Thoughts Week 17

[losperros]

2/11 on third downs really doesn't help the defense. The offense has to be more productive to allow them more time to rest.

My thoughts exactly. It's one of the things that I feel has hampered the D all season long. The Vikings most complete games have come when the offense steps up and the Vikings become a complete team. The D needs help from the team's offense. It doesn't get it often enough, aside from when Peterson does super-human things.

Given the weather and conditions, plus the fact that Rodgers and the Pack were fighting the Vikings for the title at Lambeau, I think the defense looked tough and determined. Sure, they got gassed here and there but they kept fighting.

I did not expect the Vikings to hold Rodgers and the Pack to 13 points. Sounds like some hard playing to me.

[dead_poet]

My thoughts exactly. It's one of the things that I feel has hampered the D all season long. The Vikings most complete games have come when the offense steps up and the Vikings become a complete team. The D needs help from the team's offense. It doesn't get it often enough, aside from when Peterson does super-human things.

Given the weather and conditions, plus the fact that Rodgers and the Pack were fighting the Vikings for the title at Lambeau, I think the defense looked tough and determined. Sure, they got gassed here and there but they kept fighting.

I did not expect the Vikings to hold Rodgers and the Pack to 13 points. Sounds like some hard playing to me.

It's interesting that the Packers/Rodgers' season has been a lot like our own. Rodgers' numbers are down thanks to a battered offensive line and receivers that cannot get consistent separation. Of course Rodgers' "bad" is better than most quarterback's best. But it does show you even the best struggle with these issues, not to mention a second-year quarterback.

[mondry]

It's interesting that the Packers/Rodgers' season has been a lot like our own. Rodgers' numbers are down thanks to a battered offensive line and receivers that cannot get consistent separation. Of course Rodgers' "bad" is better than most quarterback's best. But it does show you even the best struggle with these issues, not to mention a second-year quarterback.

Yep, those things matter big time, Tom Brady is another example of a guy who's lost his weapons with poor o-line play. Suddenly they can't even beat the Dolphins who fired their coach mid season and reports were half the team was already on vacation at that point.

[MikethePurple]

[/quote] The Packers out-possessed the Vikings 35:42-24:18 and I wonder what that statistic was in the 2nd half. [/quote]

I was looking for this too but couldn't find it anywhere. It would really be interesting to know that stat. It seemed like the offense wasn't out on the field at all in the second half, especially the 4th quarter. You could really tell the d was gassed. Huge congrats to them for holding it together!!

[John_Viveiros]

The Packers out-possessed the Vikings 35:42-24:18 and I wonder what that statistic was in the 2nd half

It certainly looked like the defense was out there the whole second half, but it wasn't all due to true offensive ineptitude. The Vikings had six "drives" in the second half.
TD by Peterson
Interception by Bridgewater
[TD return by Munnerlyn]
Punt - drove for 28 yards/two first downs/3:30 on the clock
[Fumble by Patterson on the KO return]
Punt - 3 and out on three runs

So the Vikes were really only trying to score on the first two drives. The rest of the time, running the clock out was the priority. We lost two drives immediately, due to good and bad causes. Teddy's second half consisted of four passes, a 17 yarder to Wright on the TD drive, the interception (that indirectly led to Munnerlyn's TD), the two yard loss to Ellison that ended his season and a 10 yarder to Wright on 3rd and 14 on the next play.

What I'm trying to say is that we got a little conservative after taking a 17 point lead with about 20 minutes left to play.

[Hunter Morrow]

The odd thing for me was looking at stat breakdowns of the game to help me think of the total game and it doesn't look like the Vikings should have won this at all. 2-11 on third downs, no points by our offense in the last 30:32 of the game (!!!), an interception, 3 fumbles, one of them lost, lose time of possession by almost a full quarter, less than 250 yards on passing and rushing, Teddy's stat line of 10-19, 93 net yards passing and rushing, interception and fumble, just bizarre.

The last half an hour of that game was a largely inept freak show for the Vikings.

The stats really don't make any sense for us to have won.

[Hunter Morrow]

It certainly looked like the defense was out there the whole second half, but it wasn't all due to true offensive ineptitude. The Vikings had six "drives" in the second half.
TD by Peterson
Interception by Bridgewater
[TD return by Munnerlyn]
Punt - drove for 28 yards/two first downs/3:30 on the clock
[Fumble by Patterson on the KO return]
Punt - 3 and out on three runs

So the Vikes were really only trying to score on the first two drives. The rest of the time, running the clock out was the priority. We lost two drives immediately, due to good and bad causes. Teddy's second half consisted of four passes, a 17 yarder to Wright on the TD drive, the interception (that indirectly led to Munnerlyn's TD), the two yard loss to Ellison that ended his season and a 10 yarder to Wright on 3rd and 14 on the next play.

