Minnesota Vikings: 10 Things to Look for vs the Atlanta Falcons

Fans of the 2011 Minnesota Vikings are starting to feel like they're halfway through a terrible movie: The popcorn and candy are all gone, the half drum of soda is down to the dregs and the only thing left is a lot of fidgeting and a stomach ache.

The very smartest of them have walked out and moved on, but for the most part the purple faithful will watch all the way to the very end, hoping not to miss anything that will justify their investment of time and energy.

So as this coming Sunday arrives with all of its leftover turkey and stuffing, Vikings fans will sit down and give their football team three more hours in hopes of seeing some signs of life, something to show that there are brighter days ahead.

The Vikings, at 2-9, have reached such a low that wins and losses are no longer really even the point— what fans want now is just something to believe in. As Minnesota heads to Atlanta to take on the 6-4 Falcons, here are 10 things Vikings fans can expect to see.

Toby Gerhart, the Stage Is Yours

The Vikings and then-head coach Brad Childress raised a lot of eyebrows in the 2010 NFL draft when they selected Stanford running back Toby Gerhart in the second round with the 51st pick.

Sure, Gerhart was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after a fantastic season at Stanford, but most experts had doubts about how Gerhart's talents would translate to the next level. And why would a team with Adrian Peterson waste a second-round pick on another running back when they had so many other needs?

Hindsight is always 20/20, but it won't make Vikings fans any happier to learn that among the 50 draft picks taken after Gerhart were: Pat Angerer and Navarro Bowman (both play-making linebackers who are first and third in the NFL in tackles and are both headed to the Pro-Bowl), Amari Spievey and Morgan Burnett (starting safeties for the Lions and Packers), and the Saints all-world tight end, Jimmy Graham.

Gerhart is a great kid and has played decently when he's touched the field, but as of yet he has not come close to justifying a mid-second round pick. Many felt the pick was a panic move after losing third down back Chester Taylor after the 2009 season. 

Adrian Peterson is currently in a walking boot with a high ankle sprain, so Gerhart will finally get his chance at extended playing time. Gerhart has a chance to prove that the Vikings didn't waste a high draft pick on him, something the team has done far too often in the last decade.

Christian Ponder Must Show Improvement

If nothing else, Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder has been given one thing: the benefit of the doubt.

All knowledgeable NFL fans are aware that Ponder is trying to learn the toughest position in all of sports behind a terrible offensive line and a receiving corps that is among the worst in the league. 

That being said, Vikings fans and coaches are expecting to see some improvement from him. Ponder's passing numbers: 52 percent completion percentage and a 67.3 rating have to come up considerably.

Over Ponder's four starts, the Vikings opponent's quarterback ratings have averaged 128. You simply can't win games with that great of a discrepancy. The world's most famous terrible quarterback, Tim Tebow, has a higher quarterback rating at 78.4.

Vikings fans and coaches can forgive Ponder those numbers considering the talent around him, but it's hard to forgive poor decisions and sloppy play. Ponder threw three interceptions against the Raiders, and all three were of the cardinal sin variety: two in the red zone and one deep in his own territory.

It could be argued that a two-win season is good learning ground for a young quarterback—the pressure to win isn't there, so the mistakes that he'll inevitably make aren't put under the microscope like they would be on a contending team. 

Another week, another chance for Christian Ponder to show he is the future for the Vikings.

Percy, Percy and More Percy

Percy Harvin might be the best football player on the Minnesota Vikings. That might sound insane on a roster that includes Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen, but very few players in the NFL are as electric as Harvin, who seems to be a threat to score every time he touches the football.

As much heat as Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is getting for running what seems to be a predictable, stilted offense, some credit is due for the innovative ways Musgrave is getting the ball in Harvin's hands.

Harvin had a dazzling 35-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Raiders that was nullified by a penalty (and I'm not sure how innovative it was to try the exact same play after the penalty), but it at least showed that the coaches know how important it is to get Harvin touches.

Harvin then ignited a fourth quarter comeback by coming out of the backfield and taking a short Ponder toss 26 yards into the end zone.

With the possibility of there being no Adrian Peterson for the Atlanta game and perhaps the next couple of weeks, Harvin is by far the biggest offensive threat the Vikings have.

The Vikings Have to Show Attention to Detail

It's a little underwhelming when you have to say the best thing the Vikings coaching staff did against the Raiders was know what down it was, after the referees and chains crew had marked it fourth down deep in Raiders territory. 

This team is making so many stupid mistakes that ultimately it has to fall on the coaching staff's shoulders. 

A botched hold on a field goal, a fumble on a kickoff, two picks in the red zone and one deep in your own territory, a quarterback who is constantly making play fakes to running backs who have gone the other way—each of these things on their own are things that good NFL teams just don't do. All of them together in the microcosm of one football game points to a team that isn't coached very well.

The Vikings Need to Stretch out Their Offense

Nobody will ever mistake this Vikings receiving corps with the Ahmad Rashad/Sammy White days and certainly not with the Randy Moss era, but Bill Musgrave and Leslie Frazier absolutely have to stretch the field more than they currently are. 

