From KFAN.com
Quite frankly, the Vikings’ performance on Sunday night was flat-out embarrassing, even if they did officially clinch the NFC North division crown, thanks to a Packers loss.
From Julius Peppers bull rushing Bryan McKinnie straight to the bench, to backup quarterback Matt Moore throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, the Vikings endured their second Sunday night disaster within a three-week span — a 26-7 laugher at the hands of a Carolina Panthers team missing its starting quarterback and both starting offensive tackles.
The game turned so ugly for the Vikings offense that Brad Childress, according to Brett Favre, attempted to bench the veteran quarterback in the third quarter, even though the Vikings led at the time, 7-6.
Favre was shown on camera several times in the second half looking less than thrilled on the sideline.
It remains to be seen whether a rift (or schism?) has emerged between Favre and Childress. The smart money says Childress probably just feared for Favre’s life. He took a beating at the hands of Peppers. But both Childress and Favre would probably agree that the offense has numerous flaws that didn’t seem to exist earlier in the season.
The Vikings offense, even with a 30-point performance against Cincinnati last week, appears to have lost its magic.
Favre, specifically, has done nothing to negate the notion that he plays poorly in December. In 11 games prior to December, Favre threw only three interceptions. With his fourth quarter pick against Carolina, Favre has now thrown four in December alone, versus only three touchdowns (none of which came on Sunday night). Not to mention, Favre also seems to have stopped connecting on deep passes over the last few games. His 63-yard pass against Carolina was on a dumpoff to Adrian Peterson.
Speaking of Peterson, does his 12-carry, 35-yard performance really surprise anybody at this point? In fact, it’s more of a rarity these days for Peterson to run for 90 yards and a touchdown. Peterson has crossed the 100-yard mark only three times all season, and he’s averaged more than five yards per carry only four times in 14 games.
Of course, much of the blame can be placed on an offensive line that seemingly comes equipped with flimsy, orange shovels while opponents operate heavy duty snow blowers. Rarely does Peterson get back to the line of scrimmage without having to juke at least one defender.
The Vikings used to pride themselves on pounding the football down the throats of opposing defenders. Now they rank near the bottom of the NFL in run game efficiency, and it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to string together consistent drives.
And even when the running game stalled out at times earlier in the season, at least the offensive line kept Favre’s jersey clean during pass plays. That certainly wasn’t the case against Carolina. Favre was sacked four times, knocked down a few more, and hurried all night. When McKinnie could no longer handle Peppers, Childress put Artis Hicks into the game. He fared no better.
The Vikings gained only 237 yards of total offense on Sunday night, and they were embarrassed on national television for the second time this month. If playing your best football in December is a prerequisite for playoff success, the Vikings are in trouble. Luckily, no such prerequisite exists (see: 2008 Cardinals, 2007 Giants, etc.).
Stewart gashes Vikings defense
Cedric Benson knocked on the door last week, but the Vikings defense managed to successfully hold opposing running backs under 100 yards for more than two full seasons. The last running back to cross the 100-yard mark was Green Bay’s Ryan Grant, 36 games ago.
That streak came to an end late in the 4th quarter on Sunday night when Jonathan Stewart busted a 15-yard run to finish with 109 yards on 25 carries. Starting running back DeAngelo Williams gained only 13 yards on six carries before he exited in the first half with a sprained ankle.
The outburst by Stewart comes as no surprise, considering Carolina averages just under 150 rush yards per game. The two-headed monster of Williams and Stewart is among the best in the NFL. But considering that backup quarterback Matt Moore, who filled in once again for the injured Jake Delhomme, has done nothing in his young career to show that he’s capable of sparking an explosive passing attack, it was logical to think the Vikings defense would key in on stopping the Panthers’ run game.
In fairness, the defense did a decent job for the majority of the first three quarters. But all hell broke loose in the fourth quarter, with the Panthers rolling off 20 straight points. Moore threw for a career-high 299 yards and three touchdowns, and most of those passing yards came on underneath routes (with the exception of a 42-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith on 3rd-and-26).
The tackling on Sunday night reverted back to the pre-bye-week matador days. Safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson religiously take bad angles and whiff on tackles, and Antoine Winfield had one of his worst games in recent memory. Linebackers missed tackles as well.
Did the time of possession hurt? Possibly. Carolina held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, so it’s understandable if the Vikings defense grew weary in the fourth quarter. But that’s not the excuse you’ll hear from Winfield, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, and Chad Greenway.
In fact, those men probably have no excuses. They know they played poorly as a unit down the stretch.
Homefield advantage was a long shot, even after a Saints loss on Saturday night, but now the Vikings can kiss it goodbye. And if they aren’t careful, they can kiss a first round bye goodbye as well. The Eagles are flying down the backstretch.