New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for Minnesota
It wasn't the prettiest game ever played, but the Minnesota Vikings pulled out a dramatic 30-24 overtime win over the New York Jets on Sunday to improve to 6-7 on the season.
On 3rd-and-5 from the Vikings' own 13-yard line during their first possession in overtime, Teddy Bridgewater hit Jarius Wright with a quick-hitter near the right sideline. Wright escaped a tackle and set sail on an 87-yard touchdown that gave the Vikings an exciting win in a game that was very evenly played.
The Vikings offense had struggled for most of the second half, and while the defense did a lot of bending, it didn't break, holding the Jets to just three field goals in the second half. Nick Folk kicked his fifth field goal of the day with just 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 24.
The Vikings completed two quick passes to set up a 56-yard field-goal attempt by Blair Walsh, but he missed it badly.
The Jets got the first possession in overtime, and after a 26-yard completion from Geno Smith to Eric Decker, things looked bleak. The Vikings defense held, though, and the Jets had to punt, setting the stage for Wright's heroics.
The win pushes Minnesota to 4-3 at home and out of the cellar in the NFC North, which the Chicago Bears now occupy with a 5-8 mark.
A game that looked on paper like it could be a pretty boring affair turned out to be just the opposite. While both teams made plenty of mistakes, it was an exciting game with plenty of big plays made by both teams.
In the end the Vikings made at least one more, and it was enough to walk away with the victory.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Teddy Bridgewater played his best game as a pro on Sunday.
The Vikings rookie quarterback made plays all afternoon and once again was at his best down the stretch and in crunch time. Obviously, his numbers are going to get a nice boost by the 87-yard catch-and-run by Wright in overtime, but even before that, Bridgewater had played very well.
He played poised. He extended plays when he had to. He threw accurate balls all afternoon, including a pretty 56-yard touchdown pass to Charles Johnson in the first quarter.
There were mistakes to be sure, but none that was too costly. When his offensive line gave him time, he was very good. When he was under duress, he was better than he'd been in previous games. His unflappable body language is proving to be more than just body language. The kid is poised.
Bridgewater finished the afternoon 19-of-27 for 309 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and a passer rating of 117.7. His passer rating was higher last week against the Panthers, but that's only because an interception on the last play of the first half on a brilliantly executed Hail Mary hurt his rating.
He completed over 70 percent of his throws for the second week in a row, and his 309 passing yards are the second-highest total of his career.
So many NFL games come down to crunch time, and Bridgewater is proving he's got the moxie to get the job done in close games.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
If the Vikings would have lost on Sunday, and they were precipitously close to doing so, one of the bigger talking points to come out of the game would have been the coaching staff's insistence on feeding the ball to Matt Asiata.
Asiata had 19 carries for just 54 yards on Sunday, an abysmal average of just 2.8 yards per carry. We've been here before and discussed this too many times already. Asiata is simply not a lead running back in the NFL.
It's completely understood that Adrian Peterson and Jerick McKinnon aren't available and that Ben Tate and Joe Banyard may be limited in their knowledge of the offense. That doesn't mean you give the ball to Asiata 19 times. It gets to a point where you're simply wasting downs.
Asiata had one real nice series in the third quarter where he picked up gains of six, five and four yards and made a great cut on a third-down pitchout that extended a crucial drive. We've said it before—there's certainly a spot for a dependable short-yardage guy who isn't going to fumble the ball. Just don't give him 19 rushing attempts.
Tate had 15 yards on three carries, and Banyard had a nice nine-yard run in the first half but didn't get another carry.
Wide receiver Jarius Wright picked up 23 yards on a brilliantly executed reverse, and Cordarrelle Patterson ran for six yards on his only carry.
It's nice that the Vikings trust Asiata to hold on to the football, but it would be a lot nicer if they could trust him to gain a few more yards.
Grade: D+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Ladies and gentlemen, the Minnesota Vikings had two wide receivers go over 100 yards on Sunday!
Sure, that's worth nothing more than a shoulder shrug in places like Denver, Green Bay and Chicago, but it's a rarity here in Minnesota. According to this tweet from Brian Hall of FoxSportsNorth.com, it had been a decade since it happened last:
"Last time two Vikings WRs went over 100 yards in the same game? Nate Burleson and Randy Moss in 2004.
— Brian Hall (@MNBrianHall) December 7, 2014"
In fact, until Sunday, Jarius Wright's 132-yard performance against the Atlanta Falcons was Minnesota's only 100-yard receiving game of the season.
