“In the first game, things are always a little weird”, said Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who had a fourth-quarter interception nullified because of a penalty.
Advertisement
Its fourth-down stop with 23 seconds left in the game preserved a victory in which the offense struggled with basic communication and couldn’t finish off a pair of key drives with touchdowns. Quarterback Shaun Hill, who replaced Teddy Bridgewater late last night after Bridgewater suffered an ACL tear on August 30, collected 236 yards on 18-of-33 passing but also missed at least two wide open receivers on deep passes.
Minnesota’s 25-16 decision had more to do with its defense than an offense that saw its prized young quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, go down for the season with an ACL tear on a non-contact play in practice on August 30.
“Everybody could have done better, but I think that kind of shows the drive that he has and the way he works”, he added. “I’ve never been in a game where you have (not) one turnover, but two for scores and we still felt like we had a chance to win”. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or not, but that is something they can clean up and improve in the future.hopefully.
Turning serious, Zimmer said he hasn’t decided who he will start against Green Bay, Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford. Tony Pegel was very pleased with the outcome, and hopes to make it a more regular event at football games.
“We know what we expect on defense and we have a standard that we want to meet”, linebacker Eric Kendricks said. Vikes star Adrian Peterson was limited to 31 rushing yards. “The turnovers obviously were catastrophic”. “They pretty much bailed us out”.
But things turned quickly in the second half, with Erick Kendricks picking off Mariota in the flat and returning it for a 77-yard score to give the Vikings a 12-10 advantage.
The issue on offense was how utterly pathetic the running game looked.
Yes, the deafening din made the Metrodome a tough place to play – for Mike Holmgren’s teams in the 1990s, Mike Sherman’s teams in the 2000s and, at times, McCarthy’s teams as well.
Vikings kicker Blair Walsh kicked four field goals, including a 50-yarder. “I’m just happy that he is playing at a high level, and I expect that from him”. Defensive lineman Jurrell Casey said they’ve got to both clean up the turnovers and force some fumbles and interceptions defensively to win games.
Against the Titans, he was wide left on a 37-yarder and missed two attempts at a 56-yard field goal before halftime with the ball coming nowhere near the uprights. “So I’m ready to see the fans come out and be loud”. Mularkey said he was impressed with how Mariota threw the ball away earlier in the game. Over the course of the next two weeks, when the Vikings will host the Green Bay Packers and travel to take on the Carolina Panthers, they’re going to have to continue to be the aggressors on defense.
Advertisement
It needs to play at the level it played in the second half against Tennessee, with everyone making a contribution.
