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Several Vikings Step Up In Win Over Washington

The Vikings earned a tough 33-26 road victory over the Washington Redskins on Saturday, and there was nothing conventional about how the game unfolded. Minnesota jumped out to 10-0 lead, trailed 13-10 early in the 3rd quarter, watched both Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder leave the game due to injury, and then outscored Washington 23-13 the rest of the way to notch the win.

To be on the road and face that much adversity – Peterson left with a severe knee injury and Ponder suffered a concussion – but still come out with a win is a testament to the Vikings depth and refusal to quit on the season.

Peterson and Ponder were both forced out of the game early in the 3rd quarter. Backups Toby Gerhart and Joe Webb stepped right in and were productive for the rest of the game. Gerhart finished with 109 yards on 11 carries, the first 100-yard game of his career, and Webb was 4 of 5 for 84 yards and 2 TDs, and he also added 5 carries for 34 yards and 1 TD.

But it was more than just Gerhart and Webb who stepped up on Saturday. Seven-year veteran Joe Berger started at LG in place of Steve Hutchinson, rookie interior OL Brandon Fusco replaced Anthony Herrera at RG after Herrera left with an injury, rookie S Mistral Raymond grabbed an INT and ended a big-time drought for the Vikings defense, and Brian Robison forced and recovered a fumble off of Rex Grossman.

There are more examples of guys who stepped up in the victory, but you get the picture. And Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier was clearly pleased with the way his team played, from the top of the roster all the way to the bottom.

“As I mentioned earlier, just a good overall effort by our football team to go on the road and get a win against a Redskins team that had just come off a big win against the Giants the week before,” Frazier said during his customary day-after-the-game press conference. “And to handle some of that adversity that occurred during that game, to see the number of players who stepped up like they did, whether it be Toby Gerhart, Joe (Webb) coming into the game when Christian (Ponder) was injured, some of our defensive guys just stepping up, Mistral Raymond coming back and getting an interception for us, the big caused fumble by Brian Robison as well.

“A lot of good things in that football game. A lot of guys contributed to that win on Saturday, which really should be a spring board for us as we prepare for this ball game against Chicago.”

Ballard, Griffen Will Have Opportunity To Contribute On Sunday

On Sunday the Vikings will face a Lions offense that leans heavily on the pass. No team passes on a higher percentage of their offensive snaps (64.9%) than the Lions and only the New Orleans Saints have attempted more passes on the season. The Lions pass-to-run ratio currently sits at 490-278, which includes games with 63 and 50 pass attempts.

The Lions are coming off back-to-back games of 45 and 44 pass attempts, and now they may be even more inclined to attack through the air with starter Jahvid Best out and his replacement, Kevin Smith, also battling injury.

Suffice it to say, Vikings pass rushers – especially the defensive ends – will have a lot of work to do this Sunday. Jared Allen has been productive for the Vikings this season – his 14.5 sacks rank 2nd in the NFL – but not even he can put enough pressure on Lions QB Matthew Stafford alone. Allen’s usual partner on the other end of the defensive line is Brian Robison, but Robison is trying to comeback from a concussion he sustained in last week’s game against the Broncos.

With or without Robison, the Vikings will rely on depth along the defensive line to keep fresh bodies in the game and a relentless pass rush in Stafford’s face. After Allen and Robison, the next two outside pass rushers the Vikings will insert into the game are rookie Christian Ballard and 2nd-year DE Everson Griffen.

Vikings Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac was asked about his depth along the defensive line during his customary Thursday morning meeting with reporters.

“We’re planning on playing him,” Pagac said of Griffen. “He’s been getting more reps as the season’s gone on. We plan on using him quite a bit. The other guy will be Christian Ballard. Those guys are going to have to play. We’re going to have to rotate people through, we’re going to have to get fresh bodies in there rushing the passer, and play sixty minutes of football. Give them different looks, play aggressively and have some fun.”

Both Ballard and Griffen are 4th-round draft picks of the Vikings, and both figure to be in the team’s long-term plans along the defensive line after impressing coaches and scouts early in their careers. For both players, versatility is a strong-point in their skill sets. They can both contribute on multiple phases of special teams, and they can both play multiple positions on defense. Griffen is most comfortable playing DE, but the Vikings have also experimented with him as a LB. Ballard was a standout at the University of Iowa at both DE and DT, and he’s been productive in short stints for the Vikings at both positions as well.

