Adrian Peterson was the engine that kept Minnesota in this game (29 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns) … with more than a bit of help from a stout defence that didn’t give up a touchdown until the final two minutes. Atlanta committed enough mistakes to cripple their own scoring chances, including a Terence Newman interception in the Vikings end zone.
Minnesota’s defensive secondary was missing star safety Harrison Smith who injured his knee in a collision with Newman in last week’s loss to Green Bay and rookie first round cornerback Trae Waynes. Despite that, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan didn’t seem to test the deep secondary much during the majority of the game. Even more puzzling was that pattern continued after Andrew Sendejo, the Vikings’ other starting safety, left the game with an injury to be replaced by Robert Blanton (Antone Exum, Jr. got the start in Smith’s place). On the other hand, linebacker Anthony Barr was everywhere, notching tackles, a strip-sack, a forced fumble that prevented a touchdown, and a dramatic pass break-up. I imagine his Pro Football Focus rating this week will be pretty gaudy.
ANTHONY BARR IS A DESTROYER OF DREAMS AND AN EATER OF SOULS
— Eric Thompson (@eric_j_thompson) November 29, 2015
Andrew Krammer from 1500ESPN rounds up some quick hits from right after the game:
Big-play Barr — Anthony Barr had one of his best games of his young career on Sunday. He used his good hand, the right one, to knock the ball out of Tevin Coleman’s arm at the end of a 46-yard run in the first quarter. Barr, who we knew has been playing with an injured left hand for the past month, continued to leave his mark. He also blew up a screen the following series. In consecutive fourth-quarter plays, Barr deflected a deep wheel route pass to a running back, then came off the edge and sacked Matt Ryan to force a punt. On the FOX broadcast, Kevin Burkhardt revealed Barr’s left hand is broken. The Vikings won the turnover battle, twice intercepting Ryan at critical junctures. All three Falcons turnovers came in Vikings’ territory, including picks by Captain Munnerlyn and Terence Newman.
Cooled quickly — The Vikings piled up 153 yards in the first quarter alone, and began the second quarter in Falcons’ territory poised to take a 14-0 lead before Teddy Bridgewater threw low down the seam to Kyle Rudolph and was intercepted by safety Ricardo Allen. Bridgewater went 0 for 3 on the following drive, before Peterson was taken off the field in a two-minute drill prior to halftime. Bridgewater gained just 30 yards on six completions to set up a 51-yard field goal, which Blair Walsh missed to keep the Vikings’ lead at 7-3.
All day — The Vikings continued to show they can bounce back from a letdown, and did so on offense through Peterson, who atoned from a dropped would-be touchdown catch with a one-yard touchdown run just a few plays later. The play gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead on their first possession, which was crucial for Peterson, who comes off the field in hurry-up situations, to stay a part of the game plan. He did on Sunday against the Falcons’ top-ranked run defense. Peterson broke tackles left and right, picking up crucial gains, including a 3rd and 2 conversion and a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, on his way to 158 yards on 29 attempts and two scores. The Falcons held the ball for just 26:32. Peterson also moved ahead of O.J. Simpson for 20th on the all-time rushing list.
Update: This is how dominating a performance Adrian Peterson had (Atlanta had the league’s number one rushing defence at the start of the game).
After Adrian Peterson and the #Vikings rushing attack met Atlanta, Vikings now No. 1 in rush offense, ATL drops to ninth in run defense.
— VikingUpdate.com (@VikingUpdate) November 30, 2015
