The scoreboard may say one thing, but the Minnesota Vikings' 30-12 win over the disappointing Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday did little to show me they are serious NFC playoff contenders by beating an underachieving team while giving up nearly 300 yards in the air.
Outgained 286-104 off the QB's arm, Minnesota dominated the ground game 122-35. However, the biggest stat, besides the score board, was the turnover margin, 5-1 in favor of the Purple. Again, the defense kept Minnesota in the game and helped them to their largest victory of the season. Outside of an intentional safety in the fourth quarter, a second-half shutout at a 2008 playoff team's stadium is hard to come by.
But I'm not sold at the QB position. I was happy when Childress when to Gus, knowing what he has done as a backup before. But I believe some future Hall-of-Famer named Randy something was on the team. Gus is 6-3 as the starter but hasn't done anything to win the game for the Vikings. It seems Minnesota wins in spite of who is at the helm. Chester Taylor is the only Viking to have more TD passes than interceptions this year (1-0, while Gus is 11-12 and TJ is 1-1).
Speaking of Taylor, he and Peterson each scored on the ground and gained 25 and 80 yards, respectively, against the Jags. The have combined to score ten rushing TDs between them and are a great two-back combo. We don't lose much if one goes out for a breather. But again, AP--who some MN faithful have already started chisling his bust for Canton--has four fumbles, three lost this season (not including one on Monday Night Football against the Saints). Every touch can be a game-breaker but I'd like to see some more ball control. What him when he runs to the left--the ball tends to stay in his right arm.
A strong defense, a potential 2,000-yard running back, and consistant inconsistancy from the signal caller--this reminds me of the 2000 Ravens without Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, or Rod Woodson. That team won the Lambardi trophy that season.
Coming into the game, the Vikings were 4-2 in their last six games, winning and losing by no more than seven points. The only problem with that is that Tamba Bay (8-3) and Chicago (6-5) were the only team with a winning record. I'm still not sold on them even being tied for the lead in a weak division. They will only make the playoffs with an NFC North title, which may get them to the second round with that playoff home game.
It's a nice win but don't let this win get your hopes up yet.
Keywords: Vikings Jags playoffs Adrian Peterson NFC North
