So close....so close. The Vikings almost pulled off an unexpected upset on the road against the division rival Bears earlier today, but a last second touchdown sealed a second straight division loss for the Vikings, who fell 31-30 at Soldier Field. The Vikings are now 0-2 for the season, and history dictates that they now have only about an 11% chance of making the NFL playoffs after that start. The Vikings also continue their losing ways playing in Chicago, as they drop to 2-14 when playing in the Windy City starting in 2000. It was a tale of two halves for the Vikings, who looked like the same team that was embarrassed in Detroit last week for much of the second half, until the offense pulled itself together late in the 2nd quarter for a key scoring drive. The Vikings started to look more like the team we saw at the end of the 2012 season, as Christian Ponder was effective but not explosive, and bought himself more time to prove he's the long term answer at quarterback. Conservative play calling hurt the Vikings in the end, with the Vikings settling for a field goal to go up six near the end of the 4th quarter instead of trying to score a touchdown to seal the win, and Leslie Fraizer took the blame for a close loss on the road. The team looked a lot better than in week one, but they now have a sizable hole to dig themselves out of if they still want to make a splash in the NFC North.
Offense: C+
The Vikings' offense had a much better outing than they did in week one, though it looked like more of the same for much of the first half. At one point the Vikings had totaled 74 total yards of offense and had produced seven points...for the Bears, on a pick six by Ponder. However, getting the ball back with just under three minutes to play in the half, the Vikings managed to more than double their yardage output and score a game-tying touchdown. The offensive kept up their momentum during the second half, crafting three long scoring drives, two of them spanning 13 plays, and seized the momentum of the game. The Vikings shot themselves in the foot in the end though, and a few plays were left on the field that could have sealed the game. Adrian Peterson had an uncharacteristic fumble in addition to Ponder's interception. The offense also got ultra-conservative at the end of the game, and failing to go for a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal proved to be a major factor in this game.
Quarterbacks: B-
Ponder took his inconsistency to the extreme in this game, playing two entirely different halves of football that somehow put together almost gave the Vikings an upset win. Ponder was absolutely atrocious for most of the first half, sporting a 29 (29!) passer rating just after his pick six to Bears' cornerback Tim Jennings. Ponder looked skittish in the pocket when his offensive line couldn't provide good protection, and started scrambling early several times. It seemed as if the switch to backup Matt Cassel would soon have to happen, but Ponder staved off the hook by leading a touchdown drive to put the Vikings back in the game. Ponder finished the first half 6/14 for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception, which was only good for a passer rating of 56. Ponder looked like a new man in the second half, going 10/16 for 146 yards, showing new confidence and throwing great touch passes into small windows to help the Vikings drive down the field. Ponder definitely played well enough to earn another start for the Vikings, and he was playing well enough by the end of the game that the coaches should have trusted him to take care of the ball and go for a touchdown near the end. Ponder still has plenty to work on besides being consistent, he still needs to throw the ball downfield more to open things up for Adrian Peterson, as there were some open throws downfield that he failed to pull the trigger on, and that kept eight men in the box on the Bears' defense often.
