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Vikings Utilize Draft, Free Agency To Upgrade WR Position

The Vikings entered the offseason with several items on their to-do list, and one of those items was “upgrade the WR position.” Over the past week or so, the Vikings have done a nice job of utilizing the draft and free agency to do just that.

A week ago, the Vikings returning receivers with significant playing time under their belt from the 2011 season were limited to: Devin Aromashodu, Percy Harvin and Michael Jenkins. Several young players, including Manny Arceneaux and Stephen Burton, were also in the fold, but none of them contributed significantly a season ago.

Fast-forward to now, though, and you see improvement. No one will characterize the Vikings WR position as an embarrassment of riches at this point, but there is plenty of reason for optimism about what the Vikings have added.

It started prior to the draft, when the Vikings reached agreement on a free agent contract with veteran Jerome Simpson. A 2nd-round pick of the Bengals in 2008, Simpson had his best season a year ago when he hauled in 50 receptions for 725 yards and 4 TDs. He brings good size and elite athleticism to the Vikings WR corps, and will provide the Vikings offense with the outside, field-stretching presence it needs.

Then during the draft, the Vikings used two 4th-round selections to add even more talent to the group. Jarius Wright, an explosive and ultra-productive slot receiver for Arkansas, was added first. Just minutes later, the Vikings also added Greg Childs, a childhood friend and college teammate of Wright’s. Childs is the prototypical outside WR because of his great size (6-3, 219 pounds) and speed (4.54 in 40-yard dash) combination along with his ability to make acrobatic catches and win versus coverage down the field.

Again, let’s not put the cart before the horse and declare mission accomplished when it comes to improving the passing game. But there’s no question the Vikings added 3 talented players to their WR corps over the last week, and that’s an exciting development for Vikings fans and surely for Vikings QB Christian Ponder.

Tuesday’s Hot Topic: Tim Tebow’s Next Team

It was only 12 days ago that QB Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts parted ways, but it felt like 12 weeks with all the coverage of Manning’s search for a new team. On Monday, Manning made a decision, and that decision was to play for the Denver Broncos.

Once the Manning-to-the-Broncos news emerged, questions were immediately raised about what that meant for Tim Tebow’s NFL future. Tebow, of course, infused life into a listless franchise and took a team that began the season 1-4 all the way to the playoffs, even winning a Wild Card round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Following the news of Manning’s desire to join the Broncos, a report quickly surfaced that Denver would try to trade Tebow rather than keeping him on the roster behind Manning. So that begs the question: Where will Tebow play in 2012?

Let’s start it off by looking at the Vikings. I’d be interested in the Vikings considering adding Tebow because, in my opinion, he is a winner and will make any team he joins better. Let me state my case…
– If he came to Minnesota, it wouldn’t be so the Vikings could hand him the keys to the offense. Christian Ponder is the future at QB in Minnesota.
– I believe Vikings Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave and his staff could find a way to utilize Tebow’s skill set.
– If nothing else, Tebow is a good runner who averages 5.4 yards per carry for his career. We know how much Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier values a sound running game, plus superstar RB Adrian Peterson is coming back from a serious knee injury.
– One potential hurdle is the presence of Joe Webb on the roster. We all know about Webb’s athletic ability and most of us share an interest in trying to find a way for Webb to contribute. Perhaps adding Tebow to the fold with Webb already in the mix would only complicate matters in Minnesota?
– I’m not sure if adding Tebow would yield positive results, but that’s for Vikings coaches and scouts to decide. They know much more about it than me. But for the time being, I’m interested in adding Tebow.
– My interest in adding Tebow says nothing about the players already on this roster and everything about the admiration and respect I have for Tebow and his football ability.

