The absence of Smith – who tied for third in the league with five interceptions last season – could be a significant loss for the Vikings.
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The 7-3 Minnesota Vikings will travel to Atlanta to take on the 6-4 Falcons; for the Vikings, a win would keep them on top of the NFC North.
Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer might be one of the only better defensive head coaches around.
Peterson bounced back from a 45-yard performance against the Packers, which included a crucial fourth-quarter fumble that thwarted any hopes of a comeback. The 30-year-old signal caller understands he has to get back on track for Atlanta to right the ship.
Money started to surface Saturday on Atlanta, which is a 1½- to 2-point favorite, but D’Amico said to ride Peterson and the underdog Vikings to the betting window.
The Vikings jumped ahead on Peterson’s 1-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter. None of the linebackers got so much as a quarterback hit, and the only good play I saw from any of them was a tackle for a loss by Kendricks. And the Packers have not been undefeated for quite some time now. They started the season at 6-1, but since then they have lost three consecutive games. Save for a garbage-time touchdown, Matt Ryan was rendered virtually ineffective by the Minnesota defense.
“Our sense of urgency on the offensive side of the ball, I just don’t feel it”, receiver Roddy White said.
The Falcons also need Ryan to snap out of his slump. The last time the Saints didn’t score a touchdown was on December 24, 2005, against Detroit, and Brees’ last game without a TD pass was on November 29, 2012, vs. Atlanta. Next up: Steven Jackson with 11,388.
“It was an opportunity for us to get into the end zone, and I ruined it”, Peterson recalled.
“I just think we have to look at ourselves collectively and really understand that we can’t beat ourselves in these situations”. In the second half the Vikings defense continued to create turnovers.
Hundreds of purple-and-gold-clad Vikings fans swarmed the lower level behind the visitors’ bench late in the fourth quarter.
I asked Moore how important it is for the locker room to remain cohesive down the stretch, and Moore said that it especially matters considering that the season isn’t lost. ATL, R.White 6-60, Tamme 5-69, Ju.Jones 5-56, N.Williams 3-16, J. Hardy 2-21, Te. Only once this season has he been held to fewer receiving yards.
With the defense playing strong and the Falcons still within striking distance, Ryan’s second interception took the air out of the building and led to him being booed.
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Before Peterson’s second touchdown, the Vikings had trouble pulling away from the Falcons, who picked off Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater once and held him to 174 passing yards. Complete coverage from the Seattle Times is here.
