Afterthoughts - Vikings vs. Texans

I didn't make a prediction this week because I wanted to see how the Vikes would fare without putting my thoughts down in writing. It appears that was a good decision as they actually looked like a team capable of playing to the level I think they should, and they hadn't done that when I called them out with predictions. I think I'll continue this trend for the rest of the season (unless a lot of people think I should predict blowout wins so they lose, as was the trend with my predictions coming out opposite, so they tank and get Chilli fired and a high draft pick to use on a QB).

Anyway, on to the game:

Coming into this matchup, the Texans were the hottest offensive team in football with Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Steve Slaton clicking on all cylinders, especially in the passing game. Andre Johnson had posted 10+ receptions and 140+ yards in his prior 3 contests and the matchups said he should continue his strong outings against a still subpar Minnesota pass defense. Well, Antoine Winfield and the debut of offseason Safety acquisition Madieu Williams contributed to limiting Johnson to 4 receptions for 62 yards(cutting his weekly production by more than half) though he did catch a late game TD in garbage time. Matt Schaub did not play in the second half after suffering a knee injury on a 'controversial' hit by Jared Allen, but Sage Rosenfels and Schaub did still end up combining for 363 yards through the air on 45 attempts. But by limiting their playmakers Slaton and Johnson, the Houston offense did not resemble the juggernaut of previous weeks and the Vikes prevailed at home.

OFFENSE:

Childress' offense can officially be labelled as 'having a pulse' with Gus Frerotte guiding the ship. 182 yards isn't an extravagant statistic, but his 3 TDs tell the story that the Vikings offense is functioning like it is built too, dominating with the run game, capitalizing with the passing game. The Vikes are 4-2 with Gus starting and passing yardage totals and points per game have significantly increased, from 154 yards and 17 pts to 257 yards and 24.7 pts. The points per game mark is 5th in the league over Gus' tenure. The Vikes passing game also is in the upper echelon of 'explosive plays', or passing plays of over 20 yards, with 32 of them, only 5 behind the NFL's leader. Bernard Berrian, though he only caught 2 passes, is everything the Vikes hoped they were getting with former 1st RD bust Troy 'stone hands' Williamson, as he turned those 2 catches into 104 yards and a TD. Lovin' this guy these days.

Even with the emergence of the passing game, the running game behind the Minnesota Moving Company and Adrian Peterson continues to be the bread and butter. AD racked up 139 yards on 25 carries, including a 40 yard jaunt where I was actually surprised he wasn't able to run away from the DB, and so was Adrian as he pounded his fist into the turf when he got up. I love that about this guy as he does that on more than one occassion every game. It shows he knows he could have done better, and knows that he can improve, and he is the type of guy who is going to work tirelessly until he longer has plays that put himself in a position to pound the turf, which basically means he is going to work tirelessly for the rest of his career to be the best he can be. I know everybody likes the guy, but I absolutely LOVE this guy for that reason. In fact, I may have a permanent Man-Crush on our RB.

Chester Taylor also emerged as a dynamic option on 3rd downs, catching 3 balls for 25 yards, including a fantastic effort play to get a first down, and tallying 38 yards on 7 carries. His performance added evidence to the fact that I think the offense could further its improvement by involving Chester even more in the offense with dual RB formations.

The Good: Pretty much everything, can't find much to gripe about this week. 3 passing TDs, AD 100+ yards, Berrian 100+ yds and a TD, Sidney Rice returning to snag a score, only 3 penalties for 20 yards...Kudos.
The Bad: 3 sacks given up...bout the worst thing I can find.
The Ugly: The Coverage, or lack thereof on Shiancoe's TD grab by the Texans.

Player of the Game: I'll give it to Gus Frerotte for his 3 TDs, which hasn't happened often, if at all under Childress and Bevell's offense.

DEFENSE:

As mentioned above, this defense played a good game despite the yardage totals given up to the Texans as a team, displaying a bend but don't break philosophy that produced 2 INTs, including 1 in the endzone to negate a Texan point scoring drive by that one guy, Madieu Williams. DE Jared Allen continued his recent strong play, posting 2 sacks and forcing a fumble despite suffering a rather serious shoulder injury, taking a painkilling shot at halftime, and gutting it out the rest of the way. Ray Edwards, Kevin Williams, and Chad Greenway also posted a sack each with Greenway also forcing a fumble that was recovered by Ben Leber. The other interception was collected by stalwart CB Antoine Winfield who continues to be a force in all phases of defense.

Special teams also did not do anything bad, which was a bonus.

The Good: Pass rush, Run D like always, and limiting of NFL's hottest WR.
The Bad: Jared Allen suffering a serious shoulder injury.
The Ugly: 11 receptions and 133 yards given up to a TE.(reaching here)

Player of the Game: Madieu Williams. In his 2008 season debut for his new team, all he did was lead the team in tackles and intercept a pass in the endzone. I think he's good...

Overall I thought this was a good game and an example of how this team should perform every week, but I'm also disappointed as I currently have nothing negative to say or talk about in a 'Brad Childress Coaching Ineptitude 101' entry after debuting it lask week. I guess I can say my opinion of him as a coach still didn't improve any though. If he can get the Vikings to a 10-6 record at the end of the season that might improve, but I still need to see a lot more from a coaching standpoint out of him to even think about endorsing him as the coach who can get the job done for the Vikes. My stance still is if they miss the playoffs, give him the boot 'ala Mike Tice 5 minutes after the last game.

'Til next time...