Recent News

Minnesota Vikings Jump to 13th in the NFL Power Rankings

October 2nd, 2012 at 6:43 PM
By Michael Rath

The Minnesota Vikings are currently ranked 13th overall in the NFL Power Rankings according to the CBS Power Rankings going into week five.  The current leaders in the power rankings go as follows:  Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Ravens.  Worth noting, the Green Bay Packers are ranked 14th.

'Vikings VS Packers' photo (c) 2006, Laura - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

What has been the reason for the Vikings success so far this season?  Their ability to play every facet of the game.  So far this year, the Vikings aren't doing anything extraordinary, but they are doing everything well.  They are currently ranked 21st overall in offense and eighth overall in defense.  That, along with a couple of return scores and a kicker in Blair Walsh that has only missed one field goal, you have a pretty solid team.

The Vikings have played solid enough and that has gotten them to the 3-1 record that they own.  They also own the top spot in the NFC North because of their 1-0 divisional record and the Chicago Bears 0-1 divisional record.

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Minnesota Vikings Defense Stymies Detroit Lions, Special Teams Strong

September 30th, 2012 at 3:43 PM
By Michael Rath

The Minnesota Vikings' special teams returned a kickoff and punt for a score as they defeated the Detroit Lions 20-13 today at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome.  The Vikings' defense held the Lions to 55 yards rushing as they held them to only one touchdown the entire game.

'Percy Harvin' photo (c) 2010, Mike Morbeck - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The Vikings started the game off strong as Percy Harvin returned the opening kick off 105 yards for a touchdown to give them the lead 7-0.  However, the Vikings' offense struggled to get the ball in the end zone the rest of the first half.  Fortunately for the Vikings, their defense held the Lions out of the end zone as well and went into the half with the score 13-6 Vikings.

The Lions got the ball to start the second half, and after four plays, the Vikings held them and forced a fourth down.  The Lions then punted the ball to Marcus Sherels who took the ball from the 23 yard line, got hit, and somehow managed to break a few tackles and go 77 yards for a touchdown to give the Vikings the lead 20-6.

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Minnesota Vikings Travel to Detroit for First NFC North Battle

September 29th, 2012 at 12:21 PM
By Michael Rath

The Minnesota Vikings are set to play the Detroit Lions tomorrow at 12:00 CT at Ford Field for their first NFC North divisional game of the year.  The Vikings are 2-1 and coming off a huge win against a strong San Francisco 49ers team while the Lions are 1-2 coming off a devastating loss to a weaker Tennessee Titans team.

'Calvin Johnson' photo (c) 2012, Mike Morbeck - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The Vikings are looking to continue this recent run of success to start the season, and what better way to do that then by defeating a divisional foe?  The Vikings have won 15 of their last 18 games in Detroit and hold a 30-20-1 record all time in Detroit.  This series has been completely dominated by the Vikings, but they have actually lost their last three meetings against the Lions.  Long gone are the days of the Lions being the laughingstock of the league, now they are an offensive juggernaut that the Vikings will need to slow down.

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Coach Leslie Frazier to Increase Adrian Peterson’s Workload

September 28th, 2012 at 9:12 AM
By Michael Rath

Head Coach Leslie Frazier and the Minnesota Vikings are looking increase Adrian Peterson's carries for this coming weekend against the Detroit Lions.  Peterson has thus far rushed 58 times for 230 yards and two touchdowns since returning from an ACL tear.

'APside' photo (c) 2011, Arvee - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

It is amazing how quickly Peterson has recovered from this ACL injury.  Most players would be easing back into it by now, but instead, Peterson is just about ready for a full workload.  Last week, Peterson rushed 25 times against a very tough San Francisco run defense and left unscathed.  That is what Vikings' fans want to see out of their star back, and the more Peterson there is, the more frightened the opposition is.

How does Peterson affect the passing game?  If Peterson can find a way to continue to carry the load and pick up some huge gains, Christian Ponder and the passing game will thrive.  Defenses will be forced to put eight or nine in the box to plug up the holes, and thus, the play action pass will work efficiently giving Ponder many options down field.

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Order Has Been Restored, NFL Officials Have Returned

September 27th, 2012 at 8:41 AM
By Michael Rath

As of late Wednesday night, the NFL and the referee union have finally reached a labor deal which will be effective starting in tonight's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.  This switch from replacement refs to the NFL refs will make a difference in the little things, and hopefully clean up the game just a bit.

'Ed Hochuli is even bigger in person' photo (c) 2007, Thinh Nguyen - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

How does this effect the Minnesota Vikings?  The replacement refs actually almost ruined a game for the Vikings when they allowed San Francisco 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh to challenge two additional plays even though he had no time outs.  This, fortunately, did not spoil the Vikings game as they went on to win 24-13, and there really are not too many complaints coming from the Vikings as they are 2-1 and sitting atop the NFC North.

So how have the replacement refs affected  the Vikings?  Well, there was that one play on Monday Night when Golden Tate "caught" a touchdown to "win" the game.  Everyone knows that play so there is no reason to delve into it any deeper.  That play was absolutely the reason why the replacement refs are out and the NFL refs are back.  If that play is called correctly, the Green Bay Packers are 2-1 and in first place in the NFC North, due to their divisional record.  However, Vikings' fans everywhere can thank the replacement refs for now and should enjoy being in first while it lasts.

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