Vikings game day was finally here and it was a home game vs the Oakland Raiders and Las Vegas had the Purple favored by 9. It’s all set up for an easy win but last year a 17 point underdog Buffalo Bills came into US Bank and dominated and embarrassed the Purple at home.
The talk all week was the 84 million dollar man and how he can beat the so called easy teams while struggle vs the teams that are strong. It’s really not an opinion the stats speaks for themselves.
The Oakland Raiders are a professional team and I know the Vikes can’t take them lightly or it will be a long day at US Bank. This was the 25 game at US Bank with the record 17-7 thus far and a win Sunday would be the franchises 500th plus the day was to celebrate the 1969 team so everything needs to go right to make it a great day for the purple.
It doesn’t get any better for me that to see the Purple People Eaters with Larsen, Page, Eller and Marshall leading the Skolt Chant. It was also emotional in US Bank as a 96 year old World War II veteran lead the National Anthem by playing it with his harmonica. If this did not give fans a chill or two your pulse needs to be checked. It was an incredible seen seeing so many thousands of fans cheering for this man.
The honorary captain for the game was good old # 11, Joe Kapp so once again fans were going crazy. We had all this excitement and the ball has not even been kicked off yet.
The Raiders won the coin toss and deferred to the second half meaning the much maligned this past week, Kirk Cousins will get to show the fans hopefully a better day and I believe he would.
I will never forget the first play of the game but as Cousins took the snap he got tripped up and took a loss. Can this really be how the game is going to start? A fan a row or two behind me said “Hey, Eli Manning is looking for a job.” I hate to say it but I felt a little chuckle from myself. I must say other than that one play I thought Kirk played a very good game but not great.
I had read and heard all off season how Kirk would roll out a little more and Sunday we saw it more than once and this fan was happy. The first touchdown was one of beauty as Cousins came out left and threw a very nice pas downfield to Adam Thielen who managed to get a touchdown. I must admit the Vikes were given a few gifts as one of the highest flagged team year in and year out took some dumb penalties but oh well it helped the Vikes and we are up 7-0.
I really thought both lines from the Vikes showed up big time as the defensive line made Raiders Quarterback uncomfortable quite a bit harassing him and also shutting down the Raiders run game big time.
I loved the Vikings offensive line play maybe best all year road grading on the run game and not allowing a sack to the Raiders. I do also think Cousins played a game where he ran the ball himself to help situations out.
The touchdown by Dalvin Cook was one of strength by the OLine and Cook and the touchdown by Adam Thielen was blocked beautifully making it easy for Thielen to cross the goal line and it was Thielen’s first ever NFL rushing TD.
I said earlier I loved the Vikes defense all day with the exception of a Raiders flea flicker that somehow fooled the Vikes seemingly completely because that TD was way to easy. I don’t know if it was communication problem all I know is US Bank got kind of quite as it was now 21-7.
The Raiders get the ball in the 2nd half to start and it was huge for the Vikes to shut it down and force a punt and the Vikes did just that. I think the sail was now completely out of the Raiders.
I loved how the Vikes once again cranked up the run game and In the end Viking rookie Alexander Mattison leaps a defender from what seemed to be the five yard line and fly five yards to pay dirt for his first ever NFL touchdown.
The game Sunday saw a lot of good and the team dismantled a big underdog seemingly easy. I don’t know if I ever felt uncomfortable once during the game even with the Raiders getting their touchdown fairly easy.
I have struggled watching this team wondering why as they professed I took that the Tight End group would be used more often in this new offense and the first two games I just did not see it.
Sunday the Tight Ends came up big as Kyle Rudolph made a nice screen pass catch and rumble close to the goal line. I love Kyle and how big he is but every time I see him catch the ball he runs as if he knows he is going to get hit soon. We finally saw rookie, Irv Smith Jr. used with one a very nice deep seam pass which he caught and took it down field and he also was involved with two more catches ending his day with three catches for 60 yards which I found out was a new Vikings Rookie tight end team record with thee 60 yards. It seems weird because 60 does not seem that much but regardless it is indeed a new Viking record.
A lot of Viking players stepped up Sunday but a couple need to be talked about and shown some love starting with Mike Hughes who saw the field for the first time since last season when he tore his ACL. He played nickel corner and made a difference as his name was called by the Stadium PA more than once. What a tremendous story and the other was Linebacker # 50 Eric Wilson who had 11 tackles and a sack. He is making a name for himself each and every week thus far and with the absence of Anthony Barr I really thought Wilson stepped up huge Sunday.
The kicking story as you know has been crazy but Sunday I thought kicker Dan Bailey had his best game in a long time with four for four extra points, 2 field goals and all kickoffs were touchbacks. Raiders kicker, Daniel Carlson as you may know was the Vikes kicker last year but after the Green Bay tie was waved and the Raiders pick him up. It's gone so good in Oakland for Carlson he had gone 17-17 in field goals until Sunday when his lengthy attempt hit the right upright. It's incredible to see the kicking struggles the last few seasons until Sunday for Bailey
The Vikes have now destroyed two opponents at home and one road game should have been a win but will now get tested by far the most next Sunday in a 3:25 National game so we will see how the much maligned Cousins who can’t win the big game will fair. I am going out on the limb and will say Kirk will play lights out and the Vikes win a huge NFC North Battle 17-4.
That’s all for now
Thanks for reading
Purplestick
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