SB Nation - Ryan Longwell

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:51:28 -0000

9 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson (28) dives over Cincinnati Bengals' Keith Rivers for a 1-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy King)

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It's that time of the week where we take one last look back at the Vikings' previous performance and review exactly how they did in the red zone against their last opponent. In order to do that, we need to move into everybody's favorite segment here at DN, the Vikings' Red Zone Review. As always, the Vikings Red Zone Review is brought to you by the good folks at Comcast. Comcast brings you the NFL Red Zone channel every week, and it's your way to keep in touch with all the biggest plays from every NFL game week in and week out. It's great for fantasy players, or for the late games when you're not sure which game you want to view while celebrating the Vikings' latest conquest. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every single NFL game, and nobody brings it to you like the folks at Comcast.

So, how did the Vikings do in the red zone against the Cincinnati Bengals? Well. . .not to spoil anything, but they did pretty darn good.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 4
Vikings Red Zone scores - 4 (3 TD, 1 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 75%

Once again, the Vikings converted all of their red zone possessions into points, which is always what you want to see from your offense, obviously. Minnesota's first three possessions ended with a punt, Brett Favre's sixth interception of the 2009 season, and a 44-yard Ryan Longwell field goal on a possession where the Vikings didn't reach the red zone. On their fourth possession, however, turned into the Adrian Peterson show, which is generally a good thing for the Minnesota Vikings. The drive started at the Minnesota 43-yard line, and two quick carries for #28 picked up 14 yards and moved the ball into Cincinnati territory. After an incompletion that was sandwiched between two false start penalties, Favre hit Peterson on a pass for 28 yards to the Cincinnati 11 and Minnesota's first trip to the red zone on the afternoon. The drive then came down to a third down from the Cincinnati 9. Favre took the snap, pump faked a defender out of his shoes, rolled to his right, and found Sidney Rice in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown strike to put the Vikings ahead 10-0. The drive moved 57 yards in 7 plays, and took 2:46 to complete.

After the Bengals responded with a red zone possession of their own. . .one that led to their only touchdown of the afternoon. . .the Vikings took over again at their own 24. Favre quickly found Visanthe Shiancoe for 6 yards, and another 11-yard jaunt for Peterson set up a fresh set of downs. Favre continued mixing in different receivers, as he proceeded to complete passes to Bernard Berrian and Greg Lewis as the Vikings moved down the field. He even picked up a rare (for Favre) rushing first down with a 4-yard sneak on 3rd and 2. However, the drive stalled in the Bengals' red zone, and Ryan Longwell came in for another field goal, this one from 23 yards out to make it 13-7, Vikings. That drive went 71 yards in 14 plays, taking 3:21 to complete.

Longwell capped the first half scoring with another field goal that came as a result of Antoine Winfield forcing Bengals' running back Brian Leonard to fumble as the Bengals tried to do. . .something. I don't think anyone's really sure. But, in any case, the field goal was good from 44 yards out, and the Vikings took a 16-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Minnesota took the ball to start the second half, and rather than airing another episode of the All Day with Adrian Peterson, they decided to go with a showing of All Night with Chester Taylor instead. AP had a co-starring role in this one, however. . .in fact, Taylor and Peterson combined for all 60 yards the Vikings gained on that drive. In fact, here's how the drive went, play-by-play.

Peterson carry for 2 yards
Peterson carry for 3 yards
Taylor 6 yard reception
Taylor carry for 5 yards
False start on Jim Kleinsasser
Bengal sack
Encroachment on Cincinnati
Taylor 26 yard reception
Taylor carry for 17 yards
Peterson carry for 5 yards
Peterson carry for 2 yards
Peterson carry for 1 yard and the touchdown

Yep. . .the only skill position players that touched the ball for the Vikings on their opening drive of the third quarter were Favre, Taylor, and Peterson. That's still pretty good. The 1-yard touchdown run for Peterson also gave him a tie for the Vikings' single season record for rushing touchdowns with his 13th of the season. The 60 yard drive was accomplished in 10 plays, and it took 6:20 to complete, putting the Vikings ahead 23-7.

The Bengals would eventually add a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make the score 23-10, and after the subsequent exchange of punts the Vikings decided it was time to put things away. Starting at the Minnesota 33, Favre decided to mix things up a little bit by getting the ball to Sidney Rice to pick up a first down. A couple of plays later, a 19-yard completion to Berrian moved the ball into Cincinnati territory. A 9-yard pass to Berrian and an 8-yard carry by Peterson put the ball into the Bengals' red zone again at the 16-yard line. After Sidney Rice got the ball down to the 4, Peterson finished things off with two more carries and what turned out to be a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings ahead 30-10. The touchdown was Peterson's 14th rushing TD of the year, giving him sole possession of the Minnesota Vikings' record for most rushing touchdowns in one season. Congratulations to the best running back in the National Football League on his accomplishment!

With their numbers from the Cincinnati game, the Vikings have ventured into the red zone 49 times in the 2009 season. In those trips, they've scored 27 touchdowns (55.1%), put 16 Ryan Longwell field goals on the board (32.7%), and failed to score on only six occasions (12.2%). Their opponents, on the other hand, have breached the Minnesota red zone 30 times, with the Vikings allowing 12 touchdowns (40%), giving up 12 field goals (40%), and holding the opponent scoreless 6 times (20%).

Here's hoping that the Vikings' numbers on both sides will continue to improve this Sunday night as they travel to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers.

Bengals/Vikings Second Half Thread

Gonzo — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:43:42 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

9 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Carson Palmer (9) is sacked by Minnesota Vikings' Brian Robison during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Well, after a scoreless first quarter, things got interested in the second for the Bengals and Vikings.

Minnesota opened the scoring with a 41-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to make it 3-0, and soon after Favre found Sidney Rice for a 9-yard touchdown strike to make it 10-0.

The Bengals answered immediately with an 82-yard drive that ended in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco to make it 10-7. The Vikings then tacked on another Longwell field goal, this one from 23 yards out, to make it 13-7.

Then, as the Bengals were attempting to run out the clock, Antoine Winfield. . .who has been a beast today. . .forced Brian Leonard to fumble, and the Vikings got a third field goal from Longwell, a 44-yarder, to make it 16-7 as we went to the locker room.

The second half action is right here, folks!

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:00:40 -0000

by Ross D. Franklin - AP

16 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Chester Taylor kneels on the ground after being stopped short of the goal line in the second quarter during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. The Vikings had to settle for a field goal on the drive. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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I'm going to start moving this feature up to earlier in the week in an effort to allow us to move on to the next game more quickly. So, with our weekly look back at the Vikings' red zone performance, here's this week's installment of the Vikings Red Zone Review. As always, the Vikings Red Zone Review is brought to you by the good folks at Comcast. Comcast brings you the NFL Red Zone channel every week, and it's your way to keep in touch with all the biggest plays from every NFL game week in and week out. It's great for fantasy players, or for the late games when you're not sure which game you want to view while celebrating the Vikings' latest conquest. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every single NFL game, and nobody brings it to you like the folks at Comcast.

