Bounce Back Against the Bungals

Sunday was an exciting day for fans of the Vikings. The purple decided that they wanted to show up and they did so in a big way. In a 180 degree flip of the performance shown against the Cardinals the week before, the Vikings beat the Cincinatti Bengals 30-10 in dominating fashion. No individual offensive stats were sensational by any means, but the collective effort got the job done.

The big story was the Minnesota defense. They held Carson Palmer to just 94 yards and one score on 15/25 passing. They only sacked Palmer once all game, courtesy of Brian Robison, but Antoine Winfield finally returned to the field and return to the field he did. He led the team in tackles with 9 and he forced a fumble which led to a Ryan Longwell field goal to end the first half. He was a bit sluggish at times and that’s to be expected after how much time he missed, but his open-field tackling back in action was an excellent change of pace from the missed tackles we’ve seen in his absence.

The Vikings defense did, however, allow 119 yards on the ground, 96 of those Cedric Benson on just 16 carries. If it weren’t for the 11 Bengals penalties for 85 yards, maybe this game would have been closer. The Bengals were forced to throw early and often, both in the game and in each set of downs. Maybe Antoine Winfield being out was somewhat of a good thing, at least for the younger secondary players that had to step up and try to fill that void. They had a lot of on-the-field time to improve and that helps when the Vikings go into a a defensive scheme with extra defensive backs.

Rookie S Jamarca Sanford played well in the absence of Tyrell Johnson and was 2nd on the team in tackles on Sunday with 6 total. This bodes well for Brad Childress, who recently received that nice little contract extension, as every one of his draft picks this year have made an impact this season. Percy Harvin, who didn’t play due to migraines, has obviously been outstanding as has OT Phil Loadholt. But, Asher Allen, Jasper Brinkley, and Sanford have all seen playing time due to veteran injuries and have used their chance to play effectively. Each one has improved throughout the season and all of them have bright futures in the NFL.

Adrian Peterson didn’t run for a large total of yards, but he did run in for two scores which gives him 14 on the season. Why is that important? Well, it helped the Vikings win, but it also gives Adrian Peterson the franchise single-season rushing TD record. Congratulations to Adrian for getting the job done and living up to the high expectations fans set for him.

Enough talk about the game, because honestly, I’m very sorry I didn’t write about it sooner but I’m sure most of you are already thinking of this next week and so am I. The Vikings already clinched a playoff spot but they can clinch the division with a win on Sunday or a Packers loss due to the head to head tie-breaker. The Vikings will know the result of the Packers game before they play the Panthers in North Carolina on Sunday night. It’s one fo the first times I will ever be cheering on the Steelers, but honestly, I don’t think I need to. I think the Vikings can beat the Panthers on the road and they will clinch the division by themselves. If they happen to win to clinch the division, they can also clinch a first-round bye with a Philadelphia loss. A lot of scenarios are possible, and that’s why this is always my favorite time of the year. Enjoy the week folks, and look for a sweet game preview coming your way soon!

Nice leap AP!

Tags: Adrian Peterson, Antoine Winfield, bengals, Brett Favre, brian robison, carson palmer, cedric benson, jamarca sanford, NFL, Vikings