I’m certainly not anticipating the Vikings getting into the mix for Tebow. I’m only raising the possibility in this forum to generate discussion among the fan base. So aside from debating whether or not the Vikings should acquire Tebow, I’ll list a few other teams that I believe should consider acquiring Tebow. Let us know what you think by leaving your thoughts in the comment section below this entry…

Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins – These two franchises are at the front of the line in terms of teams that should acquire Tebow. He is from Florida, played college football at the University of Florida and he would immediately improve both teams. He’d also create a buzz in both towns that would help sell tickets and hope for fan bases who must certainly be pessimistic after many seasons of watching a losing product.

New England Patriots – If he doesn’t end up with the Vikings, my next choice would be New England. Just as is the case in Minnesota, Tebow would not be handed the keys to the offense in New England. He’d be used as a utility player, for lack of a better term, and I’d love to see how Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick could use Tebow’s talents.

New Orleans Saints – I don’t want to see this happen because the Saints play in the NFC with the Vikings. But Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is one of the most creative offensive minds in the NFL, and it’d be interesting to see what kind of production he could get from Tebow in that offense.

Philadelphia Eagles – I  there anyone better at getting production out of QBs than Andy Reid? Look what he’s done in resurrecting Michael Vick’s career. Look how he made Kevin Kolb look like a potential franchise QB. Just as I think Musgrave and Co. could find ways to use him here, I know Reid and his staff could utilize Tebow’s skills appropriately.

San Francisco 49ers - They lost out on the Manning sweepstakes, so why not take a stab at Tebow as a consolation prize? Alex Smith did a nice job last season, but he’s still an unrestricted free agent and we don’t know where he’ll end up. Even if Smith returns to San Francisco, there’s still room for Tebow. Jim Harbaugh is a good football coach, so I think he could figure out how to use a good football player.

Others who should consider Tebow: Buffalo, Cleveland, Green Bay and St. Louis

Carlson Will Help Vikings Join A Trend

The addition of John Carlson hasn’t been the kind of flashy move that inspires fans on the second day of free agency, but it is an acquisition that improves the Vikings offense and is the latest sign that the team is looking to add young, talented pieces to the offensive puzzle around QB Christian Ponder.

The Vikings entered the offseason with significant needs at both DB and WR as well as along the OL, and those needs remain. But with Jim Kleinsasser retiring and Visanthe Shiancoe on the free agent market, TE was also a need for the Vikings. It’s less of a need now, with Carlson improving the depth chart and serving as a nice bookend to fellow Notre Dame alum Kyle Rudolph.

Speaking of the depth chart, the Vikings still have some work to do at TE. Rudolph is not on the team because of his blocking ability, and Carlson will not make anyone forget about Kleinsasser’s game-changing run-blocking skills. The Vikings will likely search for a burly, hard-nosed TE with a late-round draft choice in April or in undrafted free agency.

As for Carlson and Rudolph, you can bet the Vikings will put both of them to good use in 2012 and beyond. Dual-TE sets are trending upward in the NFL, with New England being the trend-setter after TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez gave opposing defenses headaches all season. While Carlson and Rudolph won’t make that duo blush quite yet, it’s clear Rudolph has the ability to be a top-flight NFL TE and Carlson is already an established pass-catcher at this level after setting Seattle single-season franchise records for receiving yards and receiving TDs by a TE.

On top of having the personnel, the Vikings also have the philosophy to join the dual-TE trend. In his first season as the Vikings offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave was not averse to using multiple-TE formations, as the Vikings ranked tied for 8th in 2-TE sets and 7th in 3-TE sets. I’d expect those numbers to remain the same in 2012 at minimum, but most likely increase. Also keep in mind that quality, reliable pass-catching TEs are a nice security blanket for young, inexperienced QBs.

All-in-all, the addition of Carlson won’t send the Vikings to the Super Bowl next season. No free-agent signing does that. But it does address a team need and it fits the theme of getting younger and putting quality pieces around the young QB.

Ponder Expected To Start On Sunday

Vikings QB Christian Ponder was forced out of last week’s game against the Washington Redskins after he suffered a concussion in the 3rd quarter, and given the (rightful) sensitivity to head injuries in professional sports these days it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Ponder ruled out for Sunday’s season finale against the Bears at Mall of America Field.