What kind of performance did the Vikings put together in the red zone last weekend? Let's have a look and find out. After all, with the kind of performance that the Vikings put together against Arizona, you could probably expect that this wouldn't take very long.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 2
Vikings Red Zone scores - 2 (1 TD, 1 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 50%

Speaking of not taking very long, it didn't take the Vikings long at all to find the red zone, as they did so on their very first drive. Benny Sapp forced a fumble from Tim Hightower on the Cardinals' second play from scrimmage, and the Vikings were immediately in business at the Arizona 47. Brett Favre and company immediately went to work, as an Adrian Peterson carry and a 5-yard catch by Percy Harvin gave Minnesota a first down, and an 11-yard completion to Sidney Rice gave them another. The Vikings moved into the red zone as Favre hit Bernard Berrian on a 3rd and 4 to get the ball to the 15, and a couple of plays later Harvin took a handoff down to the 3 to set up first and goal. From there, Favre dropped back and found Visanthe Shiancoe near the left sideline. At first, the referees ruled that Shank was out of bounds, but Brad Childress threw the challenge flag. After further review, it was decided that Shiancoe did make the catch and get both feet in bounds, giving the Vikings a touchdown. The 10-play, 47-yard drive took 4:25 off the clock and gave the Vikings an early 7-0 lead.

And after that, unfortunately, the Vikings' only other red zone appearance of the evening came just before halftime. After the Cardinals went up 14-7, the Vikings took over at their own 32 after a short kickoff that was fielded by Jeff Dugan. Minnesota immediately moved into Arizona territory on a 21-yard reception by Adrian Peterson, and Favre hit Harvin, Peterson, and Chester Taylor to get the ball close. An 11-yard carry for Peterson. . .his best of the night. . .took the ball to the Arizona 11, but the Vikings couldn't punch the ball in, and had to settle for a 25-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10.

Minnesota's only other score came on a 31-yard pass from Favre to Percy Harvin to cut the final score to 30-17 and make the game appear closer than it had actually been.

So, the Vikings' offense made two trips into the red zone this weekend, giving them 45 for the year. In those 45 trips, they've scored 24 touchdowns (53.3%), gotten 15 field goals from Ryan Longwell (33.3%), and been held scoreless six times (13.3%). The Cardinals, on the other hand, made four trips into the red zone, but only got one touchdown in those four trips (after a huge punt return by LaRod Stephens-Howling). That means that Viking opponents have found their way into the red zone 28 times this season. They've allowed 11 touchdowns (39.3%), 11 field goals (39.3%), and kept their opponents scoreless six times (21.4%).

If the Vikings want to get on track next week against Cincinnati, they're going to need to make a lot more trips to the red zone, and convert those trips in the manner we've become accustomed to seeing.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:34:56 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Holt - AP

23 days ago: Minnesota Vikings running back Chester Taylor (29) scores in the second quarter past Chicago Bears' Danieal Manning (38) during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jerry Holt)

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Since we're going to be, as the kids say, waiting all day for Sunday night, let's kill some time by taking a final look back at the Vikings' complete and utter domination of the Chicago Bears by reviewing their performance in the Red Zone. And, as always, the Vikings Red Zone Review is brought to you by the good folks at Comcast. Comcast brings you the NFL Red Zone channel every week, and it's your way to keep in touch with all the biggest plays from every NFL game week in and week out. It's great for fantasy players, or for the late games when you're not sure which game you want to view while celebrating the Vikings' latest conquest. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every single NFL game, and nobody brings it to you like the folks at Comcast.

What kind of performance did the Vikings put together in the red zone last weekend? Let's have a look and find out.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 6
Vikings Red Zone scores - 6 (4 TD, 2 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 66%

A pretty good performance for the Vikings in the red zone last week, but it still could have been better.

After an Adrian Peterson fumble halted a promising opening drive, the Bears and Vikings exchanged three and outs, and the Bears punted again, pinning the Vikings on their own 4-yard line. From there, the Vikings offense went to work. Brett Favre converted a big third down when he hit Sidney Rice for 14 yards on 3rd and 6. He continued to spread the ball around, hitting Chester Taylor twice for 27 yards out of the backfield. Peterson mixed in a 15-yard run and an 8-yard run, and Favre converted another big third down by hitting Bernard Berrian to take the Vikings down to the Chicago 6. After some questionable play calling, including Favre taking a 14-yard sack on first and goal from the 1 (following a Chicago PI penalty in the end zone), the first play of the second quarter saw Favre drill a bullet to the 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year. . .that's Percy Harvin. . .and the Vikings went up 7-0. The Minnesota drive went 96 yards in 13 plays, and took 6:52 to complete.

After the Bears managed to luck their way into their one touchdown drive of the afternoon, the Vikings went to work again from their own 20. Harvin didn't get to return the kickoff because of a touchback, so the Vikings let him start the drive off with a 35-yard run to put the ball into Chicago territory. Favre then hit Berrian for 7, Rice for 11, and Harvin for 4 to move the ball to the Chicago 10. After a three-yard run by Peterson, Favre rolled to his right, dumped one off to Chester Taylor, and #29 did the rest as he dove into the end zone for another Minnesota touchdown. The extra point put the Vikings up 14-3. That Minnesota drive moved 80 yards in 8 plays, taking 4:06 off the clock.

The Bears fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which the Vikings turned into a 52-yard Ryan Longwell field goal. On the Bears next drive, Chicago's awesome, incredible superstar quarterback Jay Cutler threw a pass that got picked off by Cedric Griffin. The Vikings couldn't take advantage, and punted the ball back to Chicago. Cutler's second INT of the afternoon came on the subsequent drive, on a pass that was deflected by E.J. Henderson into the arms of Jared Allen. The Vikings started out at their own 30, and Favre immediately hit Visanthe Shiancoe for 21 yards to move the ball into Chicago territory. He then hit Berrian twice for 16 yards, and then lofted a beautiful pass to Rice, who got pushed out of bounds at the Chicago 2. After a touchdown pass from Favre to Shiancoe was nullified for Bryant McKinnie being downfield, Shank managed to get the touchdown anyway, as Favre found him on third and goal from the 6 for the score. The drive moved 70 yards in 7 plays, and only took 40 seconds to accomplish. It also put Minnesota ahead 24 to 7 as they went to the locker room.