What I'm trying to say is that we got a little conservative after taking a 17 point lead with about 20 minutes left to play.

A little conservative? We were in Denny Green Galapagos Tortoise Mode for the last half an hour of the game. I really thought at 20-10 we would go to OT or lose. We very nearly did.

I found myself pretty disappointed in the coaching last night.

"Are we really back to our old, crummy bag of tricks? Are we trying to 'kill the clock' with 12 minutes left in the game against Rodgers on the road?"

[MikethePurple]

A little conservative? We were in Denny Green Galapagos Tortoise Mode for the last half an hour of the game. I really thought at 20-10 we would go to OT or lose. We very nearly did.

I found myself pretty disappointed in the coaching last night.

"Are we really back to our old, crummy bag of tricks? Are we trying to 'kill the clock' with 12 minutes left in the game against Rodgers on the road?"

I added up the possession time for the second half based on espn drive stats and it came out to 10:01 minutes possession time with 109 yards of offense in the second half. That's pretty bad even if you are calling conservatively based on running out the clock. They really only moved the ball that first possession of the second half (which was 58 yards). After that series, they only gained one first down on a run from McKinnon (one other based on a neutral zone infraction by the Packers) throughout the rest of the game.

That is just not going to cut it against Seattle and I'm really worried about a repeat of the last match up. The defense played great this week and I think with at least Barr and Smith back (hopefully Joseph) they can hold Seattle to fewer points than last time but the offense needs to produce. You could see how tired the defense was towards the middle to end of the fourth quarter and if the offense can't sustain drives I'm worried about the defense's ability to keep up with Seattle.

[IrishViking]

Not to defend them and I am always unhappy with clock running play calls (who says it has to be three up the gut? )


But on either the Punt drive or the last possession for us we were one first down away from running off so much clock the Packers wouldn't have even come as close as they did.

Not to mention that barring the turnover from Patterson even a 3 and out would have been terrible for GB

That fumble on the kickoff was pretty much the only way they stay in the game. I am amazed they didn't go for the onside there.



So while execution and play calling sucked. I think the idea of running out the clock was much closer to completely screwing the Packers than most of our weak hearts care to admit.


Yeah, but Dat fake punt doe. Damn

[Purple Reign]

The secondary did a fine job as well and while Rodgers got close to 300 yards passing much of that was in garbage time when as MichViking points out came when the defense was gassed. Everson Griffen came up huge with 2 sacks as well.

Just because the defense was gassed doesn't make it 'garbage time'. Garbage time is when one team is so far up on the score that they play a soft defense to prevent the other team from scoring quickly. At no point during this game would it have been considered 'garbage time'.

Ugly:

Teddy's interception, Patterson's fumble, Peterson's fumble.

The fumble was ugly, but it wasn't Peterson's fumble - it was Bridgewater's since he dropped the ball before handing it off to Peterson. Peterson should be praised for recovering it.

[dead_poet]

@eric_j_thompson Tom Johnson had nine QB pressures on Sunday including 6 hurries, 2 hits, and a sack. Everson Griffen had 5 hurries, 2 hits, and 2 sacks.

@eric_j_thompson According to PFF the #Vikings had 5 missed tackles while the #Packers had 11.

[PurpleMustReign]

Kendricks is a tackling machine. Did he miss any tackles? It seems like if he latches on, he doesnt' let go.

[PurpleMustReign]

[dead_poet]

Kendricks is a tackling machine. Did he miss any tackles? It seems like if he latches on, he doesnt' let go.

I don't know. But I did see this:

@LindseyMNSports @eric_j_thompson Kendricks was the first rookie to lead the team in season tackles since 1961!

[SP1966]

I've said a few times on this board this season that I didn't think with their patchwork O-Line that this was a good team, certainly not a playoff team. It is a testament to Zimmer that this team won 11 games in spite of some very significant holes in their lineup! Even it their wins they rarely inspired confidence in their ability to continue winning, and yet despite winning ugly most of the time they did win more than 2/3 of their games!

I haven't expected much of the team this season and I don't expect much against Seattle, here's to hoping they continue to prove me wrong! Win or lose next week they've exceeded my expectations, with a good draft, getting a couple linemen back healthy, and a couple free agents this team could be a Teddy Bridgewater breakout season from true championship contention!!

Go Vikes!