With the Vikings season coming up short of expectations, now is a great opportunity for these two young players to gain additional playing time and prove even more to coaches that they’re deserving of playing time. Add in the fact that the Vikings defense will face a pass-happy Lions attack this weekend, and the opportunity for Ballard and Griffen gets even better.

Here’s what Pagac had to say about both Ballard and Griffen when he was asked to evaluate them:

On Ballard: “I think that kid is multi-talented. He can play different positions. I don’t think he’ll have a problem there. In fact, the snaps that he has gotten at that end position, he’s been pretty stout and he’s gotten us pretty good push on the pocket. He’s a young player who’s going to be a good football player.”

On Griffen: “Everson has great potential. In my opinion, he’s had pretty good productivity on the plays that he’s played and he’s got to continue to mature and grasp some scheme and go from there. He has great athleticism. He has a good motor. He can make athletic plays.”

Vikings Will Need Combo Of Coverage And Rush To Slow Lions Air Attack

The Vikings secondary came under significant fire in the aftermath of last Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, a game in which Tim Tebow passed for 202 yards and 2 TDs along the way to registering a 149.3 passer rating. But last weekend was not the genesis of criticism aimed at the Vikings pass defense.

Opponents have completed 68.2% of their passes against the Vikings and have a 24-6 TD-INT ratio. Add it all up and opposing passers have a rating of 106.5 against the Vikings, the 2nd best rating in the NFL.

“We talked in depth about it the last couple days, and what we can do to try and help our guys on the back end, and we’ll try some things,” Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier said. “You can only do what you can do. But we’re going to try to do some things to offset what’s happening with some of the quarterbacks that we’re facing.”

In the Vikings defense, the secondary is beyond beat up. Pro Bowler Antoine Winfield is on IR, and so are starting safeties Husain Abdullah and Tyrell Johnson. CB Asher Allen was missing last week and CB Chris Cook is not expected back any time soon. When you’re down that many guys, it’s unreasonable to expect a team to recover quickly, especially with the number of young and inexperienced players who are forced to step into the action.

 And so, with the Vikings preparing to face the pass-happy Detroit Lions this weekend, the Vikings secondary will continue to be scrutinized over the next few days. Certainly the group of Vikings DBs who will suit up on Sunday are doing everything they can to correct their mistakes from a week ago, but Frazier also pointed out that the onus of stopping Detroit’s passing attack does not land squarely on the shoulders of the secondary.

“This is a good pass offense we’re facing, they’ve done a very good job this season, and it’ll be a tremendous challenge for our secondary,” Frazier explained. “But it’s going to require more than our secondary to slow their pass offense down. We’re going to need our front to play big for us, along with our linebackers, to help our secondary. And if we can get that, then I think we can change some of those numbers.”

Frazier is correct. Defending the pass is about combining good coverage with a good pass rush, and the Vikings prospects for pressuring Stafford are pretty good. Detroit had allowed zero sacks heading into their first meeting with the Vikings, but Jared Allen (3.0) and Brian Robison (2.0) changed that.

To slow down the Lions passing attack this weekend, the Vikings will need both improved play from the secondary and a pass-rushing presence from Allen and Co.

Frazier Updates Several Injuries

Leslie Frazier met with reporters on Monday to discuss Sunday’s game and the status of his team as they try and move past the loss to Denver and on to preparations for next weekend’s game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. He opened with an update on players who sustained injuries during Sunday’s game.

Here’s a quick summary of what Frazier said…

– QB Christian Ponder has a hip pointer and will likely be limited in practice, at least early in the week. Ponder suffered the injury during the game and was obviously able to finish, but the team will monitor the injury closely over the next few days and adjust the QB’s practice time accordingly. It’s important to note a couple things here. First, Ponder relies on his mobility, so a hip injury is significant to him. Secondly, Ponder played through injuries in college and will be willing to play through pain.

– LB Chad Greenway hyper-extended his elbow, but he was also able to finish the game. It won’t be surprising if he’s limited in some capacity this week, but I’m anticipating he’ll be able to play at this point.

– DE Brian Robison suffered a concussion and did not finish the game. As is the case with all concussions, this will be a day-to-day situation.

– TE Visanthe Shiancoe came out of the game with a swollen hand. Frazier said X-rays of the hand did not show a fracture, which is obviously good news and gives Shiancoe a chance to play this weekend.

As for RB Adrian Peterson, who has missed two games with an ankle injury, there is no timeline for his return. It could be as early as this week, but there’s also a possibility that he misses another game. We’ll monitor his status as the week progresses.

