Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford didn’t practice at all this week, so he was clearly not going to be playing against Baltimore, this meant that backup Case Keenum automatically became the starter for the game. Keenum didn’t show his abilities to their best during the game (20-of-31 passing for 188 yards and a passer rating of 67.7 and a pick), leading to placekicker Kai Forbath being the key scorer for Minnesota (six field goals from 52, 51, 43, 43, 34 and 32 yards, but a missed extra point to keep him humble), while Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker threatened to score from well outside normal kicking distances (48, 57 and 47 yards, yet the game announcers seemed sure he could make it from inside his own 20 yard line). Still, ugly games count just the same as awesome ones, so chalk this one up as an ugly win.
Both teams were missing key players: Baltimore was already down most of their top receivers (Breshad Perriman, Chris Matthews and Jeremy Maclin) when Mike Wallace took a hit from Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo early in the first half which put him into the NFL’s concussion protocol (Sendejo was penalized for unnecessary roughness on the tackle, which negated a fumble recovery by Xavier Rhodes). Minnesota was missing both Stefon Diggs and Michael Floyd, which gave rarely used veteran Jarius Wright an opportunity to shine, making some clutch catches to extend Viking drives. Nick Easton had been ruled out, so Jeremiah Sirles got the start at left guard, and both Sirles and starting left tackle Riley Reiff suffered injuries during the game, so backup tackle Rashod Hill and rookie guard Danny Isidora got into the game as replacements.
To be kind, the game wasn’t one for the ages, as neither team seemed to be able to get things going on offence: the Ravens due to lack of targets for quarterback Joe Flacco, and the Vikings more due to penalties at inopportune moments. If you’re a fan of defensive play, there was lots to keep you entertained. Linebacker Anthony Barr was playing at a very high level indeed, notching 11 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss in a dominating performance. Defensive end Everson Griffen kept his streak alive with a sack in his seventh straight game … needing only one more to tie the team record held by Jim Marshall and Jared Allen.
I realize I’m a heretic for saying this, but did anyone else notice that tight end Kyle Rudolph seemed both slow and a bit timid going for catches in this game? He ended up with five receptions for 43 yards, but for someone of his athletic ability, he seemed to be lumbering rather than running.
At the Daily Norseman, Ted Glover rounds up the Stock Market Report for this game:
Buy: Case Keenum is one of the best backup QB’s in the NFL. It’s hard to argue that Case Keenum’s play is a large part of the reason the Vikings are 5-2. He blew up the Buccaneers, and has played, for the most part, mistake free football. He’s done just what a good backup should do, and that’s come in, run the offense, score some points, and give the team a chance to win.
Sell: Case Keenum needs to play even when Teddy Bridgewater and/or Sam Bradford are healthy. But all that said, as soon as Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Bradford get healthy and can play, then they should. I don’t know how the QB drama will shake out in the coming weeks, or next year, and I don’t claim to know. But I do know that when healthy, Bradford or Bridgewater are both better options than Keenum, and that was made obvious by Keenum’s 5-13 start. He was off most of the day, and a decent percent of his throws are turned in to catches because of great plays by Jarius Wright, Adam Thielen, or Kyle Rudolph. Make those throws to other receivers on other teams, and they are incompletions or interceptions.
Buy: Danny Isidora and Rashod Hill are decent backups. When Jeremiah Sirles and Riley Reiff went down with injuries today, rookie Danny Isidora took over for Sirles, and Rashod Hill, who played most of the pre-season, took over for Reiff. They did a solid, if unspectacular job, in relief of the two starters, and were able to get the job done. They both made mistakes, yes, but they were leaps and bound better than what the Vikings trotted out there last year, by quite a lot.
Sell: Danny Isidora and Rashod Hill will start soon. While Isidora and Hill are no T.J. Clemmings and Willie Beavers, well, they’re not Sirles and Reiff, either. The running game pretty much got blown up on the left side for the remainder of the game, as they both missed assignments that caused more than one tackle for loss. Honestly, I like both of these guys long term, and think they can develop into solid players, but today also reinforced what a good signing Reiff was for the Vikings this past off-season.
Buy: 5-2 and in first place alone after everything? I’ll take it. If you told me that the Vikings ould essentially lose Sam Bradford after week one, Dalvin Cook after less than four, Stefon DIggs for the last two, and be in first place all by themselves? Oh heck yeah I’d take that, I think anyone would. It’s been a great team effort to get to this point, and wins against the Bears and Packers at home after a bad loss to Detroit were great bounce back games. It’s a testament to the Vikings coaching staff for getting the team prepared, each week, and yeah, a testament to GM Rick Spielman for overhauling the roster to get depth at critical areas, like QB, OL, and running back.
Sell: The Vikings are guaranteed to win the division. There’s still a lot of football left to be played, and anything can happen. The back half of the schedule includes five road games after the bye, including back to back games at Carolina and Atlanta. Those might not seem as daunting as they did when the schedule first came out, but it’s tough to win on the road in the NFL. Still, with either Sam or Teddy coming back (hopefully) after the bye, the Vikings are sitting in a pretty good position, all things considered.
