Vikings upset Giants 24-21

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 10/16/2005

 

It took the Minnesota Vikings (4-5) nine weeks to do it, but they are beginning to come together as a football team. This team that experts feel has the best defensive personnel in the NFL went on the road and shocked the heavily favored first-place New York Giants with a 24-21 victory on Paul Edinger’s last-second, 48-yard, game-winning field goal.

 

Defensive Coordinator Ted Cottrell’s defense was sensational, intercepting Eli Manning four times. It was a great homecoming of sorts for Cottrell and for Mike Tice. Cottrell previously worked as defensive coordinator for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. Tice is a native of Bayshore, New York, and lettered in football, basketball and lacrosse at Central Islip High School on Long Island. So the Giants were done in by a couple of native New Yorkers.

 

If you can win in New York, you can win anywhere. The win was the Vikings’ second in a row and their first on the road this season. In fact, the win was a record-setting performance on the world’s biggest stage.

 

The Vikings became the first team in the 86-year history of the NFL to score on three different returns for touchdowns. Call it the trifecta. Darren Sharper was Michael Jordan; he had three interceptions, one of which set the tone for this record-setting Broadway performance.

 

Sharper intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning and raced 92 yards for the game’s first score. “Obviously, our football team hasn’t given up,” said Head Coach Mike Tice. “Obviously, our football team hasn’t quit.”

 

For the second week in a row the Vikings jumped out front and never gave up the lead. They led 7-6 at the half after scoring more points, seven, than yards gained offensively, six, in the first half.

 

Koren Robinson returned the opening second-half kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, and Mewelde Moore returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown. With the Vikings leading 21-13 in the fourth quarter, the Giants tied the game 21-21 after a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

 

The Vikings found a way to go on the road and, despite getting only 12 yards rushing for the game and 144 yards passing from quarterback Brad Johnson, ended a four-game road losing streak. The Vikings previously had lost 24 of 27 games outside on the road, and had been outscored by a margin of 133 to 34 in road losses this year to four first-place teams —Cincinnati (7-2), Atlanta (6-3), Chicago (6-3), and Carolina (7-2).

 

The Giants, also a first-place team, were previously unbeaten at home, and was the highest scoring team in the NFL, averaging 29.1 points per game. The victory was significant because it’s the first time the Vikings have beaten a team with a winning record this year, and they keep pace with first-place Chicago. The Bears are 6-3 and have won five in a row.

 

Next for the Vikings will be a rematch with the Packers (2-7) at Green Bay on historic Lambeau Field next Monday night.

FITZ NOTES & Quotes

 

The 7-3 Gophers of Head football coach Glen Mason go into Iowa City Saturday. Trying to clear the mental male ego hurdles of the pink painted locker rooms at Kinnick Stadium.

 

 If the Gophers win they finish 8-3 and 5-3 in the Big Ten which would tie Mason's best record in nine years as Head Coach in the Big Ten. Mason is trying to get a $1.5 million per year contract extension. Mason's Big Ten record is not good it's only 29-42.

 

 He did beat Michigan State this year 41-18 and their Head coach John L. Smith makes $1.5 million per year. And Michigan State beat Notre Dame 44-41 in OT.

 

And their Head Coach Charlie Weis just received a 10-year contract extension despite becoming the first Notre Dame coach in 40 years to lose his first two home games.

 

Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi is a graduate of Notre Dame so maybe Mason has done enough to warrant and extension.

 

Based on his 19 straight non conference wins and 3 straight Bowl victories which ties back to back National Champion USC. One problem USC has won 32 straight games and 22 straight in the Pac Ten.