Chad Greenway Blew the Game for the Vikings

The story on Sunday’s Vikings-Bills game is going to be that the Vikings lost because they couldn’t put the Bills away on defense.

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Here’s the truth of the matter: They DID put the Bills away on defense.

They had the Bills in 4th-and-20 with under 1:30 left. Their defensive line was in control of the situation. There was no shot for Kyle Orton and the Bills to come back and win.

The Vikings had them stopped. Had the game put away. It was over.

And then Chad Greenway brain farted. No, he didn’t brain fart. He brain s–t. All over his own team.

On 4th-and-20, Greenway gave up a 24-yard reception to tight end Scott Chandler. A reception that should not have happened.

How did it happen? Greenway got caught napping, that’s how. Here is where Greenway was just as the ball was being snapped.

He’s looking over and pointing at something. Meanwhile, a play is happening. A play that will decide the game.

As Orton is dropping back and the receivers are streaking across the line, Greenway is still pointing.

Greenway finally gets his head around and realizes, holy s–t, a play is happening. But it’s already too late. He’s totally flat footed with Scott Chandler streaking toward him.

Greenway isn’t that good of a coverage linebacker when everything goes right. When the play starts with him not even watching and the tight end gets a run at him before he has a chance to even realize where he is?

Dead.

Greenway got spun around and had no chance to make a tackle. All he could do was flop helplessly at Chandler’s feet.

That’s how you give up a conversion on 4th-and-20. It’s an egregious, inexcusable screw-up by an allegedly heady player.

I know what some are saying. We can’t put it all on Greenway. Xavier Rhodes was the one who gave up the big play to the one yard line and he was the one who got burned in the end zone by Sammy Watkins.

Both plays that never would have happened had Greenway done his job.

By the way, the reception by Chris Hogan on Rhodes was as much a great play by Hogan as it was a bad play by Rhodes.

Could Rhodes have done a better job on that play? Yeah. But he was in position. He did give himself a chance to do something.

He was beaten physically by another player. It sucks but it happens. What Greenway did there’s no excuse for. He did not have his head in the game.

He has to know that Buffalo is in hurry-up mode. He has to be ready. He is supposed to be a solid veteran who brings stability and calm in times of chaos. Instead, he let the moment totally defeat him.

Horrible. The Vikings should have won that game and Chad Greenway lost it for them. Pure and simple.