Chargers vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Minnesota
Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings ran directly through the San Diego Chargers on Sunday afternoon, giving a packed house at TCF Bank Stadium quite a bit to cheer about in a 31-14 victory.
It was a competitive matchup early on, with both teams' defenses holding their own. The Vikings had the first opportunity to get on board in the first quarter, but a dropped touchdown by Kyle Rudolph and subsequent Teddy Bridgewater interception put an end to the drive.
Blair Walsh put Minnesota on top a few drives later after Anthony Barr forced a Philip Rivers fumble. The 24-yard field goal was Walsh's only attempt on the game.
Peterson scored his first of two touchdowns in the second quarter, capping off an 11-play, 67-yard drive from two yards out. It was the running back's first rushing touchdown since 2013 against the Green Bay Packers.
Rivers found wide receiver Keenan Allen late in the first half for a touchdown to cut Minnesota's lead to three. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes was injured on the play, taking a nasty hit from safety Andrew Sendejo as the pair of defensive backs attempted to keep Allen from scoring.
The floodgates opened up in the second half, as the Vikings defense quickly shut down Rivers and San Diego to begin the third quarter. Peterson scored on the following drive in vintage fashion, breaking tackles on his way to a 43-yard touchdown.
Minnesota continued to pile on the points as the second half went on, with fullback Zach Line being the next to find the end zone. Linebacker Chad Greenway intercepted Rivers on a tipped pass and ran the ball all the way back 91 yards for a score in the midst of a convoy of purple jerseys.
Allen added his second score of the game in garbage time on a pass from backup quarterback Kellen Clemens to round out the scoring.
Peterson finished the day with 20 carries for 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and Allen had 12 catches for 133 receiving yards and a pair of scores to lead their respective offenses.
Barr finished the game with six tackles and a sack, and Everson Griffen tallied 1.5 sacks as the Vikings defense put pressure on Rivers all day long. Eric Kendricks led the team with nine tackles.
Position Grades for Vikings
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| Position | Grades |
|---|---|
| QB | C |
| RB | A |
| WR | B |
| TE | C |
| OL | B |
| DL | A |
| LB | A |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | A |
It was a strong performance for the Vikings as a whole, but outside of Peterson, the offense wasn't firing on all cylinders.
Bridgewater, who finished 13-of-24 for 121 yards with an interception, played arguably his worst game of the season. He wasn't asked to do much once again, but he struggled with accuracy and ball placement.
Peterson, who had looked a bit rusty in each of the first two weeks of the season, finally put together a complete effort. His breakaway speed isn't what it used to be, but everything from his vision to cutting ability remains at the top of his position relative to the rest of the league.
The ball placement on Bridgewater's interception wasn't ideal, but wide receiver Charles Johnson's inability to fight for a contested pass remains a concern. He had little impact as a receiver once again, but it is worth noting he did miss a few snaps due to an injury.
Mike Wallace finished the day with three receptions and 49 yards, showing off his speed after the catch, and Jarius Wright continues to be a consistent threat in the Vikings offense. Cordarrelle Patterson, who had been non-existent on offense, made a nice impact with a nine-yard rush attempt.
Rudolph struggled to be a difference-maker for the first time this season, dropping a potential touchdown pass and not seeing much involvement in the passing game. He finished the afternoon with just two catches for 14 yards.
Minnesota's offensive line was strong as a whole, clearing lanes for Peterson and giving Bridgewater time to throw on most occasions. The one major issue came in the red zone, in an instance where Bridgewater was given almost no time to throw and forced a throw away.
As a complete unit, the Vikings defense was outstanding. There was pressure coming from all levels, with Griffen, Barr and Harrison Smith standing out the most. Rivers rarely had any time to get set, which proved to be the greatest difference-maker in this contest.
In addition, Trae Waynes stepped up when Rhodes went down with a head injury. It was an impressive showing for the rookie cornerback and one that hopefully he will build upon heading into a difficult matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Both Walsh and punter Jeff Locke put together solid performances, but Walsh was never tested by a long attempt and Locke could have done a better job pinning the San Diego offense deep on a couple of occasions.
As a whole, however, this may have been the special teams' best performance of the year, with return man Marcus Sherels also putting the Vikings offense in good position.
Another passionate effort on both sides of the ball and a well-called game earns this coaching staff another high grade as well.
Xavier Rhodes Injured
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Cornerback Xavier Rhodes suffering a head injury on a scary play late in the first half marked one of the few low moments in Minnesota's victory over San Diego.
The injury occurred while Rhodes was attempting to bring down Keenan Allen after allowing a catch on the left side of the field. Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo came in to lay a monstrous hit on the San Diego wide receiver, but ultimately ended up delivering the blow to his teammate.
Obviously, Sendejo was not gunning to injure anyone, but he appeared to be tackling with his head down and playing a bit out of control. KFAN's A.J. Mansour noted that Sendejo chased down Rhodes attempting to apologize before the cornerback was brought to the locker room.
"Xavier Rhodes walks out of the locker room with Eric Sugarman by his side. Before he could get out Sendejo caught him to apologize.
