Typically, the media is writing this win off. The Vikings are not a popular team this year. They were predicted to be one of the better teams in the league, and have shown that, more or less, they are just another middle-of-pack group. ESPN.com's headline for the game said the game was won on a questionable call, while the same site's Last Call claimed the Vikings were outplayed for a second straight week.
If you read my post last week concerning the Saints-Vikings Monday Night Football match up, you understand that I don't really buy that the Saints "outplayed" the Vikings. And this week, I feel even stronger that the Vikings were not outplayed. Although the Lions definitely showed up on Sunday, the Vikings basically dominated most of the game, stopping now and then to hand over the ball or fail on a scoring chance. Please refer to the game's box score for the bulk of the substantiation for my argument. Note that the Lions had eight first downs and only 212 total yards. And, yes, most of it came on one play, but Frerotte did throw for 296 yards.
On a positive note, Minnesota's defense continues to look like one of the best in the league. Kevin Williams had one of the most incredible individual performances by a defender in recent memory. Four sacks from the tackle position? Unreal. David Herron filled in admirably for E.J. Henderson (when he wasn't limping off the field), but there does seem to be a difference in the rush defense since the middle backer went out. With Henderson on the field, outside runs were getting strung out, and E.J. was tackling runners behind the line of scrimmage. With Herron, the same plays are being strung out, and the runner is gaining two or three yards. Most teams would love to have that "problem." Nonetheless, it is a credit to Henderson to note that he was a huge part of why teams struggle so much to run against Minnesota.
Watch any NFL game and notice that some of the most frustrating plays for a defense are 3rd down conversations. And notice, also, that a lot of conversions come on dump offs to running backs. Five or six years ago the Vikings defense gave up an infuriating number of first downs this way. Today, I have no qualms saying the Vikings are the best team in the league at containing running backs catching the ball out of the backfield. It may seem an unsubstantial angle on the game, but these plays keep drives alive and sometimes pick up huge chunks of yardage. But the Vikings linebackers are so quick, and the defensive backs such able tacklers, that even in short yardage situations, teams have no guarantees against this defense.
The Vikings probably should not feel great after this win, but they should feel great about being 3-3. The reality of the situation is that no matter how ugly it was, the outcome was a victory, and they can only look forward to next week. I expect both Minnesota and Chicago to show up next Sunday, and for the first time in almost a month, the Vikings to eliminate the sloppy plays that are weighing them down.
No comments:
Post a Comment