From KFAN.com
What a disaster.
At 2:45 on Sunday afternoon, with the Saints facing a possible 10-point deficit with just over two minutes to play in Washington, it appeared as if the Vikings had a chance to take control of their own home-field-advantage destiny with a win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.
Wishful thinking, perhaps.
Instead, the Saints pulled off a miraculous victory on the road. And the Vikings — who were thoroughly dismantled by Arizona, 30-17 — lost more than just a football game. Star linebacker E.J. Henderson suffered a broken femur and will be sidelined for a very long time.
After watching the Vikings plow though nearly every opponent (minus Pittsburgh) since the beginning of September, dodging serious injuries and bad luck, it was odd to watch everything come crashing down at once on national television.
This was supposed to be a showcase for the Vikings to show they are indeed the team to beat in the NFL, despite the two undefeated squads that currently sit atop the standings. Now, however, the Vikings can only use Sunday’s trouncing as a learning experience heading into the season’s final weeks.
The injuries
Henderson’s gruesome leg injury happened with just over six minutes remaining in the game. While pursuing RB Tim Hightower, Henderson began diving toward the ball carrier when Jamarca Sanford rolled into Henderson’s left leg, which was still planted in the ground. The injury was so horrific that NBC showed only one replay.
In the locker room, Ben Leber fought back tears during his post-game interview with KFAN’s Greg Coleman. This is, after all, the second time in two years that Henderson has suffered a season-ending injury.
Rookie LB Jasper Brinkley filled in at middle linebacker for the final six minutes, and he can expect to see plenty of playing time as the season progresses.
Earlier in the game, several other Viking players suffered at least minor injuries. Both starting offensive tackles, Phil Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie, left the field in the first half, but later returned (albeit, they weren’t 100%). CB Cedric Griffin suffered a vicious shot to the head in the second half and had to be helped off the field, and safety Tyrell Johnson also left the game with a head injury.
As a result of these injuries, the Vikings went deep down the depth chart, using youngsters like Brinkley, OL Jon Cooper and S Jamarca Sanford.
Not to mention, RG Anthony Herrera missed his second consecutive game with a concussion, and CB Antoine Winfield missed his sixth consecutive game with a foot injury. Winfield has been close to returning for several weeks now, and his status remains day-to-day. Leslie Frazier said this past week that Winfield suffered a setback the Friday before Chicago came to town.
The blowout
Even without the injuries, Minnesota couldn’t have envisioned suffering such a lopsided loss. The Vikings marched down and took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but that was really the extent of their highlight reel.
The Vikings secondary, specifically safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson, had an impossible time covering Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. (8 catches, 143 yards, 1 TD) and Anquan Boldin (7 catches, 98 yards, 2 TD), and the defensive line wouldn’t have sacked Kurt Warner in a flag football game.
Warner finished 22-of-32 for 285 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He wasn’t sacked, he was barely touched, and he showed no ill effects from the concussion he sustained two weeks ago.
When the Vikings were busy beating up bad opponents like Detroit, Seattle and Chicago, it was easy to dismiss the importance of Antoine Winfield’s absence. But after going on the road and facing one of the NFL’s most high-powered passing attacks — something the Vikings will absolutely have to do again if they plan on defeating the Saints in the playoffs — it’s all too obvious why Winfield’s presence is desperately needed (if it wasn’t before).
Offensively, the Vikings have had a shaky run game all season long, much to the surprise of many who watch from afar. Minnesota has ranked near the bottom of the NFL in rushing efficiency, and they’ve tallied more no gains and minus-yard runs than almost every team in the NFL (only San Francisco gets “stuffed” more often).
In other words, if teams take away Adrian Peterson’s home runs, the Vikings have no run game to speak of. The Cardinals did just that, limiting Peterson to 19 yards on 13 carries. Take away Peterson’s long run of 11 yards and he went for eight yards on 12 carries. Chester Taylor and Percy Harvin combined for 43 yards on seven carries, but even that wasn’t enough to spark the ground game.
Many people probably shrug their shoulders and say, ‘So what? Just throw it to Percy and Sidney.’ But when the run game erodes into nothingness, and when trailing a good football team on the road, it becomes a lot more difficult to consistently move the ball through the air. Defenses tee off, and that’s exactly what Arizona did to Brett Favre, sacking him three times and intercepting him twice.
One could also make the argument Favre should have thrown two more interceptions.
He finished the game 30-of-45 for 275 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions — by far his worst game as a Viking.
The Vikings converted only 5-of-15 third downs, and they averaged only 4.6 yards per play, while generating only two gains of 20 yards or more. The Cardinals averaged 7 yards per play, and they also held Harvin to only 62 yards on three kick returns.
Going forward
Without the injuries, this loss would have been a fairly significant setback for the Vikings. Likewise, without the blowout, the injuries would have been a fairly significant stomach punch as well.
Together, they are difficult to swallow. E.J. Henderson is obviously out for the season, but beyond that, the Vikings have to hope that Winfield returns as soon as possible (like, yesterday), and that the players who suffered injuries on Sunday night do not miss any playing time.
On the field, the Vikings need better play from the secondary, from the offensive line, and from Adrian Peterson. Injuries play a part in all of the above, but all NFL teams deal with injuries on a weekly basis. Having a championship-caliber team usually means having solid depth.
The stagnant running game is a huge problem. The blown coverages and missed tackles that crept back into the mix defensively on Sunday night are also huge problems, not so much against bad teams, but against top offenses like Arizona, and eventually New Orleans, and maybe even Dallas.
At 10-2, the Vikings are still in prime position. Don’t hit the panic button after one loss.
Just don’t get too comfortable either. And after Sunday night, it’s hard to imagine anybody feeling warm and fuzzy.