But there was good news on Wednesday. Ponder was a full participant in practice, and Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier said the plan is for Ponder to start on Sunday. Frazier also said he saw some good things from Ponder in the Washington game before he was injured, and that he’s looking for the rookie QB to continue playing well on Sunday.

 ”I thought he did some good things in that Washington game prior to being injured,” Frazier explained. “He really seemed to be settled down and playing with the confidence we expect and seemed to be having fun in the time that he was out there. I’m optimistic that he’s going to play well in our ball game on Sunday and that’s good for his confidence, good for our team, and it’s a big deal just to continue to try to improve but all of these looks that he is getting now as a rookie should help him in the future.”

Frazier Confident Vikings Can Build Around Peterson

The schedule Leslie Frazier and the Vikings have run through this year has provided face-to-face meetings with some of the NFL’s best QBs and best passing games. The Vikings have played 6 games against Top 10-rated QBs and they’ve played 8 games against teams ranked 10th or better in passing yards per game.

From two games against Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford to games against Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan, the Vikings schedule has been relentless in terms of facing elite QBs. In total, opponents have completed 69.1% of their passes against the Vikings for an average of 260.4 yards per game and a TD-INT ratio of 31-6, which adds up to a passer rating of 110.8.

With all of that happening, though, Frazier remains steadfast in his commitment to building a winner in Minnesota around Adrian Peterson and a good defense. It’s a plan that’s worked for the Vikings during Frazier’s time in Minnesota, and it’s a plan Frazier intends to execute once again in the near future.

“I really don’t,” Frazier responded on Monday when asked if he hesitates in planning to build an offense around Peterson. “I know we have the best running back in the game and we’ll get to the point where we’ll be a team that can compete with New Orleans and Green Bay better than we have this season. Very, very happy that we have Adrian Peterson as our running back and that we can build our offense around Adrian.”

High-flying passing attacks gain much of the publicity in today’s NFL. Clips of Tom Brady, Brees and Rodgers slicing up opposing defenses dominate the post-game highlight shows. But there are also several teams who rely on a great ground attack to win games. There are 4 teams – Denver, Houston, New Orleans and San Francisco – who are currently leading their divisions and also have a Top 10 rushing attack. Clearly New Orleans is a pass-first team, but Denver ranks 31st in passing, Houston ranks 17th and San Francisco ranks just 29th. The success of those 3 division-leading teams, who have a combined record of 29-13, is proof-positive that you can win in today’s NFL by being a run-first team.

This isn’t to say the Vikings should abandon their attempt to develop a consistent passing game. Take a look at the playoff field year-in and year-out, and you’ll notice that most playoff teams have productive QBs. With 1st-round pick Christian Ponder in the fold, the Vikings have a good start in developing a better passing game.

As is the case with most rookies, Year #1 has been up and down for Ponder. But having Peterson in the backfield is good for the offense in general, and also Ponder specifically.

“It’s going to be good for our team, good for our defense, offense, our special teams, the fact that we have Adrian as our guy and it should help our quarterback,” Frazier said.

Near-Flawless Brees Propels Saints To 42-20 Win Over Vikings

Drew Brees is one of the best QBs in the NFL, and the Vikings saw the reasons why first-hand on Sunday at Mall of America Field. Sitting atop the NFC South standings and still in the hunt for the NFC’s #2 playoff seed, the Saints put together a 42-20 victory over the Vikings behind a 412-yard, 5-TD performance from Brees.

The game was not lopsided from the beginning, however, because the Vikings came out looking ready to give the Saints all they could handle. New Orleans won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff, but just 3 plays into the drive the Vikings recovered a fumble and were already in scoring range. In what would become a theme of the game for the Vikings, though, the offense couldn’t muster any production and Ryan Longwell came on to salvage a score with a 44-yard FG.