Both Wright and Charles Johnson turned the trick on Sunday.
Wright was obviously helped out by the 87 yards he tacked on to his total in overtime, but why fret over a minor detail? Wright finished with 123 yards on four catches and was clutch in overtime when he caught a quick-hitter, beat one man and then raced away from everybody for the game-winning touchdown.
Johnson continues to be the feel-good story of the season for the Vikings. Plucked off the Cleveland Browns practice squad in September, Johnson has turned himself into the Vikings' best receiver. He had four catches for 103 yards on Sunday, including a 56-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Johnson almost had another touchdown in the second quarter but got drilled just before the goal line and fumbled the ball into the end zone where Jerome Felton fell on it for the score.
Johnson is showing a great ability to get himself open and has developed a chemistry with Bridgewater. Quarterbacks often develop a "default" receiver to look for, and Johnson seems to be that guy for the Vikings rookie.
Greg Jennings pitched in with five catches for 52 yards, one of them a spectacular grab along the sideline where he did an excellent job of getting both his feet down in bounds to gain a crucial first down.
Tight end Kyle Rudolph had two catches for nine yards, and it's pretty clear that he'll have to wait until 2015 in his quest to reach upper-echelon tight end status. Rudolph had surgery to repair a sports hernia earlier in the season and isn't at 100 percent.
Cordarrelle Patterson had one carry for six yards but wasn't involved in the passing game.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Was it a perfect game for the Vikings offensive line? No, far from it, but a win is a win, and we'd like to be kind to a unit that has taken more than its share of the blame for the Vikings' troubles this season.
There weren't big holes for the running backs. (Other than when the ball was handed to Joe Banyard or Ben Tate, so, hmm.) Bridgewater didn't have great protection, but he was only sacked three times in 27 drops. Again, those aren't great numbers, but we've seen worse this year.
Left guard Charlie Johnson left the game in the third quarter when Matt Asiata fell on his ankle. Johnson left the stadium in a walking boot and will have an MRI on Monday, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
Left tackle Matt Kalil, after a quiet week last Sunday against the Panthers, was called for two big penalties, one for holding and one for a personal foul. Kalil is having a frustrating season, but he simply has to clean up the penalties. He's taking far too many, and both of Sunday's put the team in bad spots.
Kalil looked to be the culprit of a sack by Sheldon Richardson, who had all three of the Jets' sacks, in the first quarter, but he was probably only partially to blame. The Jets designed an excellent rush where Richardson darted outside, and a linebacker stepped in and blocked Charlie Johnson, who had made initial contact with Richardson. By the time Richardson blew around the outside, Kalil had sold too far inside on the man he was lined up across from, and he couldn't get back out to Richardson.
Minnesota is now down three starters in its offensive line, but the backups have done a pretty respectable job.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
It wasn't a particularly great game for the Vikings defensive line. Geno Smith was given plenty of time in the pocket and was only sacked three times on the day.
The Jets gouged the Vikings for 168 yards rushing, but they only averaged 4.0 yards a pop, which is a pretty good number for the defense. It's funny that before the game, you would have guessed that the Jets would probably have more success than that on the ground and not as much time to throw.
Most of that is probably because Minnesota game-planned to do all it could to shut down the run and make Geno Smith beat it with his arm. Smith threw for 254 yards on the day and looked rather good doing it. He finished with a passer rating of 87.4, which is 22 higher than his average.
It probably didn't help that Sharrif Floyd had to exit the game early on as his sore knee flared up on him again.
Everson Griffen and Brian Robison each had a sack, and Griffen, Corey Wootton and Shamar Stephen all had three tackles to lead the defensive line.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
For far too many years, the Vikings' problem at linebacker was a lack of speed. They've always had pretty good tacklers, but they haven't had enough guys with enough speed to make game-changing plays.
In the last two years, they've added Gerald Hodges and Anthony Barr.
Both guys have great speed, and both guys are making huge plays for Minnesota's defense.
With Barr sitting out Sunday with a sore knee, Hodges took his spot in the staring lineup and made his presence felt immediately. Hodges stepped in front of a slant pattern intended for Percy Harvin and raced 27 yards for a touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage.
Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports that Hodges' improved study habits helped him make his huge play on Sunday.
Hodges added eight tackles and two passes defensed and was the biggest difference-maker on the field for the Vikings defense.
Chad Greenway took his customary spot on top of the Vikings' tackles list, recording 11 on the day, including one for a loss.
Middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley had eight tackles and was on the field far more than he's usually been this season.
It was a good day for the Vikings linebackers and a great day for Hodges.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Josh Robinson really has to break his habit of losing receivers near the goal line.
Robinson gave way too small of a cushion to his former teammate Percy Harvin, who blew past him in the first quarter. Robinson has great speed, and he caught back up to Harvin, but by the time he got there, Harvin was already adjusting to the ball, and he hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass.
It's one thing to lose jump balls to receivers who are just way taller than you, but getting burned deep is inexcusable for the only Vikings defensive back who has elite speed.
That was the only touchdown pass the Vikings secondary would give up on Sunday. It did a great job of stiffening once the Jets were in the red zone, which led to New York having to settle for five field goals.
Harrison Smith is on his way to being an All Pro selection and came up with a huge early sack and added eight more tackles to his resume. Smith left the game briefly with an injury, and Andrew Sendejo made a huge play when he forced a fumble that Minnesota recovered.
Robert Blanton continues to be a force against the run. He had 11 tackles on the day but will have an MRI on Monday on his left leg, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
Bend but don't break.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
It's pretty rare that Vikings punter Jeff Locke has a better day than the Vikings kicker, Blair Walsh, but that was the case Sunday against the Jets.
Locke had a very good day, booming three punts for 148 yards, averaging 49.3 yards per kick. He had a long boot of 58 yards and put one inside the Jets' 20-yard line.
Walsh had an uncharacteristic off day, but he can be forgiven, considering the cold and windy conditions (although they didn't seem to bother Nick Folk, who was 5-of-5 on the day).
Walsh had one field-goal attempt just sail right on him, and then he missed badly on a 56-yard attempt near the end of the half. It looked like a subpar hold on the attempt, and Walsh basically shanked it.
Percy Harvin ripped off one 47-yard return, but other than that, the coverage teams were fine. Marcus Sherels had a couple of nice returns, and Cordarrelle Patterson had a 29-yard return that he looked like he might break, but he couldn't get by the last wave of tacklers.
It was a great day for Locke but a forgettable one for Walsh.
Grade: C+
Coaching
9 of 10
To his great credit, Mike Zimmer's team looked like it was amped up and excited to play football on Sunday. That's not always the case in cold December NFL games when there's nothing left to play for but pride.
There's really nothing to complain about in Minnesota's game plan, other than its curious desire to keep giving Matt Asiata carries. Ten carries to Asiata is probably too much; 19 is just silly. It's a good thing Minnesota won the football game, or it'd be taken to task this week for that part of the plan.
Winning makes people forget about things like that pretty quickly though.
All in all, it was a rather sloppy game if you viewed it though coaching eyes, but that certainly made it more fun to watch for the fans. Zimmer wasn't very happy with the way his team played, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press:
"Mike Zimmer says the Vikings should have won by a lot more Sunday said just being honest when talking as if the Vikings lost
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 7, 2014"
Zimmer continues to be a straight shooter with the media and refuses to heap praise on his team just because it won.
Kudos to the coaches for the continued progress of the most important player on the team, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Norv Turner looks like he's got Bridgewater learning how to play to his strengths.
But seriously, why all the love for Asiata?
Grade: B-
Overall Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | A |
| Running Back | D+ |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | A |
| Offensive Line | C |
| Defensive Line | C |
| Linebacker | A |
| Secondary | B- |
| Special Teams | C+ |
| Coaching | B- |
Overall Grade: B-
A win is a win, right? But if you have to go to overtime to beat a 2-10 team at home, it probably wasn't that pretty.
No, it wasn't pretty, but it was exciting and fun to watch. Who'd have believed a December game between two non-playoff teams could be so entertaining?
It was no masterpiece, but Minnesota saw plenty of things to walk away happy about—first and foremost, the play of its rookie quarterback. Bridgewater had his best overall day as a pro and looks like he's learning from his mistakes and continues to be clutch during the Vikings' most important possessions.
Charles Johnson continues to emerge as a viable starter at wide receiver, which helps make up for the baffling season of Cordarrelle Patterson.
Huge cheers for Gerald Hodges and Jarius Wright, two guys who've flashed plenty of ability before but took on starring roles in the win over the Jets.
Minnesota moves to 6-7 on the season and has a chance to get back to .500 next weekend when it travels to Detroit to take on the Lions. If the Vikings can't make the playoffs, at least they can help keep Detroit out as well.
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