Running Backs: B
Adrian Peterson did not have his best day on the ground, but against a tough defense on the road he managed to record the 38th 100 yard game of his career. Peterson was bottled up to start the game, like he was for most of the game against Detroit, as the Bears put as many men in the box as possible and sold out to stop the reigning MVP. It worked at first as the offensive line struggled to open up holes, and Adrian's first seven carries went for only nine yards. However, the offense eventually got in sync and from that point Adrian had 91 yards on 19 rushes and despite still seeing large defensive fronts the Vikings were able to establish their offensive identity. AP still had a few critical miscues that ended up setting the team back though, and he deserves a little heat for this loss. He fumbled when the offense was really starting to find their momentum and was closing in on Bear territory. He also made a bad play worse deep in Bear territory when he tried to reverse and run the other way on a play that would have been a two yard loss, but it ended up becoming a 13 yard loss when he slipped trying to run to the other side of the field. The loss forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal as they could not make up the lost yardage on their next two plays to get close to the goal line, and the Vikings really could have used those extra points. Toby Gerhart also made an appearance in this game, in case you were wondering, getting one carry for five yards.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+
The Vikings receivers did not have that noticeable of a day, there were no big catches like Jerome Simpson's two 40 yard catches last week, but they had a solid day and showed they are capable of doing some good things for this offense. Four different receivers caught passes this week, and the group as a whole totaled 10 catches for 168 yards. Greg Jennings had a very solid outing, showing excellent concentration catching two passes when he knew he was about to be hit by a defender. All of Ponder's third down conversions were also to wideouts today, and the group came up big helping the Vikings to sustain drives. The wide receivers were not featured heavily in the game plan for today, as the Vikings rarely tried to spread the defense out even though the receivers showed they could be effective when given opportunities. Cordarrelle Patterson was once again barely featured in the game plan, but caught passes both times he was targeted and took one of his catches for a first down. The only miscue was on a Jarius Wright incompletion near the goal line that was almost ruled a fumble, but a replay determined Wright never had possession of the ball. Wright needed to catch that pass and bring it to the goal line, but that was the only major mistake from this position group. With the Bears heavily stacking the box it would've been an excellent idea to get the receivers more involved in the game to open up the field, and if the Vikings continue to fail to do so it would be an insult to the talent this group brings. Kyle Rudolph had a great touchdown catch but once again was not given a huge role in the offense. John Carlson continues to see the field often for some reason, as he only tallied one catch for seven yards on the day.
Offensive Line: C+
An up and down day for the offensive line, but it seems that this unit may be starting to regain its mojo a little bit after a very sluggish start to the season. After being dominated by Detroits' mean defensive front, the line did not come out and inspire confidence that week one was a fluke, failing to create room for Peterson again and failing at providing Ponder with a clean pocket. Their sloppy play gave the offense almost no chance against a tough Bears' defense and almost led the offense to being shut out in the first half. However, as important as Ponder's turnaround was for the Vikings' success starting at the end of quarter two, it was the line's play that subtlety helped spur the Vikings' momentum. Peterson started to find holes and Ponder was no longer being pressured in the pocket.The Vikings were able to go back to their smash-mouth style of offense built on their running game, and that was mainly thanks to the offensive line. This line faces another tough task against a tough Cleveland defense next week, but if they can build off of what they did in the second half this team is going to have a lot of offensive success.
Defense: B-
The Vikings started out the game giving up points (24) and yards (411) like they had done against the Lions, but this defense actually settled in during the second half and only allowed seven points in the final 30 minutes. The defense also forced four turnovers on the day, and they managed to take one of those turnovers back the other way for a touchdown. Some of the same weaknesses that were seen against Detroit showed up again here, one of the bigger ones being the lack of an effective two minute defense so far, as Chicago scored twice on two drives to end each half. The Vikings defense didn't lose this game for the team, but there's still plenty to work on for this half of the squad.
Defensive Line: A-
The return of Kevin Williams didn't lead to huge drops in yardage numbers, as the Bears were still able to rush for 129 yards on the day at an average of five yards per carry. The line also has only one sack to show for the day, though they did provide near constant pressure to Jay Cutler. What really made the line's performance stick out, however, was the fact that they were responsible for three of the Bears' four turnovers. Jared Allen stripped Jay Cutler when he sacked him, and Brian Robison picked up the loose football and returned it for a touchdown. Kevin Williams intercepted Cutler off a tipped ball in the end zone, which prevented the Bears from putting points on the board. Late in the game, when the Bears needed to drive to take control of the game back, nose tackle Letroy Guion was able to take the ball away from Bears' running back Matt Forte and keep the momentum squarely with the Vikings. The defensive line made plays at Chicago, and while they surrendered plenty of yardage, three turnovers from your line is usually enough to put you in a position to win games.