The teams exchanged punts later in the 1st quarter, but on his 3rd trip to the field, Brees started putting the pieces together. He led the Saints on a 10-play, 84-yard scoring drive to take a 7-3 on a 5-yard scoring pass to WR Lance Moore. The Vikings hung tough in the 1st half – Longwell hit a 49-yard FG in the 2nd quarter and Christian Ponder found Toby Gerhart for a 10-yard score later in the quarter – and at halftime the Saints held a 21-13 lead.

Even so, Brees was already 20 of 24 for 247 yards and 3 TDs, and it was apparent that he and the Saints offense were in great position to take advantage of an injury-ravaged Vikings secondary. And it didn’t take long for that negative outcome to unfold, as Brees needed just 4 plays on the Saints first drive of the 3rd quarter to toss his 4th TD of the game, this one to backup TE John Gilmore.

The Vikings offense just couldn’t respond, and after going 3-and-out the Vikings watched Brees and Co. score another TD on a 3-play, 53-yard drive. The TD was a 47-yard pass to Moore, which was the 5th TD pass of the day for Brees. At that point the score was 35-13 in favor of the Saints and the situation looked dire for the Vikings.

There was no improbable comeback in the cards for the Vikings this week. The Vikings offense had only 3 of their 12 drives go over 6 plays, and for the game the Vikings netted just 207 yards and 12 first downs. The Saints, by contrast, totaled 573 yards, were 8 of 11 on 3rd down and picked up 36 first downs. Brees found 9 different targets in the passing game and spread his 5 TD passes out to 4 different receivers. This was Brees line in the post-game box score: 32 of 40 for 412 yards, with 5 TDs and no INTs for a passer rating of 149.2.

New Orleans was also efficient on the ground, rushing for 161 yards on 38 carries (4.2 yards per rush).

The Vikings scored a late TD – another Ponder-to-Gerhart connection – to push their score to 20 points, but a bevy of mistakes by several parts of the offense led to an unproductive day overall. In his return to action from an ankle injury that cost him 3 games, Peterson ran for 60 yards on 10 carries, including a 39-yard dash. Gerhart led the club in receiving with 4 receptions for 46 yards, while Percy Harvin was held in check by the Saints defense (3 receptions, 8 yards).

LBs E.J. Henderson and Chad Greenway led the club in tackles, with 11 and 10, respectively. No one was able to sack Drew Brees and in amazing fashion, the play-by-play post-game stats show that the Vikings had just one tackle for loss (E.J. Henderson recorded it).

The loss drops the Vikings to 2-12 on the season, and now they’ll prepare on a short week for a road game against the Washington Redskins on Christmas Eve.

Peterson Limited, Ponder Full Participant In Wednesday Practice

The Vikings returned to the practice field on Wednesday morning as they begin on-field preparations for the New Orleans Saints. And with the return to the practice field comes the return of injury reports. It’s mostly good news for the Vikings on the week’s first injury report.

The only player who did not participate in practice was WR Greg Camarillo, who was held out with concussion-like symptoms. Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier said Camarillo came to the team with the symptoms on Tuesday, and he also said that Camarillo will be evaluated throughout the week.

Limited in practice for the Vikings on Wednesday were E.J. Henderson (shoulder), S Jarrad Page (hip) and RB Adrian Peterson (ankle). Frazier that Peterson looks to be much improved from even a week ago and it seems as if the team is optimistic that their star running back will be able to return on Sunday. CB Asher Allen (shoulder) and QB Christian Ponder (hip) were also on the injury report, but both were fall participants and are expected to play on Sunday.

For the Saints, the following players were held out of practice: RB Mark Ingram (toe), LB Jonathan Casillas (knee) and LB Jonathan Vilma (knee). Limited in practice was DE Turk McBride (ankle) and full participants in practice were CB Tracy Porter (wrist), DT Sedrick Ellis (hamstring), TE Jimmy Graham (back) and LB Scott Shanle (shoulder).