Jenkins, Robison Visit Burnsville, Lakeville Chambers

As part of the Vikings “You Made the Team” Community Tour, Vikings personnel hosted a luncheon with the Burnsville and Lakeville Chambers of Commerce on Tuesday.

During the lunch, Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development Lester Bagley addressed a crowd of civic and business leaders about the team’s passion for giving back to local communities, and he provided a stadium status report. In addition, KFAN-FM mid-day host and Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen conducted a Q&A on the Vikings 2011 season with WR Michael Jenkins and DE Brian Robison.

The Vikings “You Made the Team” Community Tour was implemented in 2007 and is designed to connect with fans, community partners and local leaders while providing an update on the excitement of Vikings football. Thus far the tour has made 14 stops: Austin, Brainerd, Duluth, Fargo/Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Grand Rapids, Iowa City, Mankato, Marshall, Owatonna, Red Wing, Rochester, St. Cloud and Willmar.

Vikings Defense Will Adjust To Chicago’s Adjustments

A major storyline to Sunday night’s Vikings-Bears matchup at Soldier Field is the Vikings pass rush vs. the Bears pass protection. The Vikings are 2nd in the NFL with 16 sacks and the League’s leader in sacks is Jared Allen (8.5). The Bears, meanwhile, have allowed the 3rd-most sacks in the NFL and they’re making changes to their starting lineup.

It all adds up to a potential advantage for the Vikings, but only if they can execute properly and close the deal when they get close to QB Jay Cutler. That’s what the Detroit Lions were able to do last Monday night, as Cutler was constantly trying to evade pressure. Cutler actually played well despite the heavy pressure he saw all night, but when the offensive line can’t protect the QB consistently it’s just a matter of time before the offense finally breaks down.

Cutler and Bears Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz addressed this storyline earlier in the week, with Cutler saying the pressure makes him “uneasy” in the pocket and with Martz explaining that the Bears may utilize “quicker throws” to help Cutler get the ball out of the pocket before facing pressure.

This all means the Vikings can’t simply count on being able to pin their ears back to pressure Cutler with ease. Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier explained earlier in the week that he and the defensive staff must be ready to adjust to Chicago’s adjustments.

“We’ve gone against teams in the past that have struggled prior to us playing them and they’ve changed their blocking schemes and we’ve got to be ready to adjust to that,” Frazier said. “They’re going to do everything possible to fix some of the problems they had on Monday night and that they’ve had during the season and we’ve got to be prepared to adjust to whatever changes, if any, they make. But we need our pass rush to be working for us.”

With more quick throws possibly coming from the Bears offense, it will be important for the Vikings secondary to be sharp, especially right after the snap. If the Vikings can take away Cutler’s primary option, it may force him to hold the ball for an extra count or two, and that will give Allen, Brian Robison and the rest of the defensive line a chance to add to their sack total this season.

DEs Allen, Robison “Setting Tone” For Vikings Defense

Heading into the 2011 season, some questioned the Vikings decision to go with Brian Robison as the starting DE opposite Jared Allen. It was thought by some that Robison couldn’t handle a full load of snaps in a game and that he couldn’t defend the run well enough.

For the previous 3+ seasons, Ray Edwards was Allen’s pass-rushing partner from the edge. Together, Allen and Edwards registered 19.5 sacks in 2008, 23.0 sacks in 2009 and 19.0 sacks in 2010. Also, the DE tandem helped the Vikings rank #1 against the run in 2008 and #2 against the run in 2009.

But this past offseason Edwards signed with the Atlanta Falcons, leaving vacant the starting left DE position. The Vikings, who had extended Robison’s contract earlier in the offseason, immediately tabbed him as the starter. And right now, the decision to increase Robison’s role and team him with Allen looks like a great one.

The Vikings are tied for 2nd in the NFL with 16 teams sacks, and no DE tandem in the NFL has more sacks than Allen and Robison’s 13.0 through 5 games. Allen has 8.5 and Robison has 4.5 (tied for a career high), while DE Everson Griffen (2.0) and Erin Henderson (1.0) have the others.

Both Allen and Robison had 2.0 sacks on Sunday against Arizona, helping to pace a dominant defensive effort that allowed just 10 points.