After a Chicago field goal gave the Bears their final points of the afternoon, the Vikings took over at their own 33, as the Bears decided they were too scared to kick to Percy Harvin. Harvin again made them pay for it, catching passes of 12 and 22 yards from Favre to move the ball into Chicago territory. After a fumble by Peterson that was correctly challenged by Childress, Favre hit Shiancoe for 19 yards, and appeared to have another touchdown pass to Chester Taylor that was taken off the board by an unnecessary holding penalty downfield on Berrian. From there, the flags started to fly, and the referees desperately tried to level the playing field for the completely overmatched Bears. After all was said and done, the Vikings had to settle for a 37-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to make the score 27-7. The 12-play, 48-yard drive took 4:59 off of the clock.

Big third down conversions were the story of Minnesota's next drive, as Minnesota started from their own 27. You know it's going to be a productive drive when even Naufahu Tahi gets into the business of converting third downs, which he did with an 8-yard reception. On the next third down, Favre hit Bernard Berrian for 18 yards. Then, on another third down play, Favre found Percy Harvin for an outstanding 31-yard catch that put the rookie over the 100-yard mark for the first time in his young career. Unfortunately, the drive stalled when the Vikings reached the 2, and they had to settle for a 20-yard Longwell field goal. The drive needed to eat up the clock, and the drive did just that, as they took 7:36 to move the ball 71 yards in 13 plays. It also made the score 30 to 7 in favor of the Vikings.

Favre only completed one pass on his final drive of the afternoon, hitting Berrian again for eight yards. The rest of the drive was the Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor show, as the best 1-2 running back tandem in the NFL combined for 35 yards on 6 carries on the drive. A big pass interference penalty aided the Vikings as well, giving them 25 yards and putting the ball deep into Chicago territory. Harvin even mixed another carry in for 10 yards, and that one put the Vikings inside the Chicago red zone again. To cap off what had been a fairly tough afternoon, Peterson walked in from five yards out for a touchdown. Chris Kluwe, unfortunately, bobbled the hold on the extra point, so the final margin of victory for Minnesota ended up being 36-10. The final Viking drive went 68 yards in 8 plays, taking another 5:09 off of the clock.

So, to update our tally, for the season the Vikings' offense has entered the opposing red zone on 43 occasions. They've come away with 23 touchdowns (53.5%), 14 Ryan Longwell field goals (32.5%), and have only come away scoreless six times (14%). The Bears only entered the red zone once. . .and they were lucky to have that many. . .and managed one field goal. So, the Vikings have allowed their opponents to enter the red zone 24 times this season, allowing them to score 10 touchdowns (41.7%), as well as eight field goals (33.3%). On six occasions (25%), Minnesota's opponents have left the red zone empty-handed.

Here's hoping that the Vikings can improve on all of those figures during Sunday night's clash with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:01:21 -0000

by Carlos Gonzalez - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice (18) fends of Seattle Seahawks Marcus Trufant to score on a 34-yard touchdown catch and run in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune,Carlos Gonzalez)

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Once again, it's time to take a final look back at the Vikings' most recent conquest by reviewing their Red Zone performance. And, as always, the Vikings Red Zone Review is sponsored by the good folks at Comcast, who bring you the NFL Red Zone channel every Sunday afternoon. Whether you're killing time waiting for the Vikings to play a late afternoon game (like we will be this weekend) or unwinding after celebrating another Vikings' victory, the Red Zone Channel can take you around the league for all the best action around the National Football League. It's great for tracking your favorite fantasy players, too. For the best way to see all the action around the NFL every Sunday, there's nothing that beats the NFL Red Zone Channel.

So, how did the Vikings do in the Red Zone against the Seahawks? Well. . .you could say they did alright.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 3
Vikings Red Zone scores - 3 (3 TD)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 100%

After a. . .yawn. . .terribly exciting first quarter that concluded with no scoring, the Vikings jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the second on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Percy Harvin. The Vikings finally made a visit to the red zone midway through the second quarter. Starting from their own 30, the Vikings put together a drive largely aided by Seattle penalties. The scoring drive was 70 yards, and 35 of it came courtesy of two personal foul penalties and a defensive offsides call. The second personal foul, a tripping penalty on Seattle safety Deon Grant after a 24-yard reception by Sidney Rice, set the Vikings up with first and goal at the Seattle 8-yard line. After one of Favre's three incompletions on the day, he found Visanthe Shiancoe, who had lined up wide left, on a slant into the end zone to put the Vikings up by two touchdowns. That Viking drive moved 70 yards in six plays, taking 2:32 in order to complete.

Minnesota found themselves back in the red zone again almost immediately, as Seattle return man Ben Obomanu fumbled the return on the ensuing kickoff, and after an 11-yard pass to Harvin on third and two, the Vikings were at the Seahawks 15-yard line. Adrian Peterson moved the Vikings down to the 5, and two plays later, Favre found Bernard Berrian for a three yard score, his third different touchdown pass of the day to his third different receiver. It put the Vikings up 21-0 and they were cruising. The drive moved 34 yards in six plays, and took 3:34 off of the clock.

After the teams came out of the locker room at halftime, the Vikings and Seahawks exchanged punts. With the Vikings starting out at their own 11-yard line, the Vikings made their way downfield. Everyone got involved in the act, as Favre found Harvin for a 25-yard strike on 3rd and 9, and that was immediately followed up by a 13-yard sprint to midfield by Adrian Peterson. A mix of the best running back in the NFL and a couple of short passes kept the drive moving, and Favre hit Shiancoe for a 13-yard reception to move the ball into the red zone again. Another pass to Shiancoe moved the ball down to the 7, and from there, Favre avoided the Seattle rush, scrambled to his right, and lofted one high for Sidney Rice, who outjumped all the Seahawk defensive backs and came down with Favre's fourth TD pass of the day, a 7-yarder to make the score 28-0. #4 was nearly perfect on the drive, completing 6-of-7 passes for 67 yards and the scoring pass to Rice. Overall, the drive covered 89 yards in 12 plays, taking 6:37 to accomplish.

That was the last Red Zone trip for the Vikings on the day, as their final touchdown came on a 34-yard pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney Rice.

With their perfect Red Zone performance against the Seahawks, the Vikings have made an even 40 trips into the Red Zone this year. On 22 of those 40 trips, they've come away with touchdowns, a 55% pace. They still have 12 Ryan Longwell field goals (30%), and on six trips they've come away with no points (15%). Defensively, the Seahawks managed to reach the Red Zone twice, and came away with one touchdown and one field goal. That means the Vikings have allowed opposing teams into the Red Zone 25 times, and have allowed 11 touchdowns (44%), surrendered eight field goals (32%), and held their opponents scoreless six times (24%).

