Sep 23, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (7) talks with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave against the San Francisco 49ers at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
Christian Ponder has completed his first pass to a receiver, only problem is that it was the fourth quarter when he did so. Ponder went 9-21 for 92 yards with one TD and 2 INTs. It was hard to write this without being able to see straight. Watching this game was like watching a scary movie, you never knew what was around the corner. The Vikings can only depend on AP so much. He had 210 yards on 21 carries, including an amazing 82-yard TD. What more are they going to ask AP to do before he gets injured again? Personally, I don’t want Ponder being the reason why Peterson gets hurt. The passing game was non-existent and at times the Packers stacked the box with up to 10 players. The Vikings had six receivers catch the ball;however, only Rudolph and Simpson had over 20 yards, but keep in mind that they went over the 20 yard mark late in the game. Meanwhile, the Defensive line only got one sack and the Packers had a 56% 3rd down efficiency rating. In the second half, the Packers nearly completed all 3rd down attempts. The defense could not bring down Rodgers, instead they did what they did against Cutler, which was flush him out of the pocket and give him more time to find an open man which is easy after the play breakdowns. Too many times Rodgers ran out of the pocket to complete a pass. Rodgers was 27-35 with 286 yards 1 TD and 1 INT. The Packers had 6 receivers with over 20 yards while James Starks and Alex Green found some room to run and averaged 5 yards per attempt. The Defense spent so much time on the field chasing around receivers that they shouldn’t be blamed for this loss. The Packers had the ball for 17 minutes longer than the Vikings. That will eventually wear out any defense. Anybody who watched this game knows where the problems were and were they were not. Part of me wants to see the rest of the season play out, but the other half wants to see what moves will be made in the off season, because at this point, it all seems for naught.