The Vikings and Gophers lost games over the weekend. Here’s what was learned:
Sunday’s loss to the Bears in snowy and cold Chicago on Sunday is a momentum changer for the Vikings, now 4-6, but doesn’t mean this team can’t hope to finish near .500 at season’s end. However, it is time to write the obit about the fantasy of optimistic fans that the Purple can make the playoffs after the Vikings two-game winning streak ended against a struggling Bears team.
Playing the Packers, 7-3, next Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium will be a backbreaking challenge—and likely loss for the Vikings. In “round one” in Green Bay on October 2, the Packers embarrassed the Vikings 42-10. After next Sunday, the Vikings continue a three-game homestand against the Panthers (3-7-1) and Jets (2-8).
Those two games are certainly possible wins. The Vikings could play competitively too in their last three games of the season—at the Lions (7-3) and Dolphins (6-4), and then home against the Bears (4-6).
But the offense can’t be missing-in-action like yesterday. The Vikings had only 10 first downs and 243 total yards. Their only touchdown in the 21-13 loss was set up by a 48-yard Andrew Sendejo run on a fake punt in the first half.
Trailing by eight points in the game’s closing minute, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater couldn’t make enough big plays to tie the game. Bridgewater, who led the Vikings to three come-from-behind wins earlier this season, threw a pass in the end zone that was intercepted to end the attempted comeback.
“Teddy Bridgewater is just simply trying to make a play that’s not there,” TV game analyst Rich Gannon said on CBS. “Throwing the ball away would have been the answer. …A young player just making a rookie mistake.”
Bridgewater, though, played okay yesterday and needed more help from teammates. His receivers often weren’t open and the offensive line was hardly at its best protecting him.
Miinnesota’s top receivers, Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph, combined for a total of four receptions. The trio had 28 yards, with 24 coming from Patterson on two catches.
The Bears had two sacks, including one by former Vikings defense end Jared Allen who at times whizzed by offensive left tackle Matt Kalil. It wasn’t a good day for Kalil who has been struggling all season and came into the game giving up more sacks than any left tackle in the NFL.
Kalil and his line mates need to improve their blocking if the drive for .500 is to become reality. The Vikings gained only 96 yards rushing and the offense’s time of possession was a meager 21:22.
Obviously the Vikings miss All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, and a hearing with the NFL this afternoon may lead to new developments regarding when he will play again. But for now Peterson’s status remains in limbo and while his teammates want him back on the team it’s anyone’s guess whether ownership and franchise executives hold the same position.
The Bears’ time of possession was 38:38 and that number reflected Chicago’s offensive domination of 468 total yards. If not for their own penalties and other mistakes, the Bears could have won by a bigger score.
Just like Kalil has been a recurring personnel problem, so too is 5-10 cornerback Josh Robinson. Bears 6-4 wide receiver Brandon Marshall had two touchdown receptions over Robinson and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, 6-3, had another score against him. But in fairness to Robinson, the Vikings might have provided more help for him with other pass defenders.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was 31 of 43 for 330 yards and used his tall receivers to exploit the Vikings. Cutler threw often without pressure, consistently hurting the Vikings with short, timing passes on the perimeter and some long throws. The Vikings had zero sacks.
And what about the Gophers?
After 10 games, including six in the Big Ten, the Golden Gophers have earned “membership” among the top five teams in the 14-team league. Following a 51-14 domination of Iowa and competitive 31-24 loss last Saturday to No. 8 ranked Ohio State, the Gophers players and coaches deserve heartfelt props.
Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin—and perhaps Nebraska—are better teams but the Gophers rate at least a solid No. 5 in the Big Ten. This is a good program—built on defense and special teams—and the best Gophers’ product since the 2003 team that was 10-3 overall, 5-3 in league games.
Ohio State is the gold standard in the Big Ten and the Buckeyes brought superior personnel to TCF Bank Stadium, but the Gophers kept the game close and might have won if not for their errors. “We don’t make those mistakes, it’s a different ball game,” Gophers head coach Jerry Kill said on the KFAN-FM postgame show.
Kill suggested on the radio that “three-quarters” of the Buckeyes key players will play in the NFL. The OSU win streak in regular season Big Ten games is now 22 and the team has a national best 13 consecutive road victories.
Kill is 8-4 in his last 12 Big Ten games. He’s picking up converts and believers in his program all the time—and he should. Admittedly, the Gophers still have “warts” including a passing game that can’t go on indefinitely performing as it did last Saturday (7 of 19 completions, 85 yards) but there’s no reason to believe that by next season Kill won’t fix that problem, too.
The Gophers, 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, are contending for the West Division championship. Minnesota will play its last two games on the road—against division rivals Nebraska, 4-2, and Wisconsin, 5-1. If the Gophers could surprise their doubters and win both those games they will become West Division champions and advance to the Big Ten Championship Game on December 6 in Indianapolis. “I’ll tell you what, who knows what’s going to happen?” said Kill on the radio. “Everybody’s gotta play each other.”
Iowa, 4-2, is also in the division race and the Hawkeyes’ remaining home games are with Wisconsin and Nebraska. Wisconsin must play at Iowa before having the Gophers come to Madison, and so four teams are in contention to determine the division champion during the next two Saturdays. If Iowa and Minnesota were to win their remaining games, the two teams would be division co-champs but the Gophers will advance to Indy because they have a tiebreaker win over the Hawkeyes.
Announced attendance at the game last Saturday was 45,778. Capacity at TCF Bank Stadium is 52,525 and there were thousands of empty seats on a day when it was snowing and the temp at kickoff was 15 degrees. With a top 10 opponent and the Gophers coming off the big win over Iowa on November 8, this game could have attracted 55,000 to 60,000 fans in the old Metrodome.
There’s just no shaking road work season in the metro area. Highway 100 was closed north and south between I-394 and Highway 62 on Saturday. Traffic piled up on I-35W and Highway 169, partially because of the closure and also the snow.
Bah Humbug!
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