— Aj Mansour (@AjKFAN) September 27, 2015"
Rhodes did not return to the field, and it was later revealed that he suffered a head injury, per ESPN's Ben Goessling.
"Xavier Rhodes is out with a head injury.
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) September 27, 2015"
The former Florida State cornerback has only missed three games in the past and does have a long list of injuries in his history of playing. However, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press noted that Rhodes did suffer a concussion against Green Bay back in 2013.
"As a rookie, Xavier Rhodes suffered a concussion Nov. 24, 2013 at Green Bay but was able to come back the next week for game vs. Chicago.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 27, 2015"
Minnesota will hope to have Rhodes back next week to face a tough combination of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders against the Denver Broncos, but head injuries are never something to take lightly, and the No. 1 cornerback's health should be the team's greatest priority moving forward.
Trae Waynes Steps Up
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Trae Waynes, who has been under scrutiny—especially from me—since a dreadful performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the Hall of Fame game, filled in nicely when Rhodes was deemed incapable of playing.
The rookie defensive back put together an impressive performance, stepping up to the challenge and playing his part in an elite team effort during the second half.
San Diego wasn't shy about its intentions to attack Waynes, either, firing a pass in his direction immediately as the third quarter began. However, Minnesota's defensive line was able to get a ton of pressure on Rivers, which certainly aided the rookie in his first chance to play on the defensive side of the ball.
As a result of this pressure, he didn't face many difficult route combinations, which didn't challenge him extensively with his footwork and technique. He played very well in what he was asked to do against the Chargers, but a true test is awaiting him next week in Denver.
If Rhodes is unable to go against the Broncos next week, Waynes will likely receive his first regular-season start as a professional.
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Adrian Peterson: "I Think I'm Back"
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Adrian Peterson finally looked like himself again on Sunday against the Chargers. The running back echoed the feelings of fans watching his performance during a postgame interview available on ESPN.com.
"It (the workload) felt lighter today, just the preparation throughout the week helped me with that, but I felt good. The body felt good, mind was in a great place, and, yeah, I think I'm back. It felt good to finally get into the end zone, knock that rust off.
"
Peterson, who rushed for 126 yards and two scores against the Chargers, showed signs of his old self during a game-breaking 43-yard run. On the play, he broke a number of tackles and showed off enough burst that allowed him to utilize his trademark high-step into the end zone to finish off the run.
A few of his teammates also shared their thoughts about his performance, noting that he finally looked similar to the player they had also become accustomed to.
"I thought this was the first week he looked like the Adrian that I remember," linebacker Chad Greenway said during his postgame press conference (via Vikings.com).
Brian Hall of the Associated Press released Brandon Fusco's statement as well:
"Fusco on Peterson- "I saw the back of his jersey running and it was like good old times. It was fun to see him get back to himself.”
— Brian Hall (@MNBrianHall) September 27, 2015"
It was an outstanding afternoon for the Minnesota running back and one that should be expected to continue moving forward.
Peterson had shown signs of the vintage version of himself in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, but the complete effort against the Chargers echoes the 2012 MVP's postgame comments.
Chad Greenway on Pick-6
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Chad Greenway and the Vikings put the nail in the coffin early in the fourth quarter when the veteran linebacker intercepted a tipped Rivers pass and brought it back 91 yards for a touchdown.
"I don't run 91-yard sprints much, and I'm not going to start because of this play either," Greenway said during his postgame press conference (via Vikings.com).
Greenway was standing in perfect position as the ball popped up and hung in the air. He caught the ball and immediately took off down the right sideline. As he began to break away toward the end zone, he became surrounded by his Vikings teammates, who simply were not going to allow him to be tackled.
Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune relayed the comments of safety Harrison Smith about the play:
"Said Harrison Smith on Greenway's INT: "Once we saw it was Chad with the ball, we were all like, we have to get him in the end zone."
— chipscoggins (@chipscoggins) September 27, 2015"
"Smith continued: "It was because everybody loves him. He's our guy."
— chipscoggins (@chipscoggins) September 27, 2015"
It was a bit of a surreal play for Greenway, who said during his press conference that it had been quite some time since he has scored (2007) while noting that the interception marked only the 10th of his career.
Playing in front of a number of family members, Greenway noted, per Scoggins, that it must have been his father (who passed away last December) who tipped the pass up to him:
"Greenway's dad, Alan, died last Dec. Said Chad today: "You’ve just go to think my dad tipped the ball up. That’s all I can put together."
— chipscoggins (@chipscoggins) September 27, 2015"
Despite playing in a diminished role this season, Greenway remains one of the most popular Vikings players both among fans and teammates. Brian Murphy of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press noted Greenway's appreciation:
"Greenway: "It was quite the convoy. Pretty amazing just to see all my teammates on the sidelines. I must be doing something right." #vikings
— Brian Murphy (@murphPPress) September 27, 2015"
It's a new role for the veteran linebacker, but Greenway continues to excel in what he is asked to do.
All statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference, unless otherwise noted.
For more Minnesota Vikings news, analysis and discussion, find me on Twitter @RobertReidellBT.
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