Washington Redskins vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings rode Matt Asiata's three second-half touchdowns to escape with a hard-fought 29-26 win over the Washington Redskins to improve to 4-5 heading into their bye week.
If you're a Vikings fan, you weren't alone if you had a bad feeling in your stomach when the Redskins began their last drive, down just three, with 3:27 left in the game.
Minnesota's defense, which is improved dramatically over last year—probably enough for the team to be at least 6-4—has had a bad habit of playing well for three-and-a-half quarters before failing in crunch time.
It didn't happen on Sunday as the Vikings defense held off the Redskins and preserved the three-point win.
Sunday's win is huge for the Vikings as they now get a week off before heading to Chicago to play a struggling Bears team. They then play three straight games at home. It's certainly not outlandish to think the Vikings could reel off four straight wins and get to 8-5 heading into the home stretch.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair between two teams who clearly have a long way to go before being legitimate contenders. In the end the Vikings outgained the Redskins by just five yards, but made more big plays down the stretch to eke out the victory.
We'll break down the stats in the coming slides, but this wasn't a game where stats were going to make much difference. The Redskins took a 10-7 lead into halftime, but you got the sense that both offenses were capable of putting a lot more points up on the board.
In the end, the Vikings offense made just enough big plays to put just enough points on the board so that the Minnesota defense didn't have to play a perfect game to get the win.
Quarterback
1 of 10
On Halloween weekend, it was a pretty scary start for Vikings' rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Bridgewater hit the half with pretty decent numbers but really hadn't played well at all. He was 17-of-28 for 148 yards and a touchdown, but he left some huge-yardage plays on the table, when he failed to hit open receivers deep downfield.
To Bridgewater's credit, though, he battled back in the second half, protected the football and made enough plays to help earn his team the victory.
Bridgewater kept getting better all game long, and moved the Vikings down the field for three different scores in the second half. When the game became a punching match in the fourth quarter, Bridgewater outplayed RGIII and led the Vikings on several nice drives.
For a rookie quarterback who missed some wide open throws, Bridgewater showed great composure to gather himself and keep fighting all game long. He'll certainly have better throwing days, and his numbers weren't great on Sunday, but the most important number in the stat line was zero turnovers.
In the end, Bridgewater finished 26-of-42 for 268 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions for an 88.2 quarterback rating.
Are there concerns? Absolutely. An NFL quarterback has to be able to hit a wide-open receiver downfield. Cordarrelle Patterson was open by at least 15 yards and could have walked into the end zone for a huge score, but Bridgewater overthrew him badly after Washington had a busted coverage in its secondary.
Bridgewater spread the ball around nicely, hitting eight different receivers on the day. He picked up 20 yards rushing that helped extend crucial drives and set up scores.
Not the prettiest game in the world for the Vikings quarterback, but a win is a win.
Grade: B-
Running Back
2 of 10
Running back Matt Asiata continues to carve out some of the most bizarre stat lines in the annals of Vikings history.
On the day Asiata averaged just 2.6 yards per carry, gaining 26 yards on 10 attempts, but none of that mattered because Asiata scored three touchdowns and converted a two-point conversion late in the game.
Asiata was a bull down by the goal line and his seven-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter was a sterling example of extra effort.
Sunday was Asiata's third three-touchdown game of his career, but he's averaging only 2.5 yards per carry on 60 attempts in those three games. Who cares though, right? He gets the ball across the goal line.
".@Vikings Matt Asiata is 1st undrafted player in common draft era to have 3 games w/ 3+ rush TDs in 1st 3 @NFL seasons
— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) November 2, 2014"
The three-touchdown game on Sunday showed exactly where Asiata has value though, bulling for tough yards down by the goal line. Is he an every-down back who should get a lot of carries? Absolutely not. But he can clearly get the ball into the end zone against stacked defenses.
Rookie Jerick McKinnon played "the other guy" on Sunday, gaining 54 yards on 14 carries, but he had several big runs that kept drives alive when the Vikings were desperate.
Much like Bridgewater's game, it wasn't pretty for the Vikings running backs, but they got the job done.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Oh what might have been.
Had Teddy Bridgewater been firing on all cylinders from the get go, the Vikings receivers could have piled up some pretty impressive numbers on Sunday afternoon against Washington.
Much has been made of the Vikings receivers' inability to get separation downfield, but twice early on Sunday they did just that, only to have Bridgewater miss on throws that should have been huge completions.
Greg Jennings got free deep on the first play from scrimmage, but Bridgewater just missed him. It should have been a huge gain but was probably forgivable, considering it was the first play of the game.
