Despite the loss, Head Coach Mike Zimmer noted there were some bright spots. One of those was the play of Everson Griffen. The fifth-year defensive end tied his career-high with 3.0 sacks, a mark that he previously set against the Packers in a Week 17 matchup in 2012.
Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune writes about Griffen's career day and the last second loss:
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen tied a career-high three sacks and a forced fumble in the 17-16 loss to the Bills on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium, and he didn't feel any personal satisfaction for his individual performance.
"No man, we want the victory," Griffen said. "It feels better if you get the victory. Three sacks doesn't mean anything when you lose. We just have to keep going out there, grind next week, get back to the basics and finish better."
The Vikings defense recorded six sacks and eight quarterback hits, applying pressure on Bills quarterback Kyle Orton for the entire game. The unit played well up until the final drive when the Bills scored on a two-yard touchdown catch by Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins with one second left to take the lead.
"It all starts with the team," Griffen said. "We run together as a team, we lose together as a team. We just have to go back to the basics and finish. We're of the mindset that you're not going to score if you don't get the sack, if you don't get the turnover and if you don't finish the play. I think that's going to work out for us. We just have to bounce back from this tough loss. We played our tails off today.
With 7.0 sacks this season, Griffen is second in the NFL in sacks and seems to be leading the way for defense that is quickly improving.
Quick Hitters
-* *Around the Horns: Jerick McKinnon gets 100 hard way via Ben Goessling.
- From Chris Tomasson of the Pionner Press - Ailing Mike Zimmer never considered missing game.
- Matt Vensel: Bridgewater bounces back from shaky start.
