The Vikings Are Good? They Succeed in a Two Minute Drill to Win?

That was a roller coaster of a game. My heart jumped out of my chest a lot, even for a Vikings game. Somehow they were still able to escape with a 28-27 victory over the Panthers. If not for the disastrous first minute of the second half I think the Vikings would have had a lot of control over this game, but the turnovers put us in a deep hole. Not often are the Vikings able to actually dig themselves out of a hole which makes this win so fun. Cousins looked good, the defense wasn't awful, and the special teams only almost cost us the game.

Cousins ended up throwing the ball 45 times, far more than he has in any recent game. He had 34 completions for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also constructed a brilliant two minute drill drive at the end of the game. Getting the ball back with just under two minutes was terrifying and I had very little hope that we were going to succeed. Cousins went 6/7 for 75 yards capped off by the Beebe touchdown, when I expected many 4 yards and an interception. I was so excited to see Cousins thrive in this game with Cook not having a huge game. He had a good connection with a lot of different receivers. Four different receivers had 7 catches today, with a total of seven different receivers. He only got sacked twice, one for a fumble, but he was given the time he needed to thrive today and it was really encouraging to see.

Dalvin Cook didn't have a great game, but it has to be expected as the season goes on and teams focus heavily on him. He had 18 carries for 61 yards and 4 receptions for 21 yards. It was the first game since week 5 that he didn't have at least 100 all purpose yards, not counting the Falcons game that he didn't play in. Cook just never seemed to really get going today, and coming into the second half we didn't really have a chance to run the ball. I thought we would have had more chances to get him involved in the passing game, but at the same time it was really nice to see everybody else get involved. I hope Cook can stay dominant in future weeks, but today he did what he needed to do.

Justin Jefferson dominated the receiving game for the most part, but Bisi Johnson actually finished the game as the leading receiver. Johnson finished with 74 yards and Jefferson finished with 70 yards, accompanied by 2 touchdowns. The other receivers that finished with 7 receptions were Kyle Rudolph and Chade Beebe, who had 68 and 63 yards respectively. Beebe had the huge redemption touchdown in the final minute of the game as well, the first of his career. With Thielen out of this game I was nervous if Jefferson was going to be able to step up. He played really well with his 2 touchdowns, but it was everybody else that really stepped up. Bisi and Beebe came out of nowhere in this game, as they were almost nowhere to be found in the beginning of the season. The receivers played really well, and the only note that I would have is that nobody really stretched the field. The longest play was 25 yards to Rudolph. Granted it works in Cousins favor more to get the ball out of his hands quickly, it would be nice to see some more play action shots down the field.

The defense played pretty average today. They allowed 374 total yards, but only one touchdown. The Panthers touchdown seemed to come on a breakdown where a defensive lineman was covering Robby Anderson, not a good matchup as he went 41 yards to the end zone. However the bend don't break defense style paid off again. The Panthers went 0-3 in the redzone, and Kendricks had the huge interception. If not for the 2 defensive touchdowns by the Panthers, the offense only scored 13 points, which is really impressive for this defense. They couldn't really stop the run in the first half, but again they didn't score so it doesn't hurt. I hope Gladney is alright after getting hit by Harrison Smith on the last drive because he had some good plays in the game, besides giving all fans a heart attack. The defense shouldn't have ever allowed the Panthers to even attempt a field goal at the end of the game, but I am so happy that they missed it. The one big thing that really is hurting the Vikings is lack of pressure. Another game with no sacks really makes us miss Danielle Hunter, but it's fun to think about how good the time might be when he and Michael Pierce come back.

The special times didn't cost the game, but it almost did. The blocked field goal was the best thing the special teams has done all season, but the punting on both sides is a huge problem. When we punt the ball we have nobody near the returner and they take off for decent gains on every play. When we return punts there is no blockers anywhere close, and we're lucky to get positive yards or any return at all. Beebe nearly fumbled twice due to the big hit in the beginning of the game because of the terrible coverage. The fumble in the end of the game seemed to be a coverage issue as well as Beebe was surrounded by Panthers after he couldn't make the catch. It's a mystery to me why the special teams coach still has his job as the problems have increasing for the last couple weeks. Granted the long snapper got replaced, but that is not the entire problem.

The Vikings are in another scary position where they can make a run at the playoffs, but if they miss they're in the worst spot. It would really suck to finish this season 8-8 or 9-7 and miss the playoffs, and also not get any good draft pick. The good news is the Cardinals lost to the Patriots and the Bears are all over the place. We still need to string together some big wins, especially over the Saints of the Bucs. I think the Vikings would benefit from a playoff run as it would give the young defenders some more experience that they really need. When the injured players come back next year I think it could be a scary combination with the offense that is finding their stride. For the first time in a long time it's safe to say that the offense is not the problem and the defense is struggling. The Vikings entire history is full of strong defenses, and I think it's only a matter of time until we build another one. At this point I don't think we are a serious playoff competitor for the Super Bowl, but the playoffs are always a goal and we should strive to reach there. Next year could be something big if we get the pass rush put together and patch up some holes on the offensive line. But focusing on this year, the offense is really exciting the watch and the defense is very stressful to watch. But what would the Vikings be without stress?

As always, with cautious optimism, skol Vikings.