Rams vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Minnesota

Despite losing starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to injury during the fourth quarter, the Minnesota Vikings kept on rolling with a 21-18 victory in overtime against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Following a rare shanked punt by Johnny Hekker, Blair Walsh put the Vikings on the board first with a 34-yard field goal on their opening possession on offense. Adrian Peterson added to the advantage on Minnesota's next possession, finding the end zone on a six-yard rush.

St. Louis responded immediately following the Peterson touchdown. Rookie Todd Gurley capped off an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a score of his own, pounding his way through a heavy hit by Anthony Barr to cross the goal line. However, the Rams attempted a two-point conversion following the touchdown, and Gurley was stuffed before reaching the end zone.

With the Vikings offense stalling a bit in the second quarter, kicker Greg Zuerlein and the Rams put three consecutive field goals through the uprights, including an incredible 61-yard attempt.

Minnesota began the second half of the game down 15-10, and it didn't get off to the best start in the third quarter. After finding Kyle Rudolph for a solid completion, Bridgewater was picked off on a deep pass attempt to Stefon Diggs.

The Vikings quarterback responded following a Rams punt, however, finishing off a six-play, 60-yard drive with a six-yard rushing touchdown to give his team a 16-15 lead. He then added two more points on an ensuing conversion attempt, diving past the pylon as he was hit by a St. Louis defender.

Things got a little chippy after Minnesota opened up the three-point advantage. Cornerback Lamarcus Joyner laid a questionable hit on Bridgewater as he went into a slide, knocking the quarterback out of the game due to concussion-like symptoms.

After missing a 48-yard field goal wide right, Zuerlein responded with a game-tying 53-yard attempt to send the game to overtime.

Mike Zimmer, upon winning the coin toss, elected to defer to the Rams, instead choosing to play the swirling wind gusts at TCF Bank Stadium. His confidence in the Vikings defense was rewarded, as the unit moved St. Louis backward on its only drive of overtime.

Walsh converted his second consecutive game-winning field-goal attempt from 40 yards away, sending the Vikings to a 6-2 record and a lead atop the NFC North division following a Green Bay Packers loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Bridgewater finished the game 13-of-21 with 144 passing yards, an interception, 17 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Peterson added 125 rushing yards of his own on 29 attempts to go along with his fourth score of the season. Diggs led all Minnesota receivers with three catches and 42 receiving yards.

Nose tackle Linval Joseph was a force for the Vikings, completing the game with 10 tackles, half a sack, three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. Chad Greenway also had 10 tackles.

Position Grades for Vikings

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	B
RB	A
WR	C
TE	C
OL	A
DL	A
LB	B
DB	B
Special Teams	A
Coaching	B

It is a bit difficult to evaluate the quarterback position given the circumstances. Shaun Hill was far from dynamic after replacing Bridgewater, but he also did not make any mistakes—though he was very close. Bridgewater had a fairly solid game aside from his third-quarter interception, leading the Vikings down the field to take the lead on the following drive.

Peterson continues to play like the running back he had been prior to being suspended last season. Without his contributions to this game, the Vikings surely would not have been in a position to win the game in overtime.

Vikings wide receivers and tight ends were not great on Sunday, but some of that falls on Bridgewater and Hill. With exception to a couple of first-down catches by Rudolph and a 30-yard play by Diggs, these units were very pedestrian.

Minnesota's offensive line, on the other hand, played an outstanding game from start to finish. Not only did they keep arguably the best defensive line in football from getting to Bridgewater and Hill, they only allowed a single sack to strong safety Maurice Alexander and cleared rushing lanes for Peterson all afternoon.

As a whole, the Vikings defense was great once again, particularly Joseph and the defensive line. Xavier Rhodes made multiple nice plays in coverage, and Anthony Barr continued to be a threat as a pass-rusher despite not taking down Nick Foles for a sack.

In addition, Trae Waynes did a solid job replacing the veteran Terence Newman despite being called for a pass interference penalty that set up the game-tying Zuerlein field goal.

Punter Jeff Locke was not good on Sunday, but he gets a bit of a pass due to the crazy wind patterns at TCF Bank Stadium. Marcus Sherels' key punt return to set up a game-winning field-goal attempt was also a highlight-caliber effort. Walsh continued to put his early-season issues in the past with another big game, which included a 34-yard field goal and the game-winning 40-yard beauty.

