Adrian Peterson – Grade: D
Not trying to add insult to injury, literally, but the theme again for the Minnesota Vikings rushing attack was, FAILURE TO LAUNCH. Be it the O-Lines inability to block, too much dancing at the line of scrimmage, or in some cases a brilliant defensive effort from the Packers defense, a rushing attack never materialized.
This season though has reached a pivot point where now we have a QB who can make our WR’s require more attention. That means no more stacking the line, and thankfully in backups Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata we have 2 competent and complimentary backups to Adrian Peterson.
Yes, in this game, like the Tennessee Titans game before it, Green Bay sold out on the run, but Bradford did soften the defense by the end of the game. If the Vikings want any chance to play the spoiler in Carolina they will need to be multi-dimensional offensively.
The ball hawking defense – Grade: B+
It was another great performance for the Vikings defense allowing only 2 touchdowns to an offense that sits firmly as one of the most consistently strong offenses year in and year out. The thing about being great in the Minnesota Vikings defense is now seeing how great they can be, and that is where the expectations come from. The defense was all over Rodgers all game long registering 5 sacks, and forcing 3 turnovers.
In previous seasons, this would have been another grade A showing but the couple of flaws in this game could have had more of an impact. I will say that Trae Waynes, as rough as a game as he had, came up with the ultimate retribution in the 4th Quarter when it mattered the most. The young man had a rough game, but as they say, it’s not how you start a game, it’s how you finish it.
Minnesota forced a couple of fumbles they didn’t recover but the one that stands out is the one that Captain Munnerlyn reached down for but chose to only reach for and not fall on. The other play they left on the table was the interception that was dropped by Terrence Newman, on a play that looked like the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl sealing interception a couple of years back. Yes, its being picky, but to be elite those are the things that when shored up will separate a Playoff team from a Super Bowl team.