Minnesota Vikings Week 13 Stock Report

Fresh off a 20-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings are now preparing to take on the Seattle Seahawks in an important NFC clash at TCF Bank Stadium in Week 13. 

Minnesota is 8-3 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North, while the Seahawks—who have won four out of their last five games—are 6-5 and slotted in as the No. 6 seed in the conference. If the season ended today, the two teams would meet in the first round of the postseason.  

In the following slides, we'll break down the risers and fallers for the Vikings ahead of Week 13. 

Rising: LB Anthony Barr

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Stars make game-changing plays, and Anthony Barr certainly provided his share of impact moments against the Falcons Sunday.

The 255-pound linebacker hustled down the field in the first quarter and poked the football away from rookie running back Tevin Coleman, creating a turnover at the end of a long run play. Later, he burst through the line and strip-sacked Matt Ryan on fourth down, ending another drive. 

Barr finished with eight tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one pass defended. Last season's first-round pick is turning into a reliable and versatile force. 

"I think he’s progressing really well," said head coach Mike Zimmer on Monday. "We can continue to do more things with him to make him more dominant. There’s a few things that he can do better as well and we’ll talk to him about those."

A more dominant version of Barr is a scary thought. 

Falling: Avoiding Penalties

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The Vikings committed nine more penalties Sunday, which brought the team's two-week total to 17 for 163 yards. 

The "worst" of the infractions came early on, when receiver Stefon Diggs was tagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for spinning the ball on the turf after a first-down catch. But he wasn't alone. 

Defensive tackle Tom Johnson was called for illegal hands to the face twice. In the secondary, Captain Munnerlyn (illegal contact), Robert Blanton (pass interference) and Antone Exum (defensive holding) all committed penalties. 

On offense, rookie tackle T.J. Clemmings turned a 3rd-and-10 into 3rd-and-15 with a false start. The Vikings had to kick a field goal one play later.

Overall, the Vikings gave the Falcons six first downs via penalties. The yellow flags weren't a huge factor in the game for Minnesota (Atlanta might say differently, with a clipping call negating a touchdown and three pass-interference penalties), but Mike Zimmer probably wanted a cleaner game after last week's loss to Green Bay. 

Rising: Cornerbacks

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Sunday was a good day for Vikings cornerbacks. 

Xavier Rhodes handled his business against All-Pro receiver Julio Jones, who managed just five catches for 57 yards and no touchdowns. Captain Munnerlyn ended a potential scoring drive when he picked off Matt Ryan near the red zone, and veteran Terence Newman stepped in front of an errant Ryan pass in the end zone to kill another Falcons' scoring opportunity. 

The Vikings gave up 230 passing yards, but 80 came on Atlanta's garbage-time touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. More importantly, Ryan had two huge turnovers and finished with a passer rating of just 76.0 while not completing a pass over 22 yards. 

Also, don't forget about the safeties. Minus Harrison Smith, the Vikings received strong efforts from Antone Exum (tackle for loss, fumble recovery) and Robert Blanton (team-high nine tackles). 

Falling: Pass Protection

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Technically, the Vikings' pass protection against the Falcons was better than it was the previous Sunday, when the Packers sacked Teddy Bridgewater six times. Minnesota's quarterback wasn't sacked in Atlanta, but that doesn't mean the Vikings protected him well. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater was under pressure on 15 of his 29 dropbacks. He was hit three times and forced the throw the ball away on three other occasions. 

When protected, Bridgewater completed 13 of 14 passes—with his only incompletion coming on the end-zone interception. He completed just 50 percent of his throws with a 4.4-yard average when under pressure. 

Minnesota's inability to keep Bridgewater from duress has been a season-long problem. The young quarterback's pocket presence and escapability saved numerous sacks once again on Sunday. The Seattle defensive line could present more problems for the Vikings in Week 13, though.

Rising: Adrian Peterson

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Where would the Vikings be without Adrian Peterson?

The NFL's rushing leader was at his very best against the Falcons, rushing 29 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including the 35-yard game-winner in the fourth quarter. He also caught two passes for 29 yards while making up for his big drop in the first half by punching in a one-yard touchdown two plays later.

According to Pro Football Focus, Peterson broke nine tackles against Atlanta's previously top-ranked rushing defense. He gained 78 of his 158 yards after contact and didn't have a fumble. 

The Vikings will need him to have another big day against the Seahawks, who are fifth in the NFL against the run this season. Peterson has averaged 5.3 yards per carry over three career games versus Seattle.