Here's hoping that the Red Zone success can continue this next week against the Chicago Bears.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:00:04 -0000

by Carlos Gonzalez - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Vikings tight end Jeff Dugan (83) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Carlos Gonzalez)

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Before we move along to tomorrow's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, it's time to take one final look back at last week's 27-10 victory over the Detroit Lions. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for another installment of the Vikings Red Zone Review. Comcast brings you the NFL Red Zone channel every week, and it's your way to keep in touch with all the biggest plays from every NFL game week in and week out. It's great for fantasy players, or for the late games when you're not sure which game you want to view while celebrating the Vikings' latest conquest. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every single NFL game, and nobody brings it to you like the folks at Comcast.

What kind of performance did the Vikings put together in the red zone last weekend? Let's have a look and find out.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 6
Vikings Red Zone scores - 4 (2 TD, 2 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 33%

Not the finest red zone performance the Vikings have put together this season, but it was good enough to get the job done.

The Vikings took the opening kickoff and immediately began moving downfield. Brett Favre was on early, connecting on a 12-yard pass to Bernard Berrian, a 13-yarder to Visanthe Shiancoe, and a 20-yarder to Sidney Rice. The pass to Rice set the Vikings up at their own 11-yard line, but after an 8-yard run by Adrian Peterson, a false start penalty on Jim Kleinsasser and a couple of misfires left the Vikings to settle for a 22-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to give themselves an early 3-0 lead. The Vikings' drive went 66 yards in 10 plays, taking 5:42 off of the clock.

After the Lions missed a field goal on their next drive to set the Vikings up at their own 38, Minnesota went to work again. Peterson carried the ball twice for 15 yards, and Favre found Rice on two different plays for a combined 30 yards, moving the Vikings to the Detroit 17-yard line. Then, on a play that looked to be pretty well-blocked, Peterson botched a pitch on a reverse to Percy Harvin, and the ball found its way to the turf. Defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill jumped on the loose ball for the Lions, and the Vikings' red zone efforts were thwarted in short order by the Lions' defense. The play call wasn't THAT bad, but the pitch by #28 was horrible. Ah, well. . .I'm sure the next time that play is called, the execution will be better.

Minnesota didn't see the red zone again until near the end of the first half, though they did score another touchdown on yet another Adrian Peterson "Holy cow, how did he do that" run to put themselves up 10-0. After another big pass to Rice for another 43 yards and a shorter completion to Shiancoe, the Vikings were inside the Detroit red zone again. The Vikings got down to the Lions' 8-yard line, and when faced with fourth and one and with unlimited weapons at their disposal, the Vikings tried to convert by. . .handing the ball to Jeff Dugan? (Actually, Dugan has been pretty good in one yard to go situations, but pretty much all of those came on third downs.) So, the Vikings had another unsuccessful red zone sojurn, and went into the locker room leading 10-3 when they could have had a lot more.

After the Lions fumbled on their first offensive play of the second half, the Adrian Peterson show started again, as he took the ball from the Lions' 28 and rumbled all the way to the 1-yard line, setting the Vikings up in the red zone again with first and goal. Peterson ensured that there would be no further drama, as he gained that one yard on the next play. The Vikings scoring drive went 28 yards in 2 plays, taking only 22 seconds of game time to accomplish, all of it gained by the best running back in the NFL.

To the Lions' credit, they responded to that score by putting up their only touchdown of the game, and the only trip they would make into the red zone on the afternoon, aided by a questionable call on Ray Edwards that negated a Minnesota fumble recovery. After a few punts were exchanged, we moved on to the fourth quarter of play, and on the first play of the quarter, Favre unleashed another huge bomb to Rice for 56 yards and another trip to the red zone at the Detroit 4-yard line. After a run by Peterson lost four yards, Favre rolled out to his left and found Jeff Dugan on a crossing route in the end zone, and Dugan made up for his earlier problems by hauling it in for an 8-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-10, Vikings, and effectively put the game out of reach. That Viking drive went 61 yards in four plays and took only 2:03 to complete.

The Vikings' final red zone journey was set up by another "holy cow" moment, this one supplied by Percy Harvin. Your 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year took a short pass from Brett Favre, bounced off a Lions' linebacker, and turned what initially looked to be a 3-yard hitch into a 40-yard catch-and-run. A 21-yard pass to Shiancoe put the Vikings into the red zone. Unfortunately, the Vikings couldn't do anything else with it, and had to line up for a Ryan Longwell field goal try from 35 yards out. Longwell made it, of course, because. . .say it with me. . .that's what Ryan Longwell does. That drive moved 71 yards in eight plays, and gave us our final score of 27-10 in favor of the Beloved Purple.

The results of the game against the Lions mean that the Vikings, through nine games, have made 37 trips into the red zone this year. In those 37 trips, they've come away with touchdowns on 19 of those (51.3%), tacked on 12 Ryan Longwell field goals (32.4%), and failed to come away with points on six trips (16.2%). Their opponents, on the other hand, have entered the red zone 23 times, and have come away with 10 touchdowns (43.5%), seven field goals (30.4%), and have gotten nothing on six occasions (26.1%). Here's hoping that the Seahawks will give us a chance to improve our numbers both offensively and defensively.

Viking Fans Apparently Stuffing the Ballot Box

Gonzo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:06:02 -0000

For the past few years, fan voting has accounted for 1/3 of the balloting for the NFL Pro Bowl, and you can go to NFL.com in order to vote for your favorite players (read: Vikings) to play in this year's exhibition. However, according to the folks at Viking Update, a lot of your fellow Vikings fans are way ahead of you on that front.

Right now, members of the Minnesota Vikings are leading at TEN DIFFERENT POSITIONS on the NFC's Pro Bowl ballot. Ten, I say. That's a lot.

As it stands now, Adrian Peterson is the #3 overall vote getter, and Brett Favre is (appropriately enough) the #4 overall vote getter. Unfortunately, since Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints has the most overall votes, that means that Favre is only second among NFC quarterbacks.

Who are some of the other Vikings that are leading at their positions? Well, let's take a look. . .

John Sullivan is the leading vote getter at center
Bryant McKinnie is the leader among offensive tackles (Phil Loadholt is fourth)
Steve Hutchinson has more votes than any other guard
Naufahu Tahi is the leader at fullback. . .and if you're currently drinking anything, I apologize for making it shoot out of your nose. But that statement is true.
Jared Allen is the pace setter among NFC defensive ends (almost twice as many as second place Julius Peppers)
Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are the top two defensive tackles in the NFC
Percy Harvin is leading all NFC kick returners in the voting thus far
Ryan Longwell is the top NFC kicker thus far
And Heath Farwell is the top in the NFC special teams category

Four Vikings hold down the #2 spot at their positions as well. Those three are punter Chris Kluwe, cornerback Antoine Winfield, outside linebacker Chad Greenway, and guard Anthony Herrera.

