PETERSON PROTECTING THE BALL: Peterson’s fumble, his 41st in 125 games, set up the go-ahead field goal for the Seahawks.
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The scorekeeper had little to do with such a low-scoring affair.
Walsh, who overcame preseason kicking problems to convert 34 of 39 field-goal attempts during the regular season, botched what would have been the winning field goal. After hitting 29-of-36 field goals in 14 games, McCallum was deactivated in favour of rookie Tyler Crapigna before being released.
It all began with 88-year-old former Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant walking to the middle of TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in a purple short-sleeved polo shirt – in minus-6 degree temperatures.
There is a lot about Sunday’s game that the Vikings will need some time to get over. For his day, Ryan had five punts for a 35.4 average, while Hauschka was good on the kick that mattered most, the 46-yard game-winner. Peterson, the NFL’s rushing champion, was held to just 45 yards on 23 carries.
The incredible range of emotion that is possible to experience on a football field was on full display yesterday at the conclusion of the Vikings and Seahawks Wild Card bout. Adrian Paterson caught passes on each of the first two plays.
But Kam Chancellor yanked the ball out of Peterson’s arm as he fell to the turf, and Ahtyba Rubin recovered.
The weather, as cold as it was, made it more hard for an offense to get a lot of yards in big chunks. Enlarge Mark Humphrey Brett Favre gives away a probable Vikings win in the 2009 playoffs.
The Vikings defense kept Wilson in the pocket most of the game.
While Seattle’s defense did bend a few times, it certainly did not break despite the weather. “They couldn’t block him”. He also only had 21 rushing yards. Then there’s that last-minute loss to New England in the Super Bowl last season they’ve been determined to move past. On a first down play, Wilson had the snap go through his hands and over his shoulder while trying to direct the Seahawks offense.
Bennett was a nightmare for the Vikings’ offensive line. Had Munnerlyn taken a better angle to the quarterback or if Josh Robinson had stayed with Lockett, the game could have ended differently.
This season, the special teams trio has performed at an elite level. Seattle won that game 43-8.
BILLY CUNDIFF, Ravens, 2012 AFC Championship: This may be the closest relative to Walsh on the heartbreaking missed kick family tree. Had he made it, they would have been the heroes.
The Vikings were never supposed to be in the game, if you follow the experts, but the Vikings were right there at the end and should have won.
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Paul McCallum knows all about what it’s like being the face of a team’s playoff failure. That starts with the coaching staff. As players packed up Monday and exchanged goodbyes, the game still stung. Rookie David Johnson has become quite the asset as a runner and a receiver, and a Packers secondary that played on Sunday without top cornerback Sam Shields because of a concussion will have to keep up with the terrific wide receiver trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. Joseph is a freelance writer covering all things NFL.
