Photo by Brian Curski, 105 The Ticket
Written By Sam Ekstrom
The Vikings’ first drive was a thing of beauty: seven plays, 80 yards, 4-for-4 passing by Matt Cassel and a Matt Asiata touchdown.
After that, the Vikings looked offensively inept and, like the parachutists hovering over TCF Bank Stadium during the National Anthem, came quickly down to earth.
Cassel finished the game 19 for 36 with four interceptions, six sacks and a less-than-sparkling QB rating of 39.1. Sporadic chants of “Ted-dy, Ted-dy,” were heard throughout the stadium during the second half as Cassel appeared flustered in the pocket and played sloppily against his former team.
“I think we went down the field on that first drive,” said Cassel. “We did some really good things, we put together a scoring drive. From that point on, we had some penalties and then obviously the turnovers, and again, that responsibility lies on me. I’ve got to do a better job taking care of the football.”
The Vikings were outscored 30-0 after their opening-drive touchdown as Cassel delivered the second four-INT game of his career.
“Matt needs to play better. It’s pretty obvious he needs to play better,” said head coach Mike Zimmer before adding to the list. “We all need to play better. I need to coach better.”
Zimmer confidently proclaimed that Cassel will be the team’s starter next week in New Orleans.
RUSHING GAME STRUGGLES SANS PETERSON
Minnesota managed a measly 54 yards on the ground and averaged just 2.8 yards per carry without their superstar, who was deactivated in light of a child abuse indictment. Surprisingly, the Vikings did not once give the ball to Cordarrelle Patterson, who rushed for over 100 yards at St. Louis.
Zimmer and Cassel confirmed after the game that the team did not scheme any differently once Peterson was removed from the picture.
“No, it didn’t affect the team,” said Zimmer of Peterson’s absence. “You know what affected the team? Throwing interceptions, getting a field goal blocked, not tackling well enough, having penalties on defense. That’s what affected the team.”
In terms of Peterson’s future, Zimmer indicated there would be more communication on the matter within the week. The coach was largely mute whenever Peterson’s name was broached in the postgame press conference.
Cassel said he was “blindsided” and “shocked” by the allegations toward Peterson on Friday.
Tight end Kyle Rudolph, who dropped two balls in the game, refused to use Peterson’s situation as an excuse.
“It’s tough for everyone involved, but for us, this is our job,” said Rudolph. “We’ve still got to come to work, and obviously it’s unfortunate – the circumstances surrounding this organization. Our focus was on the New England Patriots and coming out here and getting a win, and we just didn’t show up.”
MOMENTUM SHIFTS
The Patriots cashed in on two critical Vikings mistakes in the first half that tilted the pendulum in favor of New England.
Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Devin McCourty intercepted an ill-advised Matt Cassel pass and returned it to the Vikings’ 1-yard line. After forcing a three-and-out on their first defensive sequence, the Vikings had hopes of a two-possession lead – instead, the Patriots knotted the game at 7 following the interception return.
“We had a post route on one side and the safety was cheating toward the two route,” said Cassel, who was targeting Jarius Wright on the play. “I thought he did a heck of a job getting to that ball. We had practiced that play during the week, and we were trying to take a shot, and McCourty actually did a good job and rebounded.”
The backbreaker was a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown just before halftime. Defensive end Chandler Jones broke through a gaping hole in the Vikings’ line to swat Blair Walsh’s kick, then picked it up himself and rumbled 58 yards for a New England touchdown. What could have been a one-possession game at halftime transformed into a 17-point margin.
“I think getting the field goal blocked for a touchdown right before the half makes it a completely different ballgame going to the second half,” said Zimmer. “And then the rest of the way, in the third quarter, we’re just fighting to stay in there.”
SPECIAL TEAMS CONFUSION
In addition to the blocking failure on New England’s field-goal return, Minnesota had other special teams difficulties.
The Patriots seemed to be toying with the Vikings when they intentionally brought their punt personnel on the field late several times. On one Ryan Allen punt, the Vikings only had nine players on the field.
“It wasn’t too good,” deadpanned Zimmer.
One immediately wonders whether Mike Priefer’s presence on the sidelines could have prevented the chaos. Priefer was suspended for 2-3 games for making homophobic remarks, and his status for next week is up in the air.
QUOTABLE
Mike Zimmer as he exited the podium for the first time following a loss: “That’s not as fun as the other ones.”
STAT TO REMEMBER
New England is now 19-1 following a loss since 2003.
ODDITY
Per Keith Leventhal on Twitter, the Vikings and Gophers shared the same final score in the same weekend for the first time since 1967.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will likely undergo a toilsome week of Adrian Peterson drama before taking on an angsty 0-2 Saints team at the Superdome.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.