Now, will all these Minnesota players make the Pro Bowl? Certainly not. Heck, hopefully we won't see any of them in the Pro Bowl this year. After all, the NFL has changed the schedule so that the Pro Bowl will be played the weekend before the Super Bowl, not the weekend after as it has been for all these years. Hopefully our guys will have more important things to worry about.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:48:18 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Holt - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre reacts after throwing for the Vikings' final touchdown in a 38-26 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jerry Holt)

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I skipped this last week with the Vikings being on their bye and everything, but now we're back for more. And I'm not sure about anything else, but the bye week gave me an opportunity to experience just how awesome the Red Zone Channel is. Obviously, during most weeks I'm wholly and solely focused on the Vikings, but during the bye week the Red Zone channel was constantly moving me to different games all over the league. Whether it was the Bears getting destroyed by the Arizona Cardinals, the Packers losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or any of the other action around the NFL during Week 9, the Red Zone Channel made sure that I didn't miss any of the best action around the NFL. The action flows seamlessly, and you get to see all of the biggest plays from all the live action around the league. The Red Zone Channel is your season ticket for every NFL game, and the only cable company that brings it to you is Comcast.

So how did the Vikings' red zone offense look in their last game against Green Bay? Let's take a look.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 5
Vikings Red Zone scores - 4 (4 TD)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 80%

The Vikings' first red zone appearance of the day against the Packers came on their third possession. After a bad snap from John Sullivan resulted in a fumble, the Packers took an early 3-0 lead. Then they made the mistake of kicking the ball to 2009 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin. Harvin wasted no time in responding to the Packer score, as he torched the Packers special teams unit and took the ball all the way down to the Green Bay 14-yard line. From there, Adrian Peterson handled most of the work. After a couple of carries by #28, the drive appeared to stall after a pass from Brett Favre to Chester Taylor, but Green Bay DT Johnny Jolly inexplicably head-butted Taylor after the play, drawing a personal foul penalty, and the drive continued. Peterson hammered the Vikings down to the 1, and on 4th down he punched it in for the score to give Minnesota a 7-0 lead. The drive took 7 plays to move 14 yards and took 3:48 off of the clock.

The Vikings held the Packers to a three and out on their next possession, and a good punt return by Jaymar Johnson set the Vikings up just short of midfield. This time, Favre did most of the heavy lifting, as he hit Sidney Rice for six yards, Harvin for nine, and Bernard Berrian for 12. After Peterson carried the Vikings into the red zone at the 19-yard line, Favre found Rice again for seven yards. Then, on first down from the Green Bay 12, Favre found Visanthe Shiancoe. . .it's a verb, to Shank. . .for a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 14-3 lead for the Vikings. Minnesota's scoring drive went 51 yards in 7 plays, taking 3:37 to accomplish.

After another Packer three and out, the Vikings appeared to be on their way to scoring again, as Peterson went 33 yards on first down to put the Vikings into the red zone again at the Green Bay 16. After a couple of short runs and an incomplete pass, the Vikings had lined up to attempt a field goal, but the Packers were whistled for a neutral zone infraction that took the Vikings from fourth and six at the 12 to fourth and one at the 7-yard line. Brad Childress put his offense back on the field and, to the Packers' credit, they rose up and stopped Peterson in that short yardage situation, and the Vikings turned it over on downs. That would turn out to be the only red zone failure of the afternoon for the Minnesota offense.

The only other Viking score prior to intermission came on a 41-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell, and Minnesota went into the locker room with a 17-3 lead.

After the Vikings' lone non-red zone touchdown of the afternoon, a 51-yard bomb from Favre to Harvin, the Vikings had a 24-3 lead and appeared to be on cruise control. However, things got a bit dicey for the Purple after that, as Green Bay got a field goal and two touchdown passes to something named Spencer Havner to give them 17 unanswered points and pull the score to 24-20. Then the Packers decided to kick to Harvin again, and again #12 made them pay, ripping off another huge return (48 yards) and letting the Vikings start at the Green Bay 38-yard line. A 15-yard pass to Harvin that was sandwiched between a couple of Peterson runs (and a B.J. Raji face mask penalty) moved the Vikings inside of the Green Bay 10. After Chester Taylor toted the rock down to the 2, Favre rolled right and found Jeff Dugan at the goal line for his third touchdown pass of the evening and made the Viking lead 11 points again at 31-20. The drive went 38 yards in seven plays, taking 3:22 to accomplish.

The Packers answered on their next drive with a TD pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings, and the score went to 31-26 after a failed two-point conversion attempt. After a punt from the Vikings and a missed field goal by Mason Crosby, the Vikings set about putting the game on ice. Peterson took a ~~handoff~~ screen pass (Editor's Note: Oops.) on the first play of the drive and raced over the left side for 44 yards, moving the Vikings to the Packers' 15-yard line. After a couple of unsuccessful carries brought up third and 11, Favre dropped back and fired a quick pass to Bernard Berrian, who was subsequently tossed into the end zone by his helmet by Al Harris for a 16-yard touchdown for Minnesota. It was Favre's fourth touchdown of the day, their fourth red zone touchdown of the day, and it provided the final margin of victory by a count of 38-26.

All that means that, through the first half of the 2009 season, the Minnesota Vikings' offense has made 31 trips into the red zone, and have come away with points on 27 of those occasions. 17 of those have been touchdowns, with 10 being Ryan Longwell field goals, giving the Vikings a red zone touchdown percentage of roughly 63% on the season. The game against Green Bay was one of the poorer performances of the year for Minnesota's red zone defense, as they allowed the Packers to convert points on all five of their red zone appearances (three touchdowns, two field goals). So, for the year, Viking opponents have gotten into the red zone 22 times, and have come away with nine touchdowns and seven field goals, giving them a red zone touchdown percentage of roughly 41%. Hopefully both of these numbers will improve on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings, Mid-Season Edition

Gonzo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:44:23 -0000

I really meant to do one of these back during the pre-season so that we'd have something to compare it to at this point, but I forgot to. I apologize for that. But, as usual, we'll have our mid-season version. . .conveniently designed to go along with the Vikings' bye week. . .and our post-season version to compare.

I've done these for the past couple of seasons, after originally getting the idea from our friends over at Dawgs by Nature. (See the 2007 mid-season and post-season versions, as well as the 2008 mid-season and post-season versions.) These aren't official or anything, and are more designed to spark conversations/debate than anything else. Since the table that these rankings are placed in is pretty huge, I'll put it in after the jump for everyone to have a look at. Enjoy, and tell us what you think!