“We challenged our defensive line and our offensive line during the week to really step up,” Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier said after the game.”Jared is having a really unbelievable year, and so is B-Rob (Brian Robison). He is not taking a back seat to anybody in our League. He is playing lights out football and just makes our defense and our team so much better when you have two defensive ends that play the way their playing. They are playing at a high level and they’re really setting the tone for our defense.”

Peterson, Vikings Defense Run Over Cardinals In 34-10 Victory

Leslie Frazier earned his first victory as Vikings Head Coach on Sunday at Mall of America Field, as his team ran over the Arizona Cardinals to log a 34-10 win. And the Vikings did it the old fashioned way, with a relentless rushing attack and a punishing defensive effort that yielded only 3.8 yards per play and produced 4 turnovers.

The best RB in the NFL looked the part on Sunday, as the Vikings used three Adrian Peterson rushing TDs in the 1st quarter, along with a TD scamper by QB Donovan McNabb and a suffocating performance by the Vikings defense, to build a 28-0 lead before the 1st quarter came to a close. Arizona got on the board with a 2nd-quarter FG and then tacked on a TD in the 3rd quarter, but a rock-solid defensive effort, a commitment to the running game and two FGs by Ryan Longwell in the 2nd half helped the Vikings salt away their first victory of the season.

With a sold-out Mall of America Field crowd behind them, the Vikings defense played lights out for most of the game. But they were particularly sensational in the early going, forcing the following outcomes on Arizona’s first 6 drives: punt, punt, INT, fumble, punt, punt. There was a trio of three-and-out drives, and the Vikings converted both turnovers into TDs. Peterson scored from 4 yards out after the second Arizona punt and then dashed in from 24 yards out just one play after the INT. McNabb scampered in from 4 yards out after the fumble and then Peterson tallied his third rushing score of the day late in the 1st quarter after yet another Arizona punt.

All told in the 1st quarter, the Vikings scored 28 points, outgained Arizona 108-53, forced two turnovers and had an average drive start at the Arizona 40. Meanwhile, the Cardinals average drive start was their own 18, they converted zero of four 3rd-down attempts and they had nearly as many sacks and turnovers (3) as pass completions (4).

With CB Antoine Winfield sidelined because of a neck injury, it was imperative that the young Vikings secondary step up. And they did. Asher Allen grabbed the 1st quarter-INT, while S Jamarca Sanford collected two of his own to close out the game. The rest of the Vikings secondary played well also, as star WR Larry Fitzgerald was held in check with just 4 receptions for 66 yards. QB Kevin Kolb completed just 21 of 42 attempts for 232 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs; backup QB Richard Bartel threw the 3rd INT.

Aiding the young secondary in their effort was a tremendous pass rush, paced once again by perennial Pro Bowler Jared Allen, who had a pair of sacks. Fellow starting DE Brian Robison also had 2.0 sacks on the day, and now the duo has combined for 13.0 sacks this season – Allen has 8.5 and Robison has 4.5.

The Vikings special teams group deserves a nod, too, as they generated an average starting field position for the offense of the MN 42, while creating an average starting field position for Arizona of their own 24. Marcus Sherels had 45 punt return yards on just 2 tries, while P Chris Kluwe allowed zero returns in 4 punts and had two of his punts downed inside the 20, one of which was downed at the Arizona 3. K Ryan Longwell was 4 of 4 on PATs, 2 of 3 on FG tries (including a 53-yarder in the 4th quarter) and had two touchbacks.

The win improves the Vikings to 1-4 on the season and it gets them moving in the right direction as they embark on a road trip to Chicago next weekend and then return home for a date with the Green Bay Packers.

Notes From Pagac Press Conference; Robison, K. Williams Playing Well

A lot of you have commented here on the vikings.com Blog recently that Vikings Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac does not take a loquacious approach to his weekly press conferences. It’s true, Pagac does tend to hold his cards close to the vest.

But hey, he’s been a successful coach for a long time and you don’t keep at job as an assistant coach at Ohio State University for 23 seasons by divulging secrets and strategies. On top of that, let’s give him credit for not being one who spews out hyperbole just to pass time and give the standard, run-of-the-mill quote.

With all that said, there were a few interesting notes to come out of Pagac’s press conference on Thursday. Here they are…

Not surprised by Robison
There’s always a natural level of concern when a team loses a starter, and that was certainly the case for Vikings fans when DE Ray Edwards left the club via free agency this past offseason. Brian Robison, who had been an important member of the DL rotation since entering the League as a rookie in 2007, was tabbed as the replacement and he was even given a contract extension during the offseason.