Zimmer was an absolute stud for the Vikings on Sunday. Not only did he defend his quarterback, but he made the key field position decision in overtime to set up the victory. Norv Turner was less than ideal as an offensive play-caller, but his choice to roll out Hill on first down in the fourth quarter did not end up biting Minnesota.

Here are the highest- and lowest-rated Vikings according to Pro Football Focus:

Offense

• Mike Harris (plus-4.4)
• T.J. Clemmings (negative-4.7)

Defense

• Linval Joseph (plus-10.9)
• Brian Robison (negative-3.5)

Multiple Vikings Injured

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Injuries continue to mount for a Vikings team that was already without starters Eric Kendricks and Sharrif Floyd on Sunday.

According to Ben Goessling of ESPN, Newman left the game on Sunday with a concussion:

"

Terence Newman was not cleared to return after concussion testing, Zimmer said.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) November 8, 2015"

Minnesota also lost linebacker Audie Cole to a fractured ankle, which the team Twitter account reported shortly after the game. He will miss the remainder of the season.

"

Coach Zimmer said LB Audie Cole has a fractured ankle.

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 8, 2015"

Barr, who appeared to be fine during the game, is scheduled to have X-rays done on his arm, per Chris Tomasson of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.

"

#Vikings LB Anthony Barr on arm in cast heading for X-ray “I don’t know yet (what wrong) Hopefully, it’s fine. It feels weird... little sore

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) November 8, 2015"

Finally, Bridgewater left the game on Sunday with a concussion after a hit from Lamarcus Joyner as he went into a slide while scrambling for a first down. He will go through protocol this week, according to Goessling.

"

Teddy Bridgewater will have to go through concussion protocol, but he's walking around in the locker room and seems to be in good spirits.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) November 8, 2015"

While the Cole injury may not prove dire since Kendricks is expected to be back next week, each of these injuries has the potential to hurt the Vikings substantially. The injuries suffered by Bridgewater and Barr, in particular, mean that Minnesota may be forced to play replacement-level players at key positions against a tough Oakland Raiders team next week.

Assuming a worst-case scenario, Minnesota will send out Brandon Watts, Edmond Robinson, Waynes and Hill if the aforementioned players are unable to play next Sunday.

However, signs do point toward Bridgewater passing through protocol this week, as the quarterback was in good spirits following the game, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson.

"

Bridgewater just walked by me all smiles. pic.twitter.com/Gc7l6womjL

— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 8, 2015"

Vikings Now Tied with Packers Atop NFC North

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Following their victory over the Rams, the Vikings moved into a tie atop the NFC North with the Packers. Green Bay lost to Carolina by a final score of 37-29 shortly after Minnesota's win, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers was picked off by linebacker Thomas Davis to end a potential game-tying drive in the fourth quarter.

The NFC North Barroom's Twitter account shared a visual of where the Vikings stand with a half-season's worth of games now in the books:

"

Boom. pic.twitter.com/KWxmRQNKEd

— NFC North Barroom (@NFCNorthBarRoom) November 8, 2015"

This tie atop the North may not last long, however, as the Vikings are scheduled to play a Raiders team that has played very well in Oakland next weekend. Furthermore, the Packers will meet a 1-7 Detroit Lions team at Lambeau Field next weekend.

With all of that said, Minnesota's positioning in the standings through nine weeks does assure that the team will meet Green Bay in Week 11 at TCF Bank Stadium with an opportunity to take control of the division. Even if the Vikings lose next week and the Packers win, Minnesota would have a chance to regain the lead (head-to-head record being the tiebreaker) in the North with a victory on its home turf.

The Vikings have a difficult schedule from here on out, but they have now proven capable of defeating good teams, and the rest of this season should be thrilling for fans.

Vikings Respond to Illegal Hit on Teddy Bridgewater

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

The Vikings were not very happy following a questionable hit on Bridgewater by Joyner in the fourth quarter, which knocked the team's signal-caller out of the game with a concussion.

A video of the incident was tweeted by The Cauldron shortly after it occurred:

"

Teddy Bridgewater knocked momentarily unconscious by a late hit on a slide by Lamarcus Joyner pic.twitter.com/D4Sn9TBsLK

— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) November 8, 2015"

If nothing else, it was definitely an ill-advised late hit by the St. Louis cornerback, but Vikings coaches and players believe there was more to it than just that. Zimmer began the onslaught immediately following the game, citing his thoughts about Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, via KFAN.