The second miss was much worse. Cordarrelle Patterson was all alone when the Redskins secondary had a busted coverage during Minnesota's second series of the day. Patterson could have walked to the end zone on what would have been a 62-yard touchdown.
Instead the Vikings receivers settled for decent numbers that were enough for a victory.
Jennings led the way with six catches for 76 yards. Tight end Chase Ford had his best day as a pro, making six catches for 66 yards, including his first NFL touchdown, a 20-yard touchdown reception just before halftime that gave the Vikings hope heading to the break.
Fellow tight end Rhett Ellison pitched in with four catches for 30 yards and while Jarius Wright had just two catches on the day, his second one was a massively important 21-yard gain on 3rd-and-10 during the Vikings' go-ahead drive.
Patterson had just one catch for nine yards, even though he was targeted seven times. It was a quite game for Patterson, but in fairness to him, it should have included a 62-yard touchdown.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line is obviously the hardest position to grade out before doing a deep dive into the game tape, but when your quarterback gets sacked only twice while attempting 42 passes, you can be safe in assuming your line played pretty well.
On the other hand, when you rush for only 100 yards in an NFL game, and your running backs average just 3.3 yards on 24 carries, you should be concerned.
Both sacks appeared to be guys getting around left tackle Matt Kalil, who's having a horrific season. Linebacker Trent Murphy just blew past him unimpeded in the first quarter and drilled Bridgewater. It was another complete whiff by Kalil, and the Vikings were lucky Bridgewater didn't get hurt on the play.
Kalil made decent original contact with Jason Hatcher on the second sack, but lost him as the play was extended and Hatcher got to Bridgewater.
Elsewhere, right guard Joe Berger seems to have taken away the starting job from Vlad Ducasse. Berger has played pretty well in his two starts at the position vacated by the injured Brandon Fusco, who's out for the season.
Phil Loadholt looked to have a very good game, sealing off Washington tacklers on several crucial Vikings gains.
Bridgewater seemed to be under siege for most of the first half, but the offensive line appeared to play better as the game wore on and the rookie quarterback had more time to survey the field and look for open receivers.
Just two sacks allowed and a victory begs for a good grade.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Everson Griffen and Sharrif Floyd seem to be getting better every time they step onto the field.
Griffen, the career substitute who signed a huge, five-year, $42.5 million deal this offseason, has taken over Jared Allen's position and is becoming a star.
Fresh off being named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, Griffen got another sack against Washington, giving him a career-high nine on the season, as well as six tackles (three for losses) and three quarterback hits. One of the best athletes playing defensive line in the NFL, Griffen closes on ball-carriers and quarterbacks as quickly as anyone.
"Want to look smart? Put Everson Griffen on your Pro Bowl roster. Stats don't do his impact justice.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) November 2, 2014"
Griffen is certainly having a Pro Bowl season to this point and is having a huge impact in every game he plays.
Floyd continues to play better and better and is becoming one of the better defensive tackles in the league. The first-round pick in 2013 mostly struggled his rookie year, but has come on big-time in his second season. Floyd had five tackles on Sunday and a half-sack to go with two quarterback hits.
Brian Robison had a sack and two tackles and continued to be a disruptive force on the pass rush. Linval Joseph stood out only when he was committing a very dumb personal foul when he swung his arm at RGII's head when trying to make a tackle.
Tom Johnson had another half-sack, giving him 5.5 on the season and making him one of the more valuable and productive backup defensive tackles in the league.
Alfred Morris is one of the league's toughest runners and holding him to under 100 yards is an accomplishment in itself, while Robert Griffin III reminded everyone that he's one oft the most athletic quarterbacks in the league and very hard to corral in the pocket.
Minnesota dumped him five times and did an excellent job of limiting him on ad-lib plays; he finished with only 24 yards rushing.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Chad Greenway didn't get to blitz much in Leslie Frazier's Tampa 2 defense.
You could almost see the years of frustration being unleashed when Greenway tore through the line and sacked RGIII on Washington's first series of the second half. That play set the tone for the Vikings defense for the duration of the game.
For a guy who's been such a prolific tackler during his eight years in the league, Greenway has just 15.5 career sacks. Like we said, he didn't get to blitz much under Frazier.
Greenway was second on the team with eight tackles against Washington.
What would be a great day for most any rookie linebacker, four tackles and a sack, was a pretty humdrum day for Anthony Barr, who's playing so well that that kind of stat line is almost disappointing. He'll be in the race for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year all year long.