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Comment
1	Jared Allen, DE	Greatest trade in Vikings' history? If it's not, it's certainly on the short list. In 24 games since coming to Minnesota, #69 has 25 sacks (3 of which have resulted in safeties), 5 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, and has generally just been the best 4-3 defensive end in the National Football League. He'd probably be the Defensive Player of the Year if the season ended today.
2	Brett Favre, QB	Okay, raise your hand if you thought the guy would be this good. looks around I doubt it was that many, but anyhow. . .in eight games, Favre has turned the ball over all of four times (only one of which. . .against St. Louis. . .could probably be classed as egregiously awful), has a 4:1 TD/turnover ratio, and a quarterback rating of a cool 106.0. Yes, it remains to see how he'll perform over the second half of the year, but the returns have been good so far.
3	Adrian Peterson, RB	You know the bar has been set pretty high for you when you're tied for second in the NFL in rushing yards, averaging almost 5 yards/carry, are second in the league in rushing touchdowns. . .and some folks are under the perception that you're struggling. He's on pace for 40 fewer regular season carries this year than he got last year, and as long as teams still want to defend the Vikings like they have Gus Frerotte at quarterback, his numbers will probably stay low. . .keeping him fresh for the post-season.
4	Percy Harvin, WR	Surprised to see him this high? Don't be. How much of an impact has Harvin had? With him returning kickoffs, the Vikings have the best average starting field position in the NFL. He's also been a big part of the Vikings going from having one of the worst special teams units of the last 20 years to being one of the better units in the league, according to the DVOA rankings from Football Outsiders. Oh, and he's done alright catching the ball, too. Barring an injury, we can probably just stop the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting right now and hand the award to #12. (Oh, and another big thank you to T.J. Houshmandzadeh for signing with the Seahawks. . .because if we had him, we likely wouldn't have Harvin.)
5	Kevin Williams, DT	The best all-around defensive tackle in football has been blowing up interior linemen all season long. He's on pace to have his first double-digit sack season since 2004, and he's still incredible against the run. Oh, and he's thrown in 6 defended passes, too. To borrow a phrase from Eric. . .greatest "missed draft pick" ever? Greatest "missed draft pick" ever.
6	Sidney Rice, WR	Nobody on the Vikings' roster has benefited more from the addition of Brett Favre than El Sid. It's hard to believe that the University of South Carolina produced both Rice and Troy Williamson, since Sidney is pretty much the anti-Williamson. He's on pace to have 1170 receiving yards (and hopefully more than the 2 TDs he has currently), and he has the most ridiculous set of hands this team has seen since Cris Carter left town. Yes, Randy Moss included.
7	Ryan Longwell, K	Ridiculous to put the kicker this high? Perhaps. . .but ponder this: Every time this season a ball that he's kicked has gone past the line of scrimmage, it's gone through the uprights (his only "miss" this season was the block at the end of the first half of the San Francisco game). His kickoffs have been pretty darn good, too. One can't underestimate the importance of a kicker as good as Longwell has been this season.
8	Chad Greenway, LB	The Vikings' leading tackler after the first half of the season, he's also tossed in a couple of interceptions and 4 passes defended. He's really gotten a lot better in coverage over the course of his Viking career, and has become one of the better all-around linebackers in the NFL.
9	Steve Hutchinson, G	Still the best at his position in the National Football League, despite getting called for his first holding penalty in 27 games last weekend against Green Bay. Meanwhile, Nate Burleson is still doing nothing in Seattle. Yeah, I still think the Vikings got the better of that little exchange.
10	Bryant McKinnie, T	McKinnie has been much maligned over the course of the past couple of seasons, and we would lament how he would get abused by speed rushers. However, after making the adjustment to having Brett Favre at QB early in the season (along with the rest of the O-line), McKinnie has done a hell of a job, and is finally really starting to live up to the huge payday he got a couple of years ago. He looks like the tackle the Vikings thought they were getting when they drafted him in 2002.
11	Antoine Winfield, CB	Ordinarily he would be much higher on this list, but his injuries. . .coupled with the fact that the Vikings haven't missed him nearly as much this year as anybody might have thought. . .push him down a little bit. Don't get me wrong, he's still one of the best in the league at his position, but he hasn't had quite the impact so far this season that one would think.
12	Pat Williams, DT	Phat Pat got off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, some of which could possibly be attributed to getting a late start on the pre-season festivities, but has come around over the course of the past few games, and is back to being his usual bad-ass, run-stuffing self. He's even contributed his annual sack with his takedown of Aaron Rodgers in Week 8.
13	Ray Edwards, DE	You know. . .when he's not busy jumping offsides or getting ridiculous late hit penalties, Ray Ray has actually had a pretty solid year thus far, with 26 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks. Sure, he might be the "weak link" on the defensive line, but being the weak link on a defensive line this good is sort of like being a MENSA member with an IQ of "only" 135.
14	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	Second in the NFL in touchdown catches among tight ends, he gives the Vikings yet another weapon to utilize around the goal line. One could argue that he should be getting more catches, but with the emergence of Harvin and Rice, I'm not sure where those catches would come from. (Yes, I know, "Tahi" is the obvious answer.)
15	Ben Leber, LB	Still the quietest member of the defense, but as always, you don't hear his name called very often, which means he's doing what he's asked to do. Occasionally spectacular, but always solid. Still the only good thing Fran Foley ever did for the Minnesota Vikings.
16	Phil Loadholt, OT	The massive rookie from Oklahoma grabbed hold of the starting RT slot in training camp and, like most things he gets a hold of, he hasn't shown any signs of letting go of it any time soon. He did miss a game because of injury, but overall has provided a level of play that few may have expected from him as a rookie. We'll have to keep an eye on him to see if he hits the "wall" during the course of the year.
17	E.J. Henderson, LB	I'm surprised that he's down this far, too, but really. . .who ahead of him do you move? Frankly, E.J. just hasn't looked like E.J. most of the time this season. A good portion of the Vikings' woes against tight ends can be attributed to him (though there is blame to be spread around. . .give me a bit), and he just hasn't been the beast that he was prior to the dislocated toes that caused him to miss most of 2008. He is getting better, though, and hopefully will continue to do so as the season goes on.
18	Bernard Berrian, WR	He's had some injury problems this year, and his average yards/catch is significantly lower than it was in 2008, but he's still providing a pretty steady presence on the outside. He's become pretty much automatic on slant routes thus far this season, and it's only a matter of time before corners and safeties start biting on those and opening up big gainers over the top. He's not the #1 option any more, but he's still solid.