Notes From Frazier Press Conference

Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier held his customary day-after-the-game press conference on Monday afternoon and in so doing he provided a quick injury update and then discussed some of the big issues coming out of Sunday’s close 34-28 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Here are a few notes from the press conference…

– Frazier the most significant injury coming out of the game was WR Stephen Burton, who injured the MCL in one of his knees. Burton will not undergo surgery, but the timetable for his rehab and return is such that he wouldn’t be able to make it back before the season concludes. As a result, the Vikings have placed him on the Reserve/Injured list, they’ve elevated Manny Arceneaux from the Practice Squad and Frazier indicated the team may sign another WR to take Arceneaux’s place on the Practice Squad.

– Frazier was optimistic on Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder being able to play this weekend against the New Orleans Saints. Frazier described Peterson, who is dealing with an ankle injury, as close to being able to play last Sunday and Ponder as “no worse for the wear” after playing into the 3rd quarter against Detroit with his hip injury. Frazier also noted that DE Brian Robison “banged” his knee during the game but was able to finish.

– The 6-point loss on Sunday in Detroit marks the 8th loss of 7 points or fewer for the Vikings this season. That’s a remarkable stat for this Vikings team considering the injuries they’ve had to overcome. With the losses mounting up, it’s also a credit to the leadership on the Vikings coaching staff and in the locker room that the team continues to battle so hard in close games. No one wants to be the loveable losers, but it’s even worse to be the bad team that doesn’t even try hard. The Vikings clearly are not a group that doesn’t fight to the end, and Frazier appreciates that team quality. “As I mentioned before, not a lot of solace when you lose games when you’re battling every week to try to get a win like we are,” Frazier said, “but the fact that they are continuing to fight and not giving up and not make any excuses gives you some hope that we’ll continue to fight each and every week and hopefully eventually get it turned where some of those tough losses end up being victories. Hats off to our players for fighting the way they’re fighting.”

– Detroit’s 2nd TD of the game came on a 57-yard pass to WR Titus Young on a play where Young ran past CB Cedric Griffin and then beat S Jamarca Sanford further down the field to haul in the pass and dash into the end zone. On the play, Griffin’s responsibility is to re-route the WR early, and then to pass the receiver off to the safety. The problem was that Griffin didn’t get a sufficient re-route of Young, which enabled the Matthew Stafford-to-Young hookup and score. Griffin didn’t see much action after that play and Frazier was asked about the situation on Monday. Frazier said Griffin is not “in my dog house” and that the team will discuss the issue and move forward this week with a plan. I don’t expect Frazier will “give up” on Griffin, a player who has come back from severe knee injuries and is a good locker room guy. As Frazier said, the technique of re-routing a WR is something Griffin has executed countless times in the past and it’s likely something he’ll continue to be able to execute for the team going forward.

– The big story of the game for the Vikings is the removal of Ponder in favor of Webb, and then Webb’s subsequent performance and ability to nearly bring the team back to victory. While Frazier has maintained that Ponder is the team’s starter, he’s also acknowledged that the team would prefer to get Webb on the field more frequently because of his play-making ability. The issue right now is that Webb is the backup QB, and his value as the backup QB (which we saw on Sunday in Detroit) is too much to risk by having him on the field frequently. Once Sage Rosenfels, acquired two weeks ago, is more up to speed, then expect to see Webb in a more expanded role on offense. “No question, he is a guy who can create players when there’s nothing there,” Frazier said. “And we’ve got to do more as far as getting him out there and trying to put him in position to make plays, especially when Adrian is not playing and you’re relying so much on Percy. We need all the playmakers on the field that we can get and he is for sure one of our playmakers. It’s something we’ve got to continue to explore. We have some packages that we use sporadically, maybe we’ve got to go a little bit deeper with those packages.”

Monday Morning Mailbag Extra: More On Ponder-Webb Discussion

We addressed it in the Monday Morning Mailbag, but because I’ve received – and continue to receive – so many emails on it and because not everyone who reads the blog necessarily reads the Mailbag, I wanted to bring up the Christian Ponder-Joe Webb discussion one more time here.

