Well, Sunday night was no 31-3 (the game in 2010 against the Packers that got Brad Childress fired), but Sunday night's game at the Metrodome will be an embarrassing loss in Vikings' lore, especially since it was Bthe last game of this rivalry at the Metrodome. The Vikings were actually competitive score-wise throughout most of the first half, with Cordarrelle Patterson's opening kickoff return giving the team an early lead. However, the Packers came back on offense to regain the lead, as Aaron Rodgers was surgical against the Vikings defense, always knowing when to strike and never letting the unit get off the field. In the end, Rodgers and the Packers never punted, the only two Vikings' "stops" resulting in field goals. The final score, 44-31, is not indicative of the wide disparity between these two teams, as 14 of the Vikings points came when a Packers victory was pretty much a guarantee, especially because the Packers' offense was unstoppable. Like last week, this week's game reflection is going to take on the form of a rant in the end, simply because the ineffectiveness of this team is universal. It's hard to grade individual position units when they're all failing. It's hard to judge offensive players when their quarterback gives them no chance. I wish there was more I could say about this team, but that's this team's reality right now. The #3 overall pick is where they're projected to be next year, and that seems well in hand. Start taking some looks at Mariota and Bridgewater.
Quarterback: D
Christian Ponder's numbers would actually suggest that he had his best 2013 start so far, as he completed two thirds of his passes and didn't turn the ball over for the first time this season, finishing with a quarterback rating of 90. The eye test however, shows how statistics sometimes lie to us. Ponder did not inspire confidence when this game was still competitive, showing no pocket presence and not pulling the trigger on throws that were there. To even put up offensive points while the game was still close, Ponder needed the assistance of a personal foul call and a very questionable pass interference call. In Ponder's defense, it's very hard to win a game when your defense never gives you the ball, though Ponder could have done more to give that defense a little extra rest.
The Rest of the Offense: B
The sad thing about Ponder's bad outing is that it actually disguised a decent showing from the rest of the offense. The offensive line played a decent game, giving Adrian Peterson room to run and giving Ponder what should have been enough time to get a pass off on most plays. They did take a few penalties that doomed drives for the offense, but this was still one of their better outings. Center John Sullivan did look shaken up near the end of the game, which could be an interesting injury to monitor this week. Sullivan has not looked like himself this year after being named to the Pro Football Writer's Association All-Pro team last year (not the Associated Press team though) and it may be time to give him a rest. The receivers and tight ends around Ponder also showed up to play, as Kyle Rudolph and Cordarrelle Patterson had some impressive leaping grabs on bad Ponder passes. Toby Gerhart looked great near the end of the game too in relief of AP (right before the trade deadline, no less). The Vikings aren't a bad offensive football team right now. They just have no quarterback to prove that to people.
Defense: F
The Packers' never punted. They scored 44 points. The Green Bay Packers didn't convert on 3rd or 4th down only twice during the entire game. Those two failures led to two field goals. The Packers held the ball for over 40 minutes during the game, because this defense could just never find a way to get itself off the field. The defensive line played well early on, but as they wore down throughout the game the Packers were able to run straight up the middle with Eddie Lacy and James Starks. The linebackers also initially played strong, but soon Eddie Lacy was bouncing off tackles left and right as he kept the ball in the Packers' hands. The secondary was as good as invisible on the field, as Rodgers' only missed five of his passes. On third down, Rodgers' was 10/10 for a 172 yards and a touchdown. There's just no excusing this type of play, as every level of the defense failed. The Packers came into the game banged up, with Jordy Nelson the only reliable threat in the passing game. Nelson ended up with seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, though that was on the coaches as well as the players.
Special Teams: B-
The most exciting part of the night for the Vikings was by far the opening kickoff, which rookie Cordarrelle Patterson proceeded to take pack for a touchdown. Patterson showed great vision, speed and explosiveness, like he has the entire season, and even took another kickoff back past the 40. The Vikings' coverage unit though, gave up a punt return for a touchdown, almost negating the great positives Patterson provided.
Coaching: F
Yeah, this staff is as good as gone next season. The decision making by this coaching staff is baffling, and it once again led to an embarrassing prime time showing for this team. The decision to start Christian Ponder made no sense, as the team made it clear that it had moved on from Ponder, meaning backup Matt Cassel should get the start since he at least had played better in his two games of action than Ponder has in now four games. The defensive game plan seemed tangible, but was a complete failure. The Vikings ganged up on the run at the start of the game, to actually good success, but then the secondary could do nothing to stop Rodgers' on third down. As mentioned before, Jordy Nelson was the only reliable receiver for the Packers, but he was often left in single coverage, usually against rookie Xavier Rhodes. On Nelson's 76 yard touchdown catch, he was in coverage with linebacker Chad Greenway. Why the Vikings didn't have multiple people of Nelson is a mystery, as is their decision to not put their "number one" corner, Chris Cook, opposite him. Did I mention that nothing defensive coordinator Alan Williams did worked on third down? Because that's what happened, sadly.
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