Angered by a hit to Teddy Bridgewater’s head, the Minnesota Vikings steered their feelings toward another steely victory.
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Bridgewater, who prior to his concussion had thrown for 144-yards and rushed for a touchdown and two-point conversion, took a hard hit from St. Louis safety LaMarcus Joyner as he slid into the turf after a rushing play.
Many Vikings fans took Zimmer’s cue and suitable objected to the notion that someone would try to hurt another player.
I’ve watched the hit from Joyner over and over. The quarterback had taken a low hit from William Hayes on the Vikings’ previous drive, but referee Ron Torbert didn’t call a penalty with Bridgewater outside the pocket. And unnecessary is the flawless word. Bridgewater had committed to the slide before Joyner launched himself, shoulder-first, toward the helmet of the second-year quarterback out of Louisville.
Zuerlein made a 61-yard field goal with 10:55 left in the second quarter that was the longest field goal in franchise history and was the longest kick ever against the Vikings.
The Vikings (6-2) lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a concussion in the fourth quarter, but still managed to move into a tie for first place in the NFC North with Green Bay after the Packers lost in Carolina.
“I think a few of the players on that team are pretty cheap, to tell you the truth”, guard Brandon Fusco said. Zimmer hinted that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was a central figure in the New Orleans Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal, has a history of coaching his players to play dirty.
Vikings defensive end Brian Robison hopes his campaign for Linval Joseph goes better than the one he waged last season for Everson Griffen.
“I felt like we were going to need as many scoring opportunities as we possibly could”, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said.
On Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, Zimmer’s defense cooled off the hottest running back in the league, limiting rookie Todd Gurley to 89 yards rushing and one touchdown on 24 carries. He knows it’s a bang-bang play. Dropping a punt on the Vikings 23-yard line would no doubt help maintain momentum, right? Another questionable instance where the Rams did themselves a disservice was in the first quarter when they scored their first touchdown with 1:09 remaining in the first quarter and they elected to go for two instead of one. Both teams are still in with a good chance of making the Playoffs but they will both see today’s game as the type they should win if they are to maintain their push. “I kept working my moves and hit it when I needed to”. “And just because other teams don’t do it doesn’t mean we’re not going to do it”. The Rams’ Greg Zuerlein then kicked the tying field goal in the final seconds of regulation.
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“There wasn’t any time for nerves or anything like that”, said Hill, a 14-year veteran who began his career with the Vikings.