Linebackers: C-
After having a bad day trying to tackle and cover Detroit's running backs, the Vikings' linebackers got a heavy dose of Bears' running back Matt Forte today, as he had 30 total touches on the day, including seven on the Bears' first nine plays. Forte rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries, and he was able to break several tackles against the Vikings' linebackers to produce big gains and keep the chains moving. He also proved elusive when catching passes, as he caught 11 passes, most of them against linebackers in coverage, and he was able to gain an additional 71 yards in the receiving game. The Vikings need to stop giving up easy yards through the middle of the field soon if they hope to turn this season around, as right now teams are relentlessly targeting their second level of defense.
Secondary: C+
The secondary as a whole had a pretty bad day, but they were almost redeemed by the effort of just one player. Harrison Smith had a monster game in Chicago, recording eight tackles, picking off Jay Cutler on a deep pass near the end zone and helping deflect a pass to Kevin Williams for his interception. Smith was an absolute force in the back of the defense, but he was the only Viking really doing work back there. The other safety, Jamarcus Sanford, had an off day, often tasked with covering Martellus Bennett, the Bears' tight end and having a rough time doing so. Bennett caught seven passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns going against Sanford and cornerback Chris Cook, including the game winning touchdown off of Cook on a blown coverage. Bears' wide receiver Brandon Marshall also feasted on the Vikings' secondary, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Sanford was late to his assignment on Marshall's touchdown, another blown coverage that lead to a Bears' score. The Bears' final drive where they drove 66 yards for the game winning score also featured several breakdowns in coverage. Cutler and his receivers looked very comfortable all day when not going after Smith, and this unit needs to play a lot better if they want to keep the Vikings' in games.
Special Teams: B
Like the team in general, the Vikings' special teams had a very up and down day, excelling in some areas but looking atrocious in others. The good started right out of the gate for the special teams, as rookie Cordarrelle Patterson was able to return the opening kickoff all the way to the Bears' end zone for a touchdown. Just when the Vikings were celebrating their hot start, though, their special teams allowed Bears' kick returner Devin Hester to return a kickoff to the 32 yard line. The Vikings' special teams coverage couldn't contain Hester all day, and he averaged (averaged!) 49 yards per kickoff return on five attempts. He set the Bears' offense up twice already in field goal range, so expect Mike Priefer to have a strong talking to with his coverage team this week. Blair Walsh was automatic of field goal kicks yet again, drilling all three of his attempts. Rookie punter Jeff Locke was also much improved from last week, his punts averaged 50 yards on the day and two of them were downed inside the Bears' 20 yard line, and it took a very smart play by a Bears' special teamer to prevent a third.
Coaching: C-
It's impossible to discuss this game without talking about some of the coaching decisions that were made. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave had several questionable play calls again, having Ponder roll out to his left multiple times this game (even though that resulted in an interception last week) despite the fact that it produced almost no positive results. Pro Bowl MVP Kyle Rudolph showed up more than last week but still wasn't heavily used, and rookie Cordarrelle Patterson is not seeing the field that often, despite doing positive things when out there. Overall on offense, the Vikings have talent but don't usually put that talent in the best situations to succeed. The biggest controversy though, will center around the decision to play for the field goal late in the game instead of going for the winning touchdown. The Vikings have Adrian Peterson, but asking him to find the end zone by going straight ahead on 3rd and goal from the four is not a high percentage play. It was simply not going to work. Though the Vikings were able to make Chicago burn a timeout, there was still over two minutes in the game, so while time was starting to become a factor, the Bears had well over two minutes and a timeout left, which is an eternity at the end of an NFL game. Ponder was hot, going 10 for 16 in the second half, and giving him the ball in that situation would have been a great way to boost his confidence, something you claimed you were trying to do all offseason. The Vikings did not play timid at points in the 2nd half, going for it twice on fourth down, but they then chose to get scared near the goal line at the end of the game. You have to play for the win in the NFL, not play to not lose, and Fraizer did the right thing saying after the game that the blame for the loss fell on him. Fraizer and Musgrave need to step out of their comfort zones more if they want to compete with the big dogs of the NFL, as their sometimes very conservative style of play can hold this team back. It certainly did today.
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