Ponder, dealing with a painful hip injury suffered last week in Denver, made it through this past week and was able to push himself enough to make the start on Sunday. Eventually, though, Ponder couldn’t overcome the injury and Leslie Frazier pulled him in favor of Joe Webb. As you surely saw or at least have heard by now, Webb sparked the team and nearly completed an improbable comeback.

As a result, many of you have formulated the opinion that Webb should be the starter. That’s the basis of the entire discussion, and I’ll provide my opinion here to open up discussion for everyone in the comments section and that will be the last I’ll mention it for the week. Frazier has already said that Ponder is the starter if healthy going forward, and I don’t see that changing.

I agree with Frazier that Ponder should be the starter. It’s not taking anything away from Webb; he came in and did everything he could possibly do to make plays and bring the Vikings back to life. To me, Webb has proven once again that he belongs on an NFL roster and he belongs on the field more often. He’s a playmaker and he possesses a unique skill set that any offense could utilize. And I believe the Vikings will utilize Webb more often going forward, especially once we get to the 2012 season. Let me reiterate – Webb is a terrific player, he belongs in the NFL, he answered the bell above and beyond the call of duty on Sunday, he was a great draft pick by the Vikings and I hope he remains on the team for many years to come.

But with all of that said, Ponder is and will remain the starter and the future of the position for the Vikings. Is he making mistakes right now? Yes, he’s making mistakes. And I know it gets frustrating to watch a quarterback repeatedly give the ball away to the other team. But when you’re in the business of developing a franchise quarterback who is currently in his first year, you have to live with growing pains. Overnight results happen when you’re making Jell-O and baking bread, but not when you’re developing franchise quarterbacks.

As I said in this week’s Monday Morning Mailbag, just look at some of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL over the past decade. Then look at how they performed in their first year as the starter.

– Peyton Manning had three-interception games three times in his first four starts, and he had 11 interceptions over his first four games. After his first season, Manning had more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26). I bet Colts fans are glad the team didn’t give up on him.
– Eli Manning had more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (six) in games that he started as a rookie and then he had four multiple-interception games, including a four-interception game, during his first full year as the starter for the Giants.
– Aaron Rodgers had two three-interception games in his first year as the Packers starting quarterback.
– Matt Ryan had four multiple-interception games in his rookie season.

I’d be willing to bet that each of those teams and their fan bases are glad the team didn’t give up on their respective quarterback after a few bad games.

The moral of the story is to be patient and resist the urge to overreact. Ponder has made mistakes, there’s no denying that. But he’s also shown that he has the ability to be a franchise-caliber quarterback, and he’s done that while playing for a two-win team that needs an influx of talent at several offensive positions.

Be patient, Vikings fans. Ponder will be worth the wait.

Vikings Push Lions To Limit, Lose On Last Play 34-28

You wouldn’t have thought it was possible in the 1st quarter, when the Lions were firmly in control and held a 21-0 advantage at one point, but the Vikings had a ton of fight in them on Sunday at Ford Field and they gave the Lions more than they could handle.

Unfortunately, though, giving the Lions more than they wanted to handle wasn’t enough. Detroit, a team that came in having lost 3 of their last 4 and 5 of their last 7 after starting 5-0, was able to escape the game clinging to a 34-28 victory as a last-second play from the 1-yardline went awry for the Vikings and the officials missed a severe facemask infraction against Lions LB DeAndre Levy (just look at the photo on the home page of vikings.com to see how severe and obvious an infraction it was).

There is so much to go over from this game that presenting it in paragraph fashion will not be effective. Here’s a quick summary of the game, with many details missing but the main story explained…

– A pretty good looking start quickly turned into an awful series of events for the Vikings. The Lions won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The Vikings defense forced a punt after giving up just 1 first down. The Vikings offense took over 1st and 10 on the 10-yardline. On the Vikings first offensive snap, Lions DE Cliff Avril got around the edge of RT Phil Loadholt and Vikings QB Christian Ponder was not able to step up into the pocket quick enough. Avril batted the ball from Ponder’s hands and then LB Stephen Tulloch pounced on the ball to score a TD.

