Common theory before yesterday’s playoff game was that if the Vikings could avoid turnovers, a win was likely against Philadelphia. Among those holding that thought was coach Brad Childress who said on the KFAN pre-game show that the most important aspect for his team was not “to turn the ball over.”
The Vikings made good on minimizing mistakes, with only one interception and also a bad snap from center recovered by the Eagles. The interception, though, was turned into a 44-yard touchdown by the Eagles’ Asante Samuel in the second quarter. That score was Philadelphia’s only touchdown in the first half but the Eagles had three field goals and led 16-14 at halftime.
The result of the game came down to this: the Vikings offense, as so often true in the past, wasn’t good enough to win a game. Two touchdowns won’t advance many teams in the playoffs, not unless the defense creates scores, too, and yesterday the Vikings’ defense, among the best in football, didn’t generate points in the 26-14 loss.
The pre-game concern about turnovers, at least among fans and media, focused on quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. Although he only had the one official interception, the Eagles were close to having others. With some frequency, he threw inaccurately and after a first half when third down conversions were consistent, he and the offense became ineffective in the second half keeping Chris Kluwe busy with five punts.
For the game Jackson completed 15 of 35 passes for 164 yards and Childress told a post game KFAN audience that regarding the interception “you can’t excuse the seven that goes the other way.” To some observers, Jackson looked unsettled late in the game when the Vikings were trying to come back from a 23-14 deficit. Bothered by pressure in the past, the third year quarterback seemed off in his timing and perhaps locked in on a primary receiver.
For a third consecutive off-season the Vikings’ staff and others are left to ponder the quarterback situation and the effectiveness of the overall offense. Jackson was a much better quarterback in the last three games of the regular season then he was in the first two. While his development is clearly too slow for hypercritical Vikings’ fans, he might be progressing enough to be a decent bet for a good season in 2009. Plus, what are the franchise’s other quarterback options?
The Vikings have home work to do in the off-season. The offense needs help on the right side of the line including where right tackle Ryan Cook seems to have “false start” DNA. The acquisition of wide receiver Bernard Berrian added juice to a sub-par receiving group, but more explosiveness is welcome. The Vikings seem likely to try to help themselves in the college draft with offensive linemen and receivers.
Yesterday, they substantiated what didn’t have to be proven. Fourteen points from your offense in a playoff game isn’t the stuff of Super Bowl contenders.