Vikings maul Lions 42-10

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 12/06/2007

 

 With the New England Patriots 12-0 and marching toward a perfect season, looking at the big picture, the Minnesota Vikings can take solace that they have established themselves as a playoff contender. Yes, it’s December, it’s cold, but the Vikings are heating up.

 There are three categories in the NFL in regards to pursuing the playoffs: leaders, contenders and pretenders. The Vikings have progressed to contenders.

 After dominating the Detroit Lions 42-10 Sunday at a sold-out Metrodome and getting rookie sensation Adrian Peterson back healthy after missing two games, the Vikings are beginning to establish that they are believers in Head Coach Brad Childress’s system, having won three in row.

 After a tentative start, Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher, ran for a game-high 116 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. “It was great to get back,” said Peterson. “I definitely wanted to go out and get that first hit and see how it felt.”

 Peterson continues to lead the NFL in rushing with 1,197 yards. Peterson and Chester Taylor combined have run for 1,812 yards and have scored 16 touchdowns. The Vikings are number one in the NFL in rushing offense.

 Last year the Vikings started 4-2 in Childress’s first year, then slumped to a 2-8 close and finished 6-10. Childress gave up on veteran quarterback Brad Johnson and inserted young Tavaris Jackson.

 Many have been critical of Jackson; he does not compare at this time to the NFL’s best — Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo or Donovan McNabb. However, when healthy, he has been the leader at the position that Childress has been looking for in this offense. In eight starts this year, Jackson is 6-2; in his last six starts, the Vikings are 5-1.

 “We feel like we’re getting on a roll, and we want to stay on that roll,” said Jackson. With four games remaining, the 6-6 Vikings are very much in the NFC wild card playoff chase. This week, they travel to San Francisco to play the struggling 49ers, who have lost eight of their last nine games.

And, for the first time since 1998 when Dennis Green was the Vikings’ head coach, the Vikings have scored 40 points or more in back-to-back wins. The Vikings had 443 yards of total offense, 227 yards passing and 216 yards rushing.

 That’s great balance, and now the special teams have started to contribute. Rookie Aundrae Allison returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown to help the Vikings score on their first six offensive possessions Sunday, building a 35-10 halftime lead.

 The Lions started the season 6-2 and have slipped to 6-6 after losing for the fourth straight week. The Vikings are also playing great defensively, limiting the Lions to just 23 yards rushing on seven attempts.

 They are number one in the NFL against the run, thanks to Pro Bowlers Kevin and Pat Williams, the big run stuffers in the middle of their defense. E. J. Henderson has been sensational at middle linebacker; he leads the team in tackles over 100, and 13 times he has tackled runners and quarterbacks for losses.

 In four of the Vikings’ last five games, they have scored 35, 29, 41 and 42 points. The Vikings are 6-0 this year when they score 24 points or more.

 Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, and biweekly he commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). He welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.