– Things got much worse before they got better for the Vikings. Ponder was intercepted by CB Alphonso Smith on the next possession, and Detroit turned the turnover into a TD just two plays later when QB Matthew Stafford found WR Titus Young down the left sideline for a 57-yard score. The Vikings punted the ball away on their next possession, and Stafford struck again 3 plays later, this time finding TE Brandon Pettigrew for a 12-yard score. At that point the score was 21-0 and it looked like the game would be no contest.

– But Ponder and the Vikings showed life. The rookie QB drove his team down the field – 80 yards in 10 plays – and capped the drive by finding TE Visanthe Shiancoe for a 7-yard score.

– Things looked as if they’d get better on the next drive, as the Vikings forced another Lions punt. Two plays later, though, Ponder threw another INT. This one was returned by Smith for a 30-yard TD, and the Lions lead was 28-21. Once again, Ponder responded by driving down the field for a TD. After another 10-play drive, this one for 60-yards, Ponder found WR Percy Harvin for a 12-yard score, and we had a game at 28-14 midway through the 2nd quarter.

– The teams exchanged 3 punts after the Harvin TD, and the Vikings had the ball 1st and 10 from their own 16 looking to pull to within 7 points before halftime. But RB Lorenzo Booker lost a fumble and the Lions were able to turn it into 3 points just before halftime to take a 31-14 lead into the locker room.

– On the first drive of the 2nd half, Ponder threw another INT, his 3rd of the game, and after that was replaced by Joe Webb. Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier explained after the game that the move to Webb was the result of Ponder not being able to operate normally because of his hip injury. Going forward, Frazier explained, Ponder will be the starter. For the rest of the game, though, it was Webb’s ballgame. And Webb answered the bell, in a big way.

– The Vikings defense bowed up in the 2nd half, paving the way for Webb to mount a furious comeback. Webb got the party started late in the 3rd quarter by dashing through and away from the Lions defense for a 65-yard TD run. It was the longest run ever by a Vikings QB and the 6th-longest run ever by an NFL QB. More important, though, is the fact that it pulled the Vikings to 31-21 with just over 19 minutes to play in the game.

– The Vikings defense continued to shut down the Lions offense, holding Detroit to just 3 points in the entire 2nd half. After Jason Hanson’s 4th-quarter FG to make the score 34-21, Webb drove the Vikings down the field – 12 plays, 60 yards – and found RB Toby Gerhart for a 2-yard score. That made the score 34-28 in favor of the Lions.

– The Vikings defense answered the bell yet again on the next drive, forcing the Lions to punt the ball and opening up an opportunity for Webb to finish the comeback effort. Down 21-0 and 28-7 at various points in the game, the Vikings were poised to stun the Lions and their home crowd by notching a game-winning TD on the game’s final drive.

– Using his legs and his throwing arm, Webb drove the Vikings from their own 20 to the Lions 1. Facing a 1st and goal from the 1 with 9 seconds to play, the Vikings called a fade/fade stop option route to TE Kyle Rudolph, who faced single coverage split wide left. Rudolph was covered right after the snap, and as Webb attempted to extend the play by scrambling left, Levy grabbed his facemask and forced a fumble. Detroit recovered the fumble all the way down the field at the Minnesota 43, but the referees failed to call the egregious penalty. Had the officials made the right call, the Vikings would’ve had an untimed down from inside the 1-yardline with no time on the clock. But because the referees missed the call – which should’ve been easy to see because the facemask infraction caused the fumble – the game was over and the Lions escaped with a victory.

There’s so much more to go over from this game, including discussion about the Ponder/Webb situation, the tremendous play of DE Jared Allen (3.0 sacks), Toby Gerhart performing well in place of superstar Adrian Peterson, and the surge in play we’ve seen from DT Kevin Williams over the last several weeks. We’ll get to all of that over the next 2 days or so on the vikings.com Blog as we digest this game and get ready to move on to next week’s matchup with the New Orleans Saints, who will visit Mall of America Field on Sunday.