Vikings vs Falcons: 10 Things We Learned in Vikings' 24-14 Loss

Minnesota Vikings fans who are hoping to get the highest draft pick possible survived a bit of a scare Sunday, as the Atlanta Falcons did almost everything they could to blow a game they had in hand at halftime. The Falcons completely dominated the first 30 minutes, holding the Vikings to just 97 yards of offense and moved the ball at will on defense, taking a 17-0 lead into the locker room. 

The second half was a different story, as some Falcons miscues and an energized Vikings offense showed a little bit of life before the Falcons stuffed the Vikings on 4th-and-goal late in the game, killing any chance Minnesota had to get back into the game.

So another Sunday and another loss for the purple, moving the Vikings to 2-9 on the season. Here are 10 things we learned from Sunday's game.

Only the Vikings Could Have a 104-Yard Kickoff Return Net Zero Points

There are crazy things that happen to bad football teams, but this one takes the cake: The Vikings' Percy Harvin returned a kickoff for 104 yards, and the Vikings came away with no points on the possession.

That's really, really hard to do. It's the kind of feat that only a 2-9 football team can pull off.

Harvin's return is the longest play in NFL history that didn't score a touchdown. After a combination of brutal play calling and awful decision making, the Vikings trudged off the field with no points and their ninth loss all but cemented.

Leslie Frazier Is in over His Head as a Head Coach

Leslie Frazier is, by all accounts, a great person and a good defensive football coach. He is not a good head football coach in the NFL.

Once again, nobody will argue that Frazier has been dealt a very good hand in his first go-round as a head coach. The Vikings roster has more holes than a Minnesota street in March, but Frazier, game after game, seems to be another hole rather than someone who knows how to fix it.

Sunday's biggest coaching gaffes came fast and furious after Percy Harvin's 104-yard kickoff return to the Falcon's three-yard line. A burned timeout before first down smelled like a team that wasn't ready to go. Harvin's 3rd down run to the goal line looked to clearly break the plane on replays, but the Vikings don't challenge the call.

Why not? What have you got to lose?

The Vikings then pass on the field goal (they were down by 10 and needed two scores) and go for it on fourth down. I don't think anyone has any problem with the decision to go for it, but they have a huge problem with what they ran. A slow developing hand off to Toby Gerhart? Gerhart was buried (Visanthe Shiancoe completely missed his block) and didn't even get close to scoring.

Why not give it to the infinitely quicker Harvin there? 

The Vikings Offensive Line Is Awful

In what's been a season-long debate among Vikings fans as to which unit on the team is playing the worst, the offensive line made a huge statement in Sunday's loss to the Falcons.

The Vikings gained 97 yards in the first half, and you could argue that quarterback Christian Ponder played pretty well. Center John Sullivan is having a decent season (relatively speaking), but the rest of the line has been a disaster.

Pro Bowl regular Steve Hutchinson is having his worst season as a pro, and he's still been Minnesota's second-best blocker. Charlie Johnson, who the team signed after cutting Bryant McKinnie in August, has been awful.

On the other side, you could have a pretty good argument as to who's playing worse between tackle Phil Loadholt and the group of bullfighters who have stepped in at guard.

No running lanes for backs, no time for Ponder to throw and a guaranteed two or three offsides penalties a game.

There's a Reason Benny Sapp Keeps Getting Cut

Benny Sapp has played eight years in the NFL as a fill-in cornerback and special teams player. He's been cut twice in the last season and a half. What we saw Sunday was why he's been cut twice. 

On the Falcons first touchdown of the game, a 27-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Harry Douglas, Sapp not only fell down while trying to cover Douglas, but gives a completely lackluster effort after he gets back up and tries to chase down Douglas. 

It only got worse from there.

In the fourth quarter, Sapp was turned inside-out by Roddy White and then looked like a high schooler when he tried to bring down White after the catch.

It's been a miserable season all around for the Vikings secondary. From injuries to poor play to even more injuries, the group as a whole has had one of the worst seasons in Vikings history.

Toby Gerhart Was a Wasted Draft Pick

Many draft experts snickered when the Vikings used a second-round pick in 2010 on the running back out of Stanford. Even though he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up, the doubters said Gerhart was not worth a second round pick and that he could never start in the NFL.

Sunday, they were proven right.

Gerhart, filling in for the injured Adrian Peterson, got the first extended playing time of his career, and quite frankly, he didn't show much. Gerhart averaged just 2.6 yards a carry, gaining just 44 yards on 17 attempts. 

Gerhart is slow to the hole and has zero ability to make anyone miss. He shows flashes of being a power back, but on his most crucial carries (4th-and-goal on Sunday), he gets stuffed quite easily.

Drafted to be a change of pace from starter Adrian Peterson, Gerhart has come nowhere close to living up to a second-round pick. The Vikings needed only to look to the other sideline Sunday to see a value pick being used as a change-up back. The Falcons scored huge by taking Jacquizz Rodgers in the fifth round, which is where Gerhart probably should have gone.

The Vikings Don't Utilize Percy Harvin Enough

It would take about three seconds for someone from Mars to decide who the Vikings best player was on Sunday: Percy Harvin.

Harvin was all over the field for the purple, making eight catches for 95 yards, including a 39 yard touchdown catch on 4th-and-15 to bring Minnesota to within 17-14 in the fourth quarter. He then revived Vikings fans hopes when he returned a kickoff 104 yards to the Falcons three-yard line before being brought down from behind.

He then bulled his way for what appeared to be a huge touchdown, but it was spotted at the one-yard line, and the Vikings didn't challenge the spot, even though replays showed he'd clearly broke the plane of the end zone.

Hereturned the opening kick of the season over 100 yards for a touchdown against the Chargers, but has been used sparingly in that role since, as Vikings coaches are wary of over-using the sometimes brittle receiver. Stupid coaching.

He is clearly one of the best kick returners in the NFL and is a constant threat to go all the way. He would at least give the Vikings much better field position on many of their possessions.

Sunday's 39-yard