Is the Minnesota Vikings season over?
Is the Minnesota Vikings season over?
The air in Mall of America Field in Minneapolis, MN was a mixed bag of apprehension, excitement and worry along with a dose of contempt. Once again Minnesota Vikings fans poured into what used to be the Metrodome, hoping for a victory and an end to a 4 week losing streak. The first half of the game started out with a bang, silencing some members of the crowd who were booing McNabb, a result of his poor performance over the last month. Adrian Peterson showed the NFL why he is worth a $100-million contract as he pounded the Cardinals defensive line and linebackers over and over again as he scored 3 touchdowns in the first quarter. The Vikings remained hot throughout the remainder of the half, with the Vikings defense effectively shutting down Arizonas defense, and the half ended with the score 28-3. The second half did not start off well at all for the Vikings offense, and the quarterback especially, with several botched throws and pulling back on Peterson. This quieted the crowd who were starting to see yet another double digit half time lead blown apart. The offense was limited to scoring twice, both times field goals. However the defense was able to hold onto the lead this time and kept the Cardinals to scoring 7 points(also thanks to a penalty that called back a TD pass). The game ended 28-10, with the Vikings losing streak finally over, and answered numerous questions about the Vikings, but obvious problems remain. What exactly have the Vikings learned and what problems remain?
The Vikings did one thing differently during the first half that they should have been doing since Week 2, when the passing game was shown to be full of holes in Week 1: the ran Adrian Peterson over and over again. It is no secret that AP is one of the best runningbacks in the NFL, and he showed his skills again last Sunday. Showing his speed, agility and plain old toughness, Adrian Peterson turned the Cardinals defensive line and linebackers into his personal crash dummies. Scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter was what won the game for the Vikings. AP is the biggest weapon that they have, and he needs to be utilized more. Developing the offense around the run game, and throwing passes to break up the pattern, will lead to more Vikings points and wins.
Typically the Vikings will have a decent passing game, augmented by the ground game. The offenses lead by Brett Farve and Randall Cunningham,and back even to Fran Tarkenton, made great use of this strategy. However, with the current quarterback, Donovan McNabb and receivers like Bernard Berrian, the game in the air has effectively been grounded due to maintenance problems. McNabb, while his QB rating is currently at an 80.0, is struggling to connect with his receivers, with a 56.8% completion rate. However, this is not new for McNabb. For all of his career his completion rate has been rather low, which calls for receivers to be more mobile and looking for poor passes.
However, the receiver corps has not been productive as well. Percy Harvin, arguably the Vikings number one receiver since Sydney Rice left for Seattle, has only had 18 receptions for 183 yards and no TDs. Bernard Berrian, his back up, has had two catches for 37 yards and no TDs. Fortunatly, the other two major receivers, Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu, are showing promise with numerous catches and three TDs between the two. TE Visanthe Shiancoe is also producing well, for a TE, with 11 catches for 114 yards and 1 TD. These low numbers may seem to be mostly the result of poor passing from the quarterback, but the receivers need to be more flexible and mobile to catch these passes and produce.
Like the offense, the Minnesota defense has been having excellent first halves and below poor second halves. However, the defense that showed up on Week 5 seemed to have been breathed new life. The Vikings defensive line, even without the legendary Pat Williams, is still a unit to be feared throughout the NFL. Jared Allen is leading the NFL with 8.5 sacks this season and is on pace to make his 100th career sack this year. In five games,the Vikings defense has held opposing offenses to 386 yards in the run. however, they have allowed 1359 yards to receivers. The Vikings secondary remains to be an achilles heel to the defense, and teams have not been shy to exploit that weakness. While they have shown improvement over the season so far, they are going to need to keep improving in order to keep winning. Chris Cook and Antoine Winfields replacement – while Winfield is injured – Asher Allen, have been showing the most promise. Cook did cery well against Larry Fitzgerald during the Cardinals game by limiting him to only 4 receptions, 66 yards and no touchdowns.
What seems to be the biggest question in Minnesota is the weakness of the quarterback position, and how long Donovan McNabb will be the starting quarterback. Fortunatly, McNabb has only improved since Week 1 against the Chargers, but he couldnt have gotten worse. However, McNabb, statistically speaking, has kept up with his career numbers, and with a QB ranking of 80.0, he could be considered an average quarterback. But this team desperatly needs a better than average quarterback if they want to win a Superbowl within the next five years. Many fans and media outlets are calling for McNabb to be benched and for Ponder to get his chance at starter. While Leslie Frazier would not be able to justify benching his veteran quarterback for a rookie after coming off of a big win, the Vikings do need to see what the rookie is made of. By the end of the season, and if a drought of wins continues to plague the Vikings, look for the rookie to usurp the current starter. By throwing Ponder feet first in the fire, they will be able to see whether or not the kid has the guts to play in the NFL.
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With a record of 1-4, and with two teams in their division that are undefeated, the season does not look promising for the Vikings. Detroit and Green Bay will be at the top of the list for the division title and wild card at the end of the season, and baring some unforeseen tragedy, like losing Stafford or Rogers fr the season, the Lions and Packers will likely remain hot. However, all is not lost for the Vikings, as the fat lady hasnt sung yet, she is warming up, but hasnt come on stage yet. The Vikings could still come out with a tied, or even a winning season, though it is a long shot. The Vikings will more than likely end up 7-9 for the season, and 1-5 for the division.
Sources:
1. Minnesota Vikings Website
2. The National Football League
3. Bleacher Report: Minnesota Vikings
John Muraski –
Don’t worry about the unchangeable, instead, worry about the things you can change, and change it for the better.
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