"

#Vikings H.C. Mike Zimmer: "I agree that it was a cheap shot. [Gregg Williams'] defenses are all like that." https://t.co/dWVGWEaLHs

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) November 8, 2015"

The Minnesota head coach continued to state his dissatisfaction with the play during a postgame press conference, noting once again that he believes the hit was illegal and a cheap shot (Vikings.com).

"I would say if we were on the street we probably would have had a fight," he said.

Zimmer would not elaborate on the issue but did note his stance on Williams again.

"I do know that there is a history there with their defensive coordinator," he said. "I'll leave it at that."

Vikings players also expressed their unhappiness after the game, particularly Brandon Fusco. According to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN, Minnesota's offensive guard took exception to the play and felt as though Joyner intentionally hurt Bridgewater.

"

Fusco on Joyner hit: "Yeah I don't agree with it. You could tell we took that personally on the offensive line, played with more of edge."

— Brian Murphy (@murphPPress) November 8, 2015"

"

Fusco on Joyner saying no intent to hurt: "He’s full of crap. We played with more of an edge and took it out on the defensive line" #Vikings

— Brian Murphy (@murphPPress) November 8, 2015"

"

Brandon Fusco, re: Joyner's hit on Teddy: "There's no need to take a shot at his head. At that point, we took it personally." #Vikings

— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) November 8, 2015"

According to KFAN, offensive tackle Matt Kalil and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn also were very unhappy about the play and also not very surprised.

"

Matt Kalil on Joyner's hit: "Knowing these guys, I've played them 2-3 times in the past. That's what they do." https://t.co/dWVGWEaLHs

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) November 8, 2015"

"

Munnerlyn: "I've played against [Gregg Williams] a lot man. That's what he does. It's going to get chippy." https://t.co/dWVGWEaLHs

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) November 8, 2015"

Peterson, who played against a Williams-led defense during the 2009 NFC Championship that resulted in his suspension for placing bounties on players, was also not surprised by the Bridgewater hit (Vikings.com).

"I definitely remember playing against those guys in New Orleans," the running back said. "They play physical, they play through the whistle and you get some shots that don't look that good."

Joyner almost certainly faces a hefty fine for the hit on Bridgewater, though he did express remorse for the result of the play and said he had no intention to injure the Vikings quarterback, according to Dani Klupenger of Fox Sports Midwest:

"

"I know Bridgewater. We grew up across the tracks from each other. Our moms know each other. I would never intentionally hurt him." -Joyner

— Dani Klupenger (@daniklup) November 8, 2015"

There is a lot going on here. Williams certainly has the history to suggest something more than an ill-advised hit, but there currently is not enough evidence to prove foul play.

"

Joyner had more than enough time to avoid a collision. Reckless play at the very best. pic.twitter.com/t9yNtzRJH3

— BJ Reidell (@RobertReidellBT) November 9, 2015"

It's hard to blame the Vikings players and coaches for being unhappy about the play, especially given their history against the Rams defensive coordinator.

Blair Walsh: "We Can Make This Stadium Our Home-Field Advantage"

Jim Mone/Associated Press

On a lighter note, the Vikings moved to 4-0 at home on Sunday with their victory over the Rams.

While discussing how the weather affected Minnesota's decision to give St. Louis the ball first overtime, Walsh noted that TCF Bank Stadium can give the Vikings an edge (Vikings.com).

"We can make this stadium our home-field advantage," Walsh said. "It was so smart of us to take that wind at the end of the game and go for the win."

Upon defeating the Rams, the Vikings have now beaten the Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis on their home field this year. While all four of these teams do not have great records—a combined 10 wins and 22 losses—the Vikings have certainly played a high level in their home stadium.

Through these four victories, Minnesota has outscored its opponents by a combined 33 points and an average of a little over a touchdown. Regardless of the opposition, winning teams are expected to defend their home field close to 100 percent of the time, as seven or eight wins at home is often the difference between playing or sitting on the couch in January.

Minnesota will be on the road next weekend in Oakland, but it will return home to face Green Bay in Week 11, and fans will certainly hope this trend continues.

For my personal stance on Gregg Williams and the Lamarcus Joyner hit on Teddy Bridgewater, plus plenty more Vikings materials, find me on Twitter @RobertReidellBT.