It is hard to believe the Vikings face the Washington Redskins for the 3rd season in a row. The job Coach Frazier has done I love. The season of 2010 with all the turmoil including Coach Brad Childress being fired and the insertion of Frazier, and then of all things get a win on the road in Washington. What a way to start a coaching career to get Coach Frazier his first win. I will never forget that day. 2011 the Vikings win 3 games all year and one of them once again in Washington. Sunday can Coach Frazier go 3 for 3? Let’s look at some of the did you knows coming into this important NFC battle.
The all-time series has Washington in the lead with an 11-10-0. The Vikings are 6-5 at Washington including winning the last 3.
The release of Ryan Longwell in the offseason caught fans off guard especially when the team decided to go with a draft choice to do the kicking chores.
The decision thus far has paid big dividends. Blair Walsh already owns a record for 3 games in a row with a kick of over 50 yards. The next stat that jumps out and that is 2011 the Vikings had 19 touchbacks for the year. The fact 5 games into the season Walsh already has 17 with games against the Lions and Titans having 5 each of those games.
This game will be interesting involving Walsh because it will be the first game he will kick outdoors. Three home games and the 2 on the road in domes in Indianapolis and Detroit has been the start of his brilliant career.
Special Teams Coach Mike Priefer has got to be living on cloud 9. The return game with Percy Harvin’s 38.3 return average leads the NFL. Marcus Sherels’s 14.9 average punt return puts him 4th. The play of special teams is paying dividends as the Vikings are 2nd in the NFL starting with the ball at the 27.1 yard line.
Did you know Christian Ponder has the 2nd best completion rate amongst all NFL quarterbacks with a 69 percent? The only one higher is non-other than the Redskins own Robert Griffin III with a 69.1 rate.
Did you know the Vikings have scored each time they have been in the red zone? They have scored 6 touchdowns and 9 field goals. This stat has the Vikings leading the league in red zone scoring efficiency.
Did you know the Vikings are tied for third with 9 drives of over 5 minutes? The offense also has rushed 7 times for 20 yards or more which is tied for 2nd in the NFL. One of the rushes was a 23 yard touchdown by Ponder for a touchdown against the 49ers. It is just not Adrian, he has support this year.
The play of Percy Harvin will never get old to talk about. The stats he is ringing up so far is incredible. MVP of the league, could it be? He ranks 1st in the NFL with 242 yards after the catch and for now seem to be impossible to tackle.
A fact I did not realize was Percy Harvin has been in a Vikings uniform 52 games and has at least one catch in all 52 including playoff games.
The defense is playing out of their minds and is the talk of many fans. A fact to be proud of is the Vikings are 1 of 3 teams to not allow a rush over 20 yards. The other 2 are the New England Patriots and Houston Texans leaving Minnesota as the only NFC team to accomplish this. The longest run against the Purple has been 15 yards. I think of the running backs this team has faced early with Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore and Chris Johnson and none of them have much to show for.
Two familiar names the Vikings will see this week will be Cedric Griffin and Madieu Williams.
2011, the place, Washington, Adrian Peterson goes down with the season ending surgery. How does Adrian respond in the return to the scene where it happened? Is it motivation to show the Redskins fans how he has healed? Only time will tell as game time approaches 3:25 on Sunday October 14 Vikes-Redskins. Are you ready for some football?
In the offseason Las Vegas had the Vikings to win 6. Two wins away to make Vegas odds makers look pretty foolish.
Go Vikes
Next up: Looking at both sides of the ball against Washington
Thanks for reading
Purplestick
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