19	Cedric Griffin, CB	This is just my personal opinion, but there isn't a more frustrating player on the Vikings' roster to watch than Cedric Griffin. The guy has a ton of talent, and we know he has the capability to be really good (see the second half of last year), but there are too many times when he forgets how to tackle and gets beaten in coverage. Sadly, he's not even the most disappointing member of the secondary this season.
20	Anthony Herrera, G	Another guy we haven't heard a whole lot from this season, which is a positive. For the most part, he seems to be doing a relatively solid job at the right guard spot.
21	John Sullivan, C	For a guy starting at center for the first time in the NFL to be the pivot on an offense this good says a lot about Sullivan's ability. Has he been great all the time? No. . .but he hasn't been a tremendous drop-off from Matt Birk's play last year, either, and he's still been pretty good, despite a couple of mental errors (like the mis-timed snap in Green Bay).
22	Chris Kluwe, P	Yeah, he had a crappy ~~game~~ half against Pittsburgh, and Joshua Cribbs got a punt return TD against the Vikings in Week 1. . .he does that to a lot of teams. . .but Kluwe has made a lot of strides over last season, in my opinion. The willingness of the Guitar Hero to (finally) sacrifice some distance for hang time has been another part of the Vikings' special teams turnaround.
23	Jimmy Kennedy, DT	If Jimmy Kennedy isn't a testament to the amazing abilities of Vikings' defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, I'm really not sure what is. Kennedy has served the Vikings very well as a rotation player to this point of the season, and may be putting himself in line to be a replacement for Pat Williams in the near future. Yeah, "solid rotation" player isn't necessarily what you want from a guy that was once drafted #11 overall. . .but it's a hell of a lot more than St. Louis, Jacksonville, or Chicago got out of him.
24	Madieu Williams, S	One of the bigger disappointments on the team this year, in my opinion. There have been a few occasions where Williams has just looked completely lost this season, and for a veteran guy like him, that shouldn't happen. He really, really needs to step up his level of play in the second half of the season in order to bring the Vikings' pass defense up to where it needs to be.
25	Tyrell Johnson, S	The other biggest disappointment for the Vikings this year. I know this is his first year as the full-time starter, but he just hasn't been all that good. Nobody questions Johnson's physical ability, to be sure, but he needs to show more of why the Vikings took him in the second round in 2008.
26	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	We just keep putting Kleinsasser out there as a blocker every year, and he just keeps destroying everything in his path. I'm not sure how many years the guy can keep doing this, but he certainly hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.
27	Cullen Loeffler, LS	I'll put the same thing I put next to his entry every year. . .when's the last time you remember the Vikings' special teams units being victimized by a bad snap? Loeffler is solid.
28	Heath Farwell, LB	The Vikings had a lot of turnover in their special teams coverage units between 2008 and 2009, but the return of Heath Farwell has been huge. He's always around the ball on special teams, whether it's kick returns or punt returns, and his tackling is as sure as ever.
29	Jeff Dugan, FB/TE	Remember when most of us thought the only reason the Vikings drafted Jeff Dugan was because he went to Maryland like Mike Tice did? Yeah, that was five seasons ago, and Dugan is still here. He's a solid blocker, and has even gotten a couple of passes this year. One of the more underrated Vikings. . .probably underrated on this list, too.
30	Chester Taylor, RB	This may seem way too low for Chester, but his yards/carry average is way down this year, and I really think we're seeing his last season in Minnesota, as he's in the final year of his contract. With the expansion of Adrian Peterson's role as a receiver and the improvement in his pass blocking, #29 just isn't as vital as he's been in years past.
31	Naufahu Tahi, FB	Good enough blocker, but again, I'll go with something I say every year. . .STOP THROWING HIM THE FOOTBALL. (Although he did have a 30+ yard catch-and-run against St. Louis, which means there are probably more plays in the playbook for him than ever.)
32	Brian Robison, DE	It's not that Robison is bad or anything, because he's clearly not. He just doesn't get a whole lot of opportunities with the guy he has in front of him taking all the snaps. Oh, and Brian. . .the next time a kickoff bounces into your hands, just fall down. . .please?
33	Jaymar Johnson, WR	Another guy that could probably be a few spots higher, he's stepped into the punt return role quite nicely after the injury to Darius Reynaud. Wouldn't mind seeing him get a few more shots as a receiver, but who's he going to displace, barring injury?
34	Kenny Onatolu, LB	I was really rooting for this guy to make the squad after his pre-season performance, and he hasn't disappointed, adding more solid play to the Vikings' special teams units.
35	Greg Lewis, WR	IT'S GREG LEWIS! TOUCHDOWN! OH MY GOODNESS! GREG LEWIS! WELCOME TO MINNESOTA! OH MY HEAVENS!
36	Fred Evans, DT	Twenty-nine taser-free months and counting for Evans. Way to go, #90!
37	Benny Sapp, CB	Could make an argument that he could be higher, I suppose. He's had his moments but, like many parts of the Vikings' secondary this season, he's made a few highlight reels for the wrong reasons, too.
38	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	Hasn't been a disruption, and has actually taken his demotion quite well. Has seen a bit of time in mop-up duty as well. I hope we don't have to see him this year, but if we do, I have confidence that he could do the job for a little while, at least.
39	Letroy Guion, DT	Has bounced back and forth between the active roster and the inactive list, but has done a solid enough job in the time he's gotten.
40	Artis Hicks, OL	Filled in for Phil Loadholt when the big guy was out with an injury, and played pretty well. Still a solid backup at numerous positions.
41	Asher Allen, CB	Has spent most of the year on the inactive list, but has been up for the last two games and has asserted himself pretty well. Easy to see the potential the Vikings seem to think he has.
42	Jasper Brinkley, LB	Hasn't seen much time as a LB, but has been a very good special teamer thus far.
43	Karl Paymah, CB	After watching him get thoroughly abused against Baltimore, it became clear why he was brought in as a special teamer and not a cornerback. He recovered nicely against Pittsburgh, though. . .and, hopefully, will be finding his way back to a strictly special teams role here soon.
44	Darius Reynaud, WR	Was doing an outstanding job as a punt returner before his injury, and now might not get his punt returner spot back thanks to Jaymar Johnson's performance.
45	Eric Frampton, S	Hasn't gotten the opportunity to come alive on defense. . .yes, I continue to murder that joke. . .but has been a good special teamer.
46	Husain Abdullah, S	See above, but without the reference to Peter Frampton.
47	Jamarca Sanford, S	Hasn't been up for all the games, but again has been a solid special teamer in the games that he has been.
48	Ryan Cook, OT	No Ryan Cook on the field makes Gonzo a happy blogger and Vikings quarterbacks much healthier than they may normally be.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	Sage Rosenfels, QB	The best-compensated #3 quarterback in the league. Nice work, if you can get it.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	Still pretty talented, but there just isn't room for him in Minnesota's defensive line rotation. Damn shame, too.
NA	Erin Henderson, LB	Heck, I'm not sure if Henderson the Younger is even still on the team.
NA	Jon Cooper, C	Was signed, then released, then signed again, and I don't think he's seen the field this year.
NA	Albert Young, RB	Hasn't seen the field this year, either.

