What were the good, bad, and interesting things from the Minnesota Vikings week 11 victory over the Arizona Cardinals? Here is a review of the game!
To say the Minnesota Vikings season has been a roller coaster is a bit of an understatement. The feeling of anticipation as the team reaches their apex was amazing, and fans were hoping the climb would never stop.
However, the freefall started after a 5-0 start and hasn’t stopped heading into week 11 of the 2016 NFL season. Their opponent that week was the Arizona Cardinals, who were having struggles of their own keeping up in their division and keeping playoff hopes alive.
This was one of the most hard-fought games of the week in the NFL, but the Vikings ended up victorious over the Cardinals by a score of 30-24. There were plenty of occasions in the game that were full of drama and excitement to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
What were the good, bad, and interesting parts of the Minnesota Vikings week 11 game against the Minnesota Vikings? What what was the overall feeling during and after the game? Let’s start the analysis by talking about the good things from this contest!
The Good Stuff from week 11
- Marcus Sherels is back on punt returns. It’s nice to have a punt returner who can be elusive and has experience putting the team in a good spot. He is one of the most solid return men in the league and can contribute well in other special teams aspects as well.
- Adam Thielen can do wonderful things. This seems to be a regular part of these columns lately. The more opportunities Thielen gets, the more he impresses. His sure hands and solid route running make him a great target for an efficient and accurate quarterback like Sam Bradford.
- Xavier Rhodes had a day. Any time a defensive back can get two interceptions in a game is great. It’s even better when one of those can be returned for 100 yards for a touchdown. Rhodes is such an important part of this team’s defense and he continues to show why every week.
- Cordarrelle Patterson has shown his worth. Coming into this season, it was easy to be skeptical about Patterson’s future. But his willingness to work hard on his craft has appeared to have paid off. His contributions of offense as well as special teams were a big reason for this win.
- Jeff Locke has been consistently good. Sure, a couple of punts have gone awry this season, but, for the most part, Locke has been a reliable weapon in the field position game. That new punting technique this season appears to be doing wonders for his success.
The bad things from week 11
- Bad penalties. An illegal hands to the face call and a big defensive holding spot were big early on, taking a score off the board and giving up a first down when it looked like Arizona would need to punt. Sprinkle in an illegal contact call on Trae Waynes and other calls, and it’s a mess.
- Short yardage situations on defense. The Vikings defensive line has been really struggling in stopping the run. This is especially true in situations where only a few yards is needed, as the line seems to be pushed backwards far more than they create penetration to get a loss.
- First half tackling. There were several instances in the first half where tackling was sloppy. While it was cleaned up in the second half, the amount of yardage allowed after first contact seemed to be far too much for a defense that should be much more disciplined.
- Pass protection. I want to point the finger right at tight end Kyle Rudolph, but there are more players who had a very rough game. TJ Clemmings gave up pressures as well, but as the game went on, things got worse for quarterback Sam Bradford in the pocket.
- David Johnson tore up the defense. 160 all-purpose yards and two scores is a nice outing for a running back. The Vikings defense gave up 4.7 yards per carry and 8.1 yards per catch to the dynamic player who was a thorn in Minnesota’s side all game long.
The interesting occurrences from week 11
- The combo of Buck and Aikman are still brutal. I love watching football when there is a solid play-by-play guy and another one that is entertaining and has fun calling the game. I don’t get that feeling from either of these guys. I know they’re both commentating veterans, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them.
- Do the Vikings need to challenge every score? For a while, it looked like every Minnesota touchdown was going to be a challenge. Literally. The Vikings had to challenge Thielen’s score right in front of the ref, while the Asiata touchdown was much more difficult to call on the field.
- I feel for the Cardinals fans. There are plenty of times when officiating has too big of an outcome in a football game. This could be considered one of them. The Vikings have had plenty of bad beats where a letter from the NFL apologized for officiating, and Arizona might get one of those this week.
- Reading lips. I bet people who can read lips have a much more fun time watching football games. There are plenty of times when players and coaches are fired up and seem to unleash a mad fury of expletives that can’t be heard on television.
- Should every Vikings game have to come with a warning? Why does every game seem to come down to one play or one drive. Minnesota’s games should come with a disclaimer before each game for those with a heart condition or other health problems.
Overall impression
First of all, fans of the Minnesota Vikings need to be very happy to see the team’s four game losing streak come to an end.
This win was important to stay in the race for the division as well as remain in the playoff picture. After their hot 5-0 start, there were talks of the Super Bowl swirling around mainstream media sites. And while that talk isn’t likely to return, this is a definite step in the right direction.
Minnesota gave fans plenty of reasons to be excited during this game. The offense found the end zone twice. The defense made some big plays, getting two interceptions. Special teams added a score and helped to win the field position battle. There was a lot to love.
Still, the Vikings are too reliant on big plays to win football games. More consistency on offense and defense will be needed to win more games this season, but it definitely is nice when the team can be explosive and help out from unexpected sources.
Overall, this was a great game to get back on track with. Arizona is a tough team with a lot of dangerous pieces. To get a win here should give the team more confidence in their ability going forward and hopefully result in more wins.
Next: Family is Everson Griffen's motivation
The Minnesota Vikings have a short week this week. They will need to turn their focus to the Detroit Lions quickly, since they will be playing in the Thursday Night Football game for Thanksgiving. So rally around the family and enjoy some Vikings football this turkey day!