a 56-yard touchdown catch and run. 

The Seattle Seahawks are starting to roll. They took care of the difficult Philadelphia Eagles 25-15. The Eagles are a solid team but they really haven't been that difficult on the road. They are 1-5 away from Philadelphia. That represents all of the losses in their 5-5 record.

Under Pete Carroll the Seahawks have routinely started turning up their level of play about this point in the season. They seem to be doing just that this season. The scary thing about this season is that they had a fine start to lead up to their annual late surge. A fine start that was helped significantly by some fortunate breaks in several games. Charmed and good is a scary combination. 

The Washington Redskins put together another solid game in the Sunday nightcap. They handed the Green Bay Packers their fourth straight loss. 42-24.

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins was terrific. He completed several beautiful deep throws throughout the game. Several of which were into a stiff wind. A 44-yard touchdown to Jamison Crowder. A 70-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon. And a 53-yarder to Crowder that was stopped on the 1-yard line.

Despite the Redskins big plays, this game was still within the Packers with just over three minutes to play. The Packers hopes for a comeback ended when Redskins corner Josh Norman punched the ball out of tight end Jared Cook's hands. The Redskins recovered the loose ball. Three plays later the Redskins put the game out of reach with a touchdown.

The Cowboys might be the hottest team in the league but their division rivals aren't far behind. The Redskins are 6-1-1 since their 0-2 start.

Week 11 closes tonight in Mexico City with the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders.