Unfortunately, the game wasn’t available in my area, so I had to follow the Twitter feed to keep track of the game. It was a fascinating day in the NFL, as Peyton Manning set a new NFL passing record and got benched in the same game, Detroit finally beat the Green Bay Packers for the first time in 24 years, and Adrian Peterson notches his first 200+ yard game in nearly two years (and the sixth in his career, tied for the most in NFL history).
Adrian Peterson thru 9 games:
2012: 957 rushing yards
2015: 961 rushing yards
I'm not making this up.
— Drew Mahowald (@MNSportsDrewM) November 16, 2015
#Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has 18 career touchdown runs of 40 yards or longer. Only Barry Sanders, with 20, has more in NFL history.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) November 16, 2015
It’s been a while since the Vikings had a five-game winning streak … since 2009, as a matter of fact. And the significance of Adrian Peterson’s 2012 numbers above? That’s his career best year when he fell just a few yards short of setting a new NFL single-season rushing record.
ESPN‘s Ben Goessling on Sunday’s game:
What it means: The Vikings are up by a game on the Packers, who lost to the Detroit Lions at home for the first time since 1991, and they can extend the lead to two with a win next Sunday at home. Considering how discombobulated the Packers looked on Sunday, it’d be surprising if the Vikings weren’t favored at home this week. Mike Zimmer has typically been able to contain Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers’ offensive line could have trouble protecting him against the Vikings’ blitz packages, especially if Eric Kendricks is healthy by then. It’s going to be a big week in the NFC North.
One reason to get excited: A team that hasn’t been able to win on the road in recent years now has three consecutive road victories, and the Vikings’ defense again looks built for the long haul. Apart from a couple jump balls in the second quarter, the Vikings curtailed Derek Carr’s downfield passing game, and did a solid job against Latavius Murray. Against a reeling Packers team, the Vikings’ defense could have the recipe to beat at TCF Bank Stadium next Sunday.
One reason to panic: Bridgewater took care of the ball, but he only wound up throwing for 140 yards, and couldn’t seem to find anyone open down field. The Raiders did a nice job taking away Bridgewater’s options, but the quarterback also seemed to be holding the ball at times, rather than trusting himself to get the ball to a receiver who could make a play. They’ll likely need more from him if they’re going to capitalize on their position in the standings.
For several seasons, Vikings fans have looked wistfully at other franchises (like New England and Pittsburgh, for example) that were well-coached and wondered what that would look like.
In year two under head coach Mike Zimmer, we’re starting to find out.
Well-coached teams teams tackle well. Their special teams make big plays and play punt and kickoff coverage extremely well. They don’t turn the ball over. And they don’t beat themselves by taking dumb penalties.
In Sunday’s win, all of this was on display. If an Oakland player got the ball and a Vikes defender was within an arm’s length of him, that Oakland player wasn’t going far. Cordarrelle Patterson – at least for one play – returned to relevance with a 93-yard kickof return for a touchdown seconds after the Raiders had grabbed a 14-13 lead late in the first half. Minnesota had zero turnovers and committed just three penalties (Oakland had eight).
And outside of the season opener against the 49ers, this is what the Vikings have done all year. Credit the Vikings young, talented roster. But also credit a coaching staff that Zimmer hand-picked and is leading.
Well-coached teams also adjust to what their opponent is doing and try to find something that works. Back in the Leslie Frazier days, it seemed like Frazier rarely did any adjusting until it was too late. But under Zimmer – another defensive-minded coach – we’ve seen the Vikings defense consistently make adjustments when things seem to be going south and then completely shut down opposing offenses. We saw it against Detroit on the road a few weeks ago. We saw it at home against the Rams last week. And we saw it again today against the Raiders. Oakland had just gone up 14-13 with less than two minutes left in the half. Raiders QB Derek Carr had victimized the Vikings on some blitzes to get that lead. It looked like the game might start turning the Raiders way. But then Patterson took the kickoff to the house and Zimmer and defensive coordinator George Edwards seemed to blitz a little less (I’m actually not sure what adjustments they did) and largely shut Carr, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree down.
