Bridgewater, is still now listed as questionable for Sunday’s game as he has not yet completed the entirety of the NFL’s concussion protocols although it is likely he will play; additionally listed are punt returner Marcus Sherels (probable, shoulder); linebackers Eric Kendricks (questionable, ribs) and Anthony Barr (questionable, hand); defensive tackle Linval Joseph; (questionable, foot) and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (probable, knee).
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Carr was laughing as he invited the media to take a swing should he get too big-headed.
Moreover, it was a timely score for the Vikings from Patterson.
The win, coupled with the Packers’ loss to the Lions earlier in the day, gave the Vikings (7-2) sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
Outside of the Minnesota team facility, and the homes of the parents of Vikings players, and maybe their fourth-grade English teachers (maybe?), this is how many people predicted that: no one.
“He’s taking good care of the ball, he’s moving in the pocket, he’s avoiding negative plays, but there’s times when he just needs to say, ‘the heck with it, it’s my ball, let’s go, ‘” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
Carr has not had that problem.
Minnesota finished with 263 yards rushing, the most since Tampa Bay gained 278 at Oakland in 2012.
“A good play on their part”, Thorpe said. He did throw away the ball a couple of times rather than take a sack. They both turned into college stars and first-round draft picks. He is a young player without a real gaping hole in his game, which has helped the young Carr progress so well this season. Cooper, who leads all rookies in catches and receiving yardage, looked fine as he sprinted downfield and hauled in a long pass from quarterback Derek Carr. The Vikings have had a few difficulties stopping the pass however, and if Carr, Cooper, and Crabtree are able to get things working, the Vikings are going to have a tough time keeping up. His kickoff return for a touchdown to grab back the lead before halftime may have been the biggest one of the game. One matchup to watch is the Raiders defensive line attempting to stop Peterson from running all over Oakland.
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio rejected the notion that the Raiders had essentially been asleep at the wheel on defense after Carr’s interception. On second-and-9, Bridgewater hit rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs with a short pass over the middle.
After the 38-35 loss to the Steelers, many Raiders’ fans on Twitter were roasting Hayden while crediting Amerson (which made no sense), but on a whole, they felt it fit to blame the cornerbacks for the loss. TJ Carrie also missed last week with an injury and now can return to his natural cornerback spot with Allen back. Not that they couldn’t get it done, but as an offense we want to finish it. And the guys up front did a great job of blocking and opening it up for me.
It’s becoming apparent this Raiders defense is simply not talented enough across the board to fix one issue without leaving another area vulnerable.
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A couple weeks ago, the Raiders glaring weakness was the secondary. Should the Vikings win again, they’d take a two-game lead with one tiebreaker secured and six games to go.
