Last weekend, I went to the match-up in the desert. Just like last year’s game against the Cardinals, the parking lot was filled with Vikings fans from all over the country. I expected a competitive game against two legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the NFC, however only one team showed up.
After scoring a touchdown (via a both review) in the first quarter, the Vikings were outscored 20-6 in the following two quarters. The Cardinals dictated the tempo of the game from the kickoff to the final blow of the whistle. This was the first game of the 2009 season where the Vikings looked lifeless and unable (or unwilling) to rise to the opponent’s level of intensity.
The problems on offense laid squarely with the line. Early in the game, rookie Phil Loadholt left the game with a right arm injury and was replaced by Ryan Cook. This disrupted the run-blocking scheme, as Peterson was unable to run off right tackle. To further compound matters, Bryant McKinnie left the game as well with a leg injury that required a reshuffling of the line. The net result was the second lowest rushing output of Adrian Peterson’s career (19 yards on 13 carries, 11 yards of which came on one run).
Despite Favre’s two-touchdown performance, the passing game was non-existent. Favre’s outing was marred by two interceptions (that came on consecutive offensive drives) and three sacks. The interceptions were due in large part to Favre’s unwillingness to take a big hit, after he was body slammed by Darnell Docket early in the game. Instead of holding onto the ball and absorb the hit, Favre tried to throw two passes that had no chance of being completed.
As for the defensive line, this was their worst outing of the year. For the first time this season, the defense was held without one sack.
From the outset, Kurt Warner neutralized the pass rush with quick passes over the middle and to the flat areas. Jared Allen was unable to come off the edge quick enough in order to disrupt the timing of the pass. Even worse, the Williams Boys could not push the pocket soon enough to force Warner off of his launch point. As a result, the secondary (notably Griffin and Williams) was exposed by Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, as Warner had enough time to read the defense, pump fake and deliver an accurate pass.
Adding injury to insult, the Vikings lost middle linebacker E.J. Henderson to a broken leg, which means that rookie Jasper Brinkley will have to start in his place.
Adding all the above up, the trip to the desert was a disaster for the Vikings. They were exposed on offense by a team that was able to make Favre look his age and hold Peterson to 19 yards on the ground. Without the benefit of any pass rush, the secondary was lit up by two burly receivers that took advantage of free releases and double moves.
[Shahaab Tehrani can be reached at: shahaabt@yahoo.com]
I’m not trying to excuse the poor performance of the Vikes, but there were a few horrible non-calls by the refs this game too. I believe there were a couple of 3rd & long instances where there was Def passing interference that wasn’t called, even the NBC sportscasters commented on the last one on Rice. Also there was the time where to avoid a sack, Warner switched the ball to his left hand and literally dropped it in front of him with no receivers in sight, and it was called an incomplete pass.