Concerns about Robison not being able to replace Edwards have reduced, if not gone away, after the first 3 games. Robison is off to a good start in 2011, having tallied 11 tackles and 1.0 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and 1 pass defensed. He’s gotten to the opposing QB constantly and has 10 QB hits.

Robison’s fast start may surprise some, but it doesn’t surprise his defensive coordinator.

“No, Brian Robison’s a good football player,” Pagac said. “He’s one of our top fifteen, sixteen guys on our football team. We expect those things out of Brian. He’s doing a good job right now.”

Williams right back into the swing of things
Last week marked the return of DT Kevin Williams to the lineup following a two-game suspension to begin the season. It’s no coincidence that the Vikings registered 5 sacks against the Lions in the same game that Williams made his return. When Williams is in the game, opposing offenses generally allocate two blockers to him each play, which gives other defensive linemen one-on-one opportunities. And, Williams was in the game a bit more than Pagac and the Vikings coaching staff expected against Detroit.

“Thought he did well,” Pagac said. “We’re happy to have him back. Obviously we think he’s a great football player, and we expect him to continue to improve as we go on.

“He probably played more than we thought (he would). He probably played probably fifteen, twenty snaps more than we thought he would’ve. But he was in great shape and he was able to go. Whatever he did during his two weeks off, he did a good job of staying in shape and working out.”

Asked if he expects Williams will have any limitations this week because of conditioning after missing the first two games or because of his foot injury, Pagac’s answer was (predictably) simple.

“He’s back to work.”

Encouraged by Everson Griffen
DE Everson Griffen has quickly become one of the Vikings best special teams players. And now he’s also starting to find a niche on defense. The Vikings have experimented with Griffen in a variety of roles on the defense, including standing him up as a LB or sorts.

Griffen was in this role occasionally against Detroit, and Pagac indicated he was satisfied with what he saw, but he’s also expecting improvement.

“I thought Everson did a great job in the game,” Pagac said. “He did a good job of rushing. What he did in the drop part of it was fine. We’ll continue to get better at that. It was one of the first times we did it with live bullets. We expect him to get better and better.”

Vikings Lose Control Late, Drop Home Opener To Bucs 24-20

It was like re-living a bad dream. The Vikings opened up with a strong 1st half, took a lead into the locker room at halftime and then watched their lead slowly slip away and turn into a deficit during the 2nd half. That’s what happened to the Vikings last week in San Diego and it happened again on Sunday in the home opener, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers providing the heartbreak this time.

Donovan McNabb and Adrian Peterson came out looking sharp in the opening half, with McNabb going 11 of 17 for 153 yards and Peterson looking nearly unstoppable on 15 carries for 83 yards and 2 TDs. The Vikings outgained Tampa Bay 284-62, held a 17-3 advantage in 1st downs and possessed the ball for almost 10 more minutes. The result of that 1st half domination was a 17-0 halftime lead and a home crowd that was buzzing.

But then the Vikings opened the 2nd half by going 3-and-out, punting to Tampa Bay and then watching the Buccaneers go 44 yards in just 2 plays to cut into the lead and make the score 17-7. The Buccaneers then got wise and successfully attempted an onsides kick. Vikings S Husain Abdullah ended the ensuing drive with an INT in the endzone, but by that point it was already apparent that this Buccaneers team wasn’t going away easily.

It was all Buccaneers the rest of the way. They kept the Vikings out of the endzone after a 12-play, 69-yard drive and Ryan Longwell came on to convert his second FG attempt of the day. But FGs weren’t going to be enough to stave off Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers scored the final 14 points of the game, with the final score coming on a LaGarrette Blount TD run with just 35 seconds to play in the game, giving the Buccaneers a 4-point lead and ultimately the win.

Peterson finished the game with 120 yards rushing on 25 carries, which is a good box score under normal circumstances. But the Vikings went to Peterson just 10 times in the 2nd half and it amounted to 37 yards. McNabb finished going 18 of 300 for 228 yards with no TDs or INTs. The top receiving target for Minnesota was Percy Harvin, who had 7 receptions for 76 yards.

Defensively, the Vikings were led in tackles by Antoine Winfield (11). DEs Jared Allen and Everson Griffen both tallied a QB sack and Abdullah had an INT.

The loss drops the Vikings to 0-2 on the season and they’ll try to right the ship next Sunday when they host their first NFC North game of the year, as the Detroit Lions come to Mall of America Field.