CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 10: Xavier Rhodes #29 of the Minnesota Vikings tackles Jonathan Stewart #28 of the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 10: Star Lotulelei #98 of the Carolina Panthers pressures Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
The positives from Week 14 vs Panthers
Xavier Rhodes is a monster. He had back-to-back pass breakups while only allowing a couple of catches the entire game. He’s such an important part of this defense and his complimentary pieces do a great job on the rest of the opposing receivers.
Case Keenum is a magician. I’m not sure how he ducks or maneuvers away from so many situations where he should be sacked. Especially for ducking under a tackle from Captain Munnerlyn, who is three inches shorter than I am!
Linval Joseph dominating the middle. Since Everson Griffen was double-teamed, it left so many other talented players available on the Minnesota defense. Linval had several plays that put the team in a good position, much like fans have expected from the “Big Goon”.
Marcus Sherels is a great returner. I know many fans still really miss Cordarrelle Patterson on kickoff returns, but Sherels did an excellent job this week handling both kickoffs and punts and fans should be happy with his performance.
A solid job of containing Cam. Yes, he got one big run at the end of the game, but for the most part, the Vikings defense did a great job of keeping the Panthers QB from doing damage all game long.