And there you have it. I'm pretty sure that I haven't missed anybody. . .if I have, let me know, and I'll work them into the rankings at the appropriate place.

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:04:59 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

Don't worry, man. . .no way we get that unlucky every week. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Browse more photos »

Yes, the latest most important regular season game in the history of any football season ever kicks off in a little more than five hours, but we still need to take one final look back at Minnesota's first loss of 2009, as painful as it might be to do so. As always, this look at the Vikings' red zone prowess is brought to you by the folks at Comcast, the providers of the NFL's Red Zone channel. The Red Zone channel is, bar none, the best way cable TV offers you to keep track of all the biggest plays and all the huge scores at one time. Red zone success is a big indicator of team success, and nobody is more successful in bringing you the biggest and most important plays of the day than the Comcast Red Zone channel.

Well, last week the Steelers provided the Vikings with their biggest challenge of the season to date, and the Vikings responded by. . .putting up their worst red zone performance of the year. This is what we in the business call "bad timing."

Vikings Red Zone trips - 5
Vikings Red Zone scores - 2 (1 TD, 1 FG)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 20%

Definitely not the numbers one wants to see against a team the caliber of the defending world champions.

The game got off to a bit of a slow start for the Vikings, as they pretty much failed to move the football at all on their first three drives, and Chris Kluwe kept giving the Steelers good field position by shanking punts of 35 and 19 yards. After said 19-yarder, the Steelers drove all the way down to the Minnesota 4-yard line, and appeared to have a touchdown on a pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes, but an offensive pass interference penalty on Heath Miller wiped it out. A couple of plays later, the Steelers were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Jeff Reed to make the score 3-0, Pittsburgh.

Into the second quarter, the two teams exchanged punts again, and with 10:34 left in the half, the Vikings took over from their own 24. Brett Favre converted a huge first down early in the drive, as he hit Percy Harvin on the left sideline for 28 yards on third and six to move the ball into Steeler territory. Favre connected on passes to Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian (twice) and Visanthe Shiancoe, and Adrian Peterson picked up another big third down to put the ball at the Pittsburgh 3. The drive concluded with the best running back in football slamming his way into the end zone from two yards out, and the Vikings took a 7-3 lead. Peterson had four carries for 16 yards on the drive, and Favre connected on five of seven passes for 60 yards.

Neither team would make a red zone appearance for the remainder of the first half, although the Steelers did pick up a touchdown pass on a 40-yard connection from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace ~~of 60 Minutes fame~~ to make the score 10-7 in favor of Pittsburgh going into the locker room.

After the Vikings allowed the Steelers another field goal to start the first half, a 27-yarder by Jeff Reed, the Vikings set about putting together the drive that, in my opinion, decided the football game. Starting from their own 35 after a nice kick return by Percy Harvin, the Vikings made their way to the Pittsburgh 35-yard line, where they faced 4th and 1. Favre took the snap, faded to his left, and fired a bullet to Sidney Rice. Rice made the catch and turned the play into a 34-yard catch and run that set the Vikings up inside the Steelers' 1-yard line. Unfortunately, after an unsuccessful run by Peterson and two incomplete passes, Brad Childress elected to settle for an 18-yard Ryan Longwell field goal rather than attempting to slam it into the end zone on 4th and about six inches. The field goal made the score 13-10 in favor of Pittsburgh. Peterson had just two carries for two yards on the drive, and the remaining 72 yards were picked up by Brett Favre, as he completed seven of ten passes on the drive.

After the teams exchanged three and outs, the Vikings allowed the Steelers to drive into the red zone again on a big pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes that allowed Pittsburgh to set up and the Vikings' 9-yard line. However, on first and goal, Steelers' running back Rashard Mendenhall inexplicably decided that he was going to dive all the way into the end zone from the five yard line, and managed to get the ball knocked out by big Pat Williams in the process. The Vikings recovered the ensuing fumble, and methodically put together a very impressive drive.

Starting from the Pittsburgh 3-yard line, the Vikings passed their way down the field. Favre was hitting everything in sight, completing passes to Rice and Shiancoe, and even getting Greg Lewis involved in the act. Highlighting the drive was an absolutely ridiculous 26-yard reception by Rice that converted a big 3rd and 18 for the Beloved Purple. After Purple Jesus moved the Vikings into the Pittsburgh red zone with a 19-yard run and an 11-yard catch, the Vikings appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 10-yarder from Favre to Rice, but a horrendous tripping penalty on Jeff Dugan negated the play and pushed the Vikings back. (For the record. . .was it a BS call? You're damn right it was a BS call.) On third and 8, Favre dropped back to pass, and as he was getting ready to fire, he got the ball knocked out of his hands by Pittsburgh defensive lineman Brent Kiesel. The fumble was recovered by Lamar Woodley at the 23, and he rumbled all the way to the other end for a 77-yard fumble return. Rather than going up 17-13, the Vikings now found themselves down 20-10.and seemingly out of it. This was the first drive the Vikings experienced all season where they reached the red zone and failed to score points, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

However, the dark cloud was lifted temporarily as Harvin made his presence felt again, taking the ensuing Jeff Reed kickoff and blasting 88 yards for a touchdown. Harvin managed to run through Reed's ridiculous "tackle" attempt and turn on the jets to put the Vikings right back into the game at 20-17.

The Vikings' defense did what they needed to do and forced the Steelers to punt, starting their next drive at their own 26. Once again, Favre moved the Vikings along, but the drive was highlighted by Peterson pushing up on the "truck stick" against Steelers' CB William Gay on a 29-yard catch and run that moved the Vikings to the Steeler 26. On second and 3 from the Pittsburgh 19, Favre flipped a screen pass to Chester Taylor, who appeared to be well-covered. Still, the pass bounced off of Taylor's hands and into the waiting arms of LB Keyaron Fox, who proceeded to go 82 yards for the score that put the dagger into Minnesota's hopes. The final score was 27-17. The Vikings technically made it into the end zone on their final desperation drive, but although it counts in the NFL's official stats, it really doesn't mean much.

So now, for the season, the Vikings have scored points on 23 of their 26 red zone trips, having notched 13 touchdowns and 10 Ryan Longwell field goals. The Minnesota red zone defense continues to be outstanding, as Viking opponents have reached the red zone 17 times in seven games, and have only come away with six touchdowns and five field goals. On six trips into the red zone, opposing teams have come away with no points against Minnesota's defense.

Hopefully the Vikings' offense can get their red zone prowess back this afternoon at the House that Brett Favre (Re)Built.