If last week’s terrible outing against the Cardinals was a wake-up call, then I think it worked: Minnesota put on a comprehensive display of dominance in all three phases of the game yesterday against Cincinnati. Despite two defensive rookies making their first career starts (middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley and safety Jamarca Sanford), the Bengals had trouble moving the ball (Carson Palmer had his second-worst statistically).
Cornerback Antoine Winfield made his triumphant return to the field after an extended time recovering from a foot injury. He had nine tackles and forced a fumble late in the second quarter, which led to a Viking field goal. He’s still not back 100%, as he dropped an interception and lost Chad Ochocinco on a passing play to give the Bengals their only touchdown of the day. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert was very impressed with Winfield’s performance, saying “Antoine Winfield picked up where he left off as the NFL’s best tackler.”
In the duel of the running backs, the numbers were close with Adrian Peterson logging 97 yards on 26 carries against Cedric Benson’s 16 carries for 96 yards, but Peterson had two touchdowns to set a new scoring record for a Viking running back. Peterson also added 40 yards receiving on 3 passes.
