The Vikes
come in to Dallas with a 1-6 record and face a team that lost on a last second touchdown
to Detroit last week. Some of the story
lines coming into the game: Ponder was named starter, 3 of the starting secondary
are out of the game, Adrian is playing in front of family and friends. Do the
Vikings have a chance?
I thought
the first half the Vikings did a great job in taking control of the clock,
running the ball and even Ponder making some key plays. I also loved the no huddle
offense early and was pleasantly surprised.
The halftime
found Minnesota up and to my delight I could hear Cowboy fans booing. It is
nice to know other teams feel the pain.
The Vikings
pass rush was as good as I have seen in the last few weeks getting three sacks
of Romo. Is America going to see a huge upset? The effort was there by the
Purple. I was so proud of the way they played up to half. It seemed the team
finally has a spark.
The call for
going it on 4th and 1 I really liked even though a field goal
probably should have been called for.
I thought
the Vikes would roll Ponder out and either run it or play action. The handoff
to Peterson had no chance but I still liked the chance with the team being 1-6
and nothing to lose.
The next
surprise at halftime was listening to the halftime crew and hearing Jimmy
Johnson compliment Ponder’s play. The play by play team of Buck and Aikman I
thought Troy did a nice job of giving Vikings players credit when due in the
first half.
The way the
third quarter started out with the Cowboys scoring 2 touchdowns in 10 seconds
in the first four minutes of the third quarter made me concerned that the
players would start to think here we go again.
The team did
not quit as the second half they did not quit. The two touchdowns the Vikings
did score was great effort. The catch by Rudolph and the beating he took but
yet forced his way in for 6 was awesome. It is a shame he got hurt on that
play. The replay showing his ankle get rolled up looked terrible.
The 11 yard touchdown
by Peterson could not have shown any more effort than he did. The assist by
Chase Ford to get him will not be in the stats but as a fan I sure appreciated
the effort. The shock which I will be in the majority was to see Blair Walsh
push the ball wide right. I could not help but worry this will come back to
haunt the team.
The way the
game ended just does not shock me. This team just can’t get the break. This
season has been full of heartbreak. I may be alone or even laughed at but I
will say I was so proud of this team fighting until the end.
The positives-
-Christian
Ponder used 9 different receivers on Sunday including finally getting Jarius
Wright involved. I thought it was his best game of the year minus some key
mistakes.
-The Vikings
outgained the Cowboys in total yards along with advantage in time of
possession.
- The
determination by Adrian Peterson and getting 140 yards
- The
interception by AJ Jefferson was unbelievable and so much needed.
- Marcus
Sherels led the team in tackles with 8 tackles
- Chad
Greenway breaking the 1000 tackle mark in his career with 4. He is only the 7th
Vikings in their career to do so.
- I know the
Vikes lost but the play of the secondary was better than I thought considering they
were facing Tony Romo. Marcus Sherels,
Robert Blanton, Mistral Raymond, Andrew Senedjo I will assume most NFL fans
have never heard of them.
- The hit by
Mistral Raymond on the Cowboys receiving causing an incomplete pass should be a
ESPN highlight this week. The flag thrown and then picked up was finally a
break for the team.
The negatives
-The fumble
by Ponder in the end zone and the Cowboys recovering in the end zone for a
touchdown just typifies the season.
- Ponder at
times looked good but when he looked bad it was magnified. The ball thrown
short of Greg Jennings resulting in an interception along with the last Hail
Mary pass of the game were both terrible. I have seen Ponder throw a very good
deep ball in Mankato but this one just seemed flat and no good.
- 2 injury
concerns- Kyle Rudolph (foot) and Phil Loadholt (concussion). This team is
getting unhealthy very quickly and is concerning.
Thoughts in the end
I loved the
effort and not getting blown out on the road. The postgame interviews saw
players such as Jared Allen and Chad Greenway expressing frustrations and
disappointment.
It is so hard because if the team wins too
many games the rest of the way the draft pick choice will drop into the teens.
I want the team to win but yet I want a high draft choice. I know it sounds
wishy washy but it is a tough subject. I will love this team until the day I
die win or lose.
Thanks for
reading
Purplestick
No comments:
Post a Comment