Nov 8, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) celebrates his game-winning field goal during overtime against the St. Louis Rams at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Rams 21-18. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Overall Impressions
Overall, I loved seeing the Vikings get a win, but I hated watching this game. I know, that sounds really weird, but the dirty plays by the Rams and some of the strange calls by the refs really hurt the experience and tainted the game for me. I really thought that the NFL, and specifically Gregg Williams, were past this kind of cheap football, but it once again reared its ugly head…and it had to be against the Vikings, of course.
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Aside from that, the offense moved fairly well through the game until Bridgewater’s exit. With a couple poor throws to Wallace and one bad decision on the bomb to Diggs, it was far from perfect. But when Teddy went out, we saw how the offense worked without him…and it wasn’t pretty. Even though Adrian Peterson got 125 rushing yards, even he couldn’t help move the offense very much with Shaun Hill at the helm.
Defensively, this is what you want to see from the Minnesota Vikings. They contained Todd Gurley, didn’t give up a lot of yards after the catch, and defended the end zone well. Monstrous games from guys like Linval Joseph, Chad Greenway, Anthony Barr, and Captain Munnerlyn really kept the Vikings in this game and bought time for a struggling offense.
Hopefully, next week’s game will be a better experience. One where I don’t have to say “Goosfraba” over and over until I can finally type words that make sense onto my screen. That game will be on November 15, 2015 against the Oakland Raiders. Check your local listings for time and availability.