Following the Vikings 30-24 defeat of the Cardinals yesterday, Peter King **highlighted a couple of Vikings** in his Monday Morning Quarterbackcolumn.
King tabbed punter Jeff Locke and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson as his special teams players of the week. He wrote the following of Patterson after he returned a kick 104 yards for a touchdown in Sunday's game:
I do not believe as a rule it's smart to take kicks out of the end zone in this new world of getting the ball at the 25-yard line on touchbacks. But I do not coach Patterson. Good thing. He took the opening kick of the second half four yards deep in his end zone, made two speed-cuts, faked two Cardinals out of their shoes and scored. The 104-yard return catapulted the Vikings to a win they had to have.
King was also impressed with the overall performance of Locke, who averaged 56.3 yards on four punts against Arizona.
*Standing at his goal line with 2:33 left, Locke had a big job to do. The Vikes led 30-24, and they needed a big kick to pin the Cardinals, who had only one timeout left. A big punt they got. Locke massacred the ball; the 72-yard kick landed at the Cards' 13-yard line, and the Minnesota defense did the rest, and the Vikings finished the day where they started — tied for the NFC North lead with Detroit at 6-4. *
King also zeroed in on defensive ends Brian Robison, Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter, whom he dubbed "the right combination of the week." King said the Vikings needed a "monster game" and the linemen stepped up when needed, helping the defense achieve three sacks, 15 quarterback hits (press box tally) and plenty of pressure on Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer.
In fact, Palmer faced significant pressure or was hit on more dropbacks than when he was clean Sunday, and that was a huge factor in the Vikings 30-24 victory. The right combination up front — a combo of youth [Hunter] and veteran wiles (Griffen and Robison) — won't have much time to rest on laurels.
Lastly, King pegged guard Alex Boone as an "unsung guy" of the week:
The Vikings offense had a difficult time gaining yards against Arizona, but Boone's performance was a bright spot. Boone's run-blocking grade was third among all guards in Week 11, and he didn't allow a hit or hurry on quarterback Sam Bradford on 34 pass-blocking snaps.
King said he believes the Vikings win will get the team back on track, and he believes they will have the upper hand when facing the Lions on Thanksgiving.
Vikings find success in all three phases
NFL.com writer Nick Shook had four takeaways from Sunday's win, **three of them focusing on the Vikings success** in all three phases of the ball game. The Cardinals are known for having a dynamic offense, and Shook called the matchup a "role reversal." He wrote:
The Vikings moved the ball efficiently through the air and even found success on the ground. For the first time in weeks, it was evident that Minnesota has some talent at its skill positions when the offensive line isn't folding in on itself. Adam Thielen was a focal point of a passing game and opened scoring with a fantastic toe-tapping touchdown grab inside the pylon.
Shook also homed in on the performance of Minnesota's secondary, starting with cornerback Xavier Rhodes' two interceptions with one for a touchdown. Also popping up on Shook's radar was second-year cornerback Trae Waynes, who "blanketed whoever he covered."
Sometimes it wasn't enough – see Larry Fitzgerald's incredible one-handed catch – but often, it forced Palmer to hold onto the ball longer and look elsewhere.
*
*
Tom Powers: Locke saves the day
In reviewing Sunday's Vikings game, Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press said that the situation looked perilous inside of three minutes when **Minnesota was forced to punt the ball to Arizona** with a six-point lead.
That's when Locke stepped in. Powers wrote:
Locke unleashed a monster of a punt, pushing the Vikings well out of danger and into the victory column for the first time in more than a month.
[…]
Perhaps from this point forward, however, Locke will be known as The Great Ionizer for single-handedly changing the atmosphere in the stadium. Because this is where Locke put the foot back into Vikings football, booming one high and hard that broke left like a Max Scherzer slider.
"Prief and I kind of call it a game-winning punt whenever you have a punt within the last four minutes of a game, especially in that situation, a one-score game," Locke told Twin Cities media members after the game. "So, it's great to perform when the team needs it most."