Jasper Brinkley had two tackles and Audie Cole had one.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Like Everson Griffen and perhaps Anthony Barr, Vikings safety Harrison Smith is on his way to the Pro Bowl.
Smith's game against the Redskins will unfortunately be remembered for the brutal personal-foul penalty called on him when RGIII slid short of a first down on 3rd-and-short and Smith dove over the top of him.
It was a terrible call, but it was almost worth it just to hear Smith's reaction to it after the game:
"Harrison Smith on foul call on RGIII: "It's 3rd-and-1, I'm not giving up 3rd-and-1. If they call it, they call it." http://t.co/F779oG4T8r
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) November 2, 2014"
If that's not the exact attitude you want out of your star safety, I don't know what is.
Smith led the Vikings with 10 tackles, all solo jobs. His value to this football team is off the charts. He flies around the field and makes big tackles at big times, often stopping runners or receivers just short of picking up first downs in crucial situations.
Safety Robert Blanton had six tackles, while cornerback Xavier Rhodes had two and a pass defensed.
Captain Munnerlyn had one of the games biggest plays, intercepting RGIII late in the first half in Washington territory that led to Minnesota's first touchdown and got them into the game.
Washington's DeSean Jackson had a big game, with 120 yards and a touchdown on four catches, but he's been lighting up defenses all year long.
The Vikings nearly pitched a shutout on the other receivers, most notably holding Pierre Garcon to just 15 yards on three catches.
Another excellent game for the Vikings secondary.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
It was a tough, windy day for kickers, but that doesn't excuse a pretty awful game for Vikings punter Jeff Locke.
Locke averaged just 40.5 yards per punt on six kicks, and had only one downed inside the 20-yard line. Locke had a punt of just 32 yards to midfield in the third quarter that Washington easily converted into a field goal to stretch its lead to 20-14. It was the kind of kick that can come back to haunt you, it's lucky for Locke that it didn't.
Marcus Sherels made a great play covering on one of Locke's punt, nailing returner Andre Roberts for no gain.
The kickoff coverage team, normally pretty good, gave up a 45-yard return to Roberts.
Blair Walsh basically wasn't needed today, which is a good thing as long as your team wins the game.
Neither Sherels or Cordarrelle Patterson did much in the return game, Patterson had one good return of 32 yards, but made a poor decision when he took one kickoff out from seven yards deep in the end zone.
Not a memorable game for the Vikings special teams and a poor one for Locke.
Grade: D
Coaching
9 of 10
You have to believe Mike Zimmer wanted to blow his top when Harrison Smith was called for a personal foul for hitting (or coming too close to hitting) RGIII on a crucial third-down play.
He didn't though.
As fiery as a guy as Zimmer is, he's been pretty calm and collected during some crazy moments during this topsy-turvy Vikings season.
He's been very impressive in being level-headed, when that's what's needed, and for lighting a fire under people, when it's called for.
His work on the defensive side of the ball has been extraordinary, as it seems like the Vikings defense has always had an advantage on opposing offenses after the first quarter. Zimmer's schemes and in-game adjustments seem to befuddle the opposition.
A tip of the cap goes out to offensive coordinator Norv Turner today as well, the Redskins pass defense is a wreck right now and Turner called plays accordingly, dialing up 42 passes to just 24 runs.
As inconsistent as Teddy Bridgewater has played, he seems to play his best down the stretch in close games, and you have to give credit to Turner there as well.
And you can't argue with the success they had feeding the ball to Matt Asiata down by the goal line.
A hard-earned victory earns the Vikings coaches some well-earned praise.
Grade: A
Overall Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | B- |
| Running Back | B |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | B |
| Offensive Line | B |
| Defensive Line | B+ |
| Linebacker | B |
| Secondary | B+ |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | A |
Overall Grade: B
Well, it wasn't a work of art, but the Vikings made just enough plays to win a game that, under the previous coaching regime, they probably would have found a way to lose.
The Minnesota defense continues to play well and the offense, while certainly not explosive, moved the ball when it had to and did enough to pull out a 29-26 win over the Washington Redskins.
It was the first time in five weeks the Vikings scored four touchdowns, and no, it wasn't pretty. They gained just 352 yards of offense, but the defense gave up only 347 yards as the team got its fourth victory of the season.
Game balls go to Matt Asiata, who scored three touchdowns, Teddy Bridgewater, who calmly moved the ball down the field during crucial possession in the fourth quarter, and Harrison Smith, who continues to be a dominant player in the Vikings secondary.
Minnesota heads into their bye week at 4-5, winners of back-to-back games. This recent success should give the Vikings the belief that this isn't a lost season and that the playoffs might not be a pipe dream.
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