Vikings vs. Rams: Twitter Reaction and Full Postgame Quotes

The Mike Zimmer era is now underway in Minnesota. It got off to a start he could have only dreamed of with a 34-3 victory in the Vikings’ first road win since December of 2012. The players showered him with a bucket of Gatorade to celebrate their 1-0 start.

The massive victory margin is the first thing to address. Dominant wins like this haven’t come to Minnesota since 2009. They’ve been even more scarce in Week 1 showings.

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28 point-margin still would be Vikings biggest win in an opener since beat Houston 38-7 to start 1989.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 7, 2014"

Defense was the overarching theme from this dominant win. Not only did the unit not allow a touchdown, but it scored one via a Harrison Smith interception return.

Zimmer pulled all the right strings, as the defense controlled a depleted Rams offense. Whether the results were all due to the play of Minnesota remains to be seen, but the immediate improvement over last season’s defense is obvious.

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Granted, Rams kept tripping over pants around their ankles, but #Vikings defense held opponent to 2 FGs after allowing 30 per game in 2013

— Brian Murphy (@murphPPress) September 7, 2014"

The total suffocation was due in large part to schematic advantages and advantageous play from Minnesota. The Vikings also got production out of incumbents like Harrison Smith, Chad Greenway and Everson Griffen. Even Josh Robinson got in on the act with a game-changing interception in the first half.

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#Vikings cornerbacks had only three INTs in 2013. Robinson gets his third career pick

— Brian Murphy (@murphPPress) September 7, 2014"

Some of the more impressive defensive displays came from new additions. Rookie Anthony Barr put in a tremendous shift, showcasing his skills in all aspects of the game and making a bigger impact than the box score will indicate.

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Impressed so far with Anthony Barr. Good chase speed and willing to take on blockers with w/o fear. #vikingsvsrams

— Ben Leber (@nacholeber) September 7, 2014"

Other additions like Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn were difference-makers as well. The new pieces gelled with the returnees, and Zimmer’s scheme had its way with St. Louis throughout the game.

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The Rams stink today but give the Vikings credit for taking care of business. This defensive scheme has guys looking confident.

— Judd Zulgad (@1500ESPNJudd) September 7, 2014"

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Vikings have five sacks most of them coming on four-man fronts. Clearly, GRob wasn't ready for this.

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) September 7, 2014"

The Rams offensive line certainly wasn’t ready for everything Minnesota’s front brought to the table. Disruption with the rush and turnover creation in the secondary proved enough to keep an anemic Rams offense out of the end zone.

On the other side of the ball, Minnesota’s offense didn’t turn the ball over. The unit pounded the ball with running back Adrian Peterson to mixed results. The difference-maker was the big play, two of which Cordarrelle Patterson helped generate. The Vikings started with speed sweeps and then further opened things up by tossing the football to him out of the backfield.

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Vikings having success with jet sweep to Patterson. Done it twice, gained 36 yards. Missed tackle helped that one go for 23 yards.

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 7, 2014"

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67-yard TD run by @ceeflashpee84 is a team record for longest rush by a WR. Bob Grim held the record with 54-yard rush at NYG in 1971.

— Vikings PR (@VikingsPR) September 7, 2014"

Plays like the ones Patterson made take some of the load off Peterson’s shoulders, which he described in a postgame interview.

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ADRIAN PETERSON ON THE FAN: It feels good to not have so much on your shoulders 'cuz so many guys can make plays.

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) September 7, 2014"

The offense furthered its production through the connection of quarterback Matt Cassel to wide receiver Greg Jennings.

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As usual, Matt Cassel hits Greg Jennings. All 5 of Jennings Vikings TDs have been on passes from Cassel.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 7, 2014"

It was Jennings who caught Cassel’s first touchdown pass and Jennings who led the Vikings with six receptions.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph had a quiet game for the most part. He finally got involved with a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter when offensive coordinator Norv Turner was able to finally feed the ball to all of his offensive pieces.

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Kyle Rudolph is going to have a MONSTER year under Norv Turner in Minnesota. He's always made TE's better

— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 7, 2014"

A few things gave the Vikings offense fits on the day. The Rams’ explosive pass rush was one of them.

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Robert Quinn with a devastating inside move to undress LG Charlie Johnson on that third down rush.

— RamsHerd (@RamsHerd) September 7, 2014"

Minnesota’s offensive line was under varying degrees of undress throughout the game, sometimes due to its own misdeeds.

"

Miscommunication all over. I don't think that in particular says anything about the strength of the O line than a specific issue today

— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) September 7, 2014"

Another part of the game Minnesota will look to improve on moving forward is penalties. The Vikings finished the game with seven penalties for 60 yards. The Rams had twice as many penalty yards! The flow of the entire game was slowed down by the constant throwing of yellow flags.

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Penalties on penalties on penalties #Rams #Vikings

— Brennan Smith (@BrennanJSmith) September 7, 2014"

In the end, though, it was a commanding performance from Minnesota that Vikings fans can only be pleased about. The ones in attendance at the Edward Jones Dome certainly were certainly pleased. They let everyone know about it, too.

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Fans are already starting to leave the game as "Let's go Vikings!" chants and boos erupt. There's 12 minutes left in the game. Le sigh...

— The Pigskin Arch (@ThePigskinArch) September 7, 2014"

So while much is to be improved upon before the schedule starts to toughen up in Minnesota, the team has a lot to be proud of with its first victory of the season. The defense controlled the game through a potent pass rush and some opportunistic coverage. The offense held up its end of the bargain by taking care of the ball and making its share of big plays.

Zimmer and staff were obviously pleased to get their first win in Minnesota, but they also let it be known that expectations will now be raised.

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Zimmer told players he doesn't want another Gatorade shower until he "wins the big one."

— Brian Hall (@MNBrianHall) September 7, 2014"