In a season where quarterbacks and receivers all over the NFL are putting up numbers at a record pace, the Vikings are sputtering along like a team playing in 1965. Christian Ponder finished the first half last Sunday against the Raiders with 49 passing yards. In his four games as a starter, Ponder is averaging 80 yards less passing a game than Vikings' opponents.

The Vikings top receiver, Percy Harvin, is 53rd in the NFL in receiving yards. 53rd! Three teams, including this week's opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, have three receivers with more yards than Harvin.

One of the few benefits of playing out the string in a football season is being able to take chances. You have nothing to lose (just another game), so why not air it out a bit? Let's find out if Ponder can complete some deep passes. Let's find out if Harvin can get open deep. Let's find out if Kyle Rudolph can become the next Rob Gronkowksi or Jimmy Graham. 

Can Anyone on the Vikings Hold a Block?

Obviously a 2-9 football team has a lot of problem areas. Much debate is going on among Vikings fans and pundits about what the Vikings need most in the 2012 draft, and the top three answers seem to be: offensive line, wide receivers and defensive backs. 

They're all right.

The Vikings offensive line is arguably as bad as it's ever been. You can argue that Adrian Peterson was on pace for a 1,500-yard season—but I'd argue that that's a testament to how well Peterson had been playing, not the line. 

Christian Ponder is certainly getting baptized in fire, as his time in the pocket has to be as short as any quarterback in the league. Left guard Steve Hutchinson is a warrior and several time All-Pro, but he's old and is having his worst year as a Viking. And he's still their best lineman by a long shot. 

It would be nice to see rookie DeMarcus Love get some playing time, it sounds like the coaches are high on his potential, so why not throw him in there and see what he's got?

Best case scenario, the Vikings can land USC left tackle Matt Kalil, who nearly every expert says can be a franchise left tackle for a decade.

Hey, Didn't You Used to Be Kevin Williams?

After missing the first two games of the 2011 season due to a suspension, Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams didn't seem to be the same player when he returned to the lineup. 

Williams had been a force in the middle of the defensive line for the Vikings since they drafted him in 2003. He'd been a relentless run stopper and piled up an impressive number of sacks for a defensive tackle. For the past four seasons he'd combined with Pat Williams to form the Vikings' "Williams Wall" that was the centerpiece of one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

At 31 years old, he seemed a little young to have such a drop-off in production this year, and one was left to wonder if he was hurt or just plain disinterested.

That was all put to rest last Sunday, as Williams was again the dominant player on the Vikings defense, recording eight tackles and his first sack of the year against Carson Palmer. Williams was quoted as saying that in a losing season such as the one the Vikings are going through, you have to just go out to play and have fun.

He needs to convince some of his teammates to join him in the fun the rest of the way.

Chad Greenway, This Is What We Paid You for

Along with Kevin Williams, the biggest disruptive force for the Vikings last Sunday against the Raiders was Chad Greenway.

Greenway has been having a good season, just not a great one. After signing Greenway to a five-year, $41 million deal, with $20 million guaranteed, the Vikings are expecting Greenway to become the All-Pro player he is capable of being.

Greenway looked like an All-Pro on Sunday, flying all over the field and being the disruptive force Vikings fans have been looking for. Greenway led the team with 15 tackles, including his first sack of the year.

Greenway has been a big reason the Vikings run defense has been in the top 10 in the league all season, but they need him to provide more game-changing plays like he did last Sunday.

Paul Krause Is Not Walking Through That Door

On Sunday, October 9, someone named Richard Bartel of the Arizona Cardinals threw a short pass over the middle that was picked off by the Vikings' Jamarca Sanford. It was a meaningless play near the end of a blowout win for Minnesota. Vikings fans probably would have enjoyed it more if they could see the future.

Since that play, the Vikings have gone five full games without an interception. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 109 of 151 passing attempts for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns since the Vikings last interception.

It's true that the Minnesota is playing without both of their starting cornerbacks and that Cedric Griffin is playing on bad knees. The rest of the secondary just simply are not NFL caliber players.

Asher Allen hasn't been getting burned, he just never seems to be able to make a play on the ball. The safety trio of Husain Abdullah, Tyrell Johnson and Mistral Raymond are certainly not going to make any Vikings fans forget about Paul Krause any time soon.

It's hard to believe the Falcons' Matt Ryan isn't licking his chops as he watches tape on the Vikings secondary. 

Vikings Fans Can Watch Roddy White and Julio Jones

The Atlanta Falcons terrific trio of receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones along with tight end Tony Gonzalez vs the Vikings secondary just doesn't seem like a fair fight.

It may stick particularly hard in some Minnesota fans craw that Roddy White was drafted much later in the first round the same year the purple took their colossal bust of a receiver, Troy Williamson. The Falcons added the sky-is-the-limit rookie Julio Jones this year, giving quarterback Matt Ryan options all over the field.

Receiver is high on the Vikings wish list heading into next spring's draft, adding any of Justin Blackmon, Alshon Jeffery or Michael Floyd would be a huge upgrade to Minnesota's stable of receivers and give Christian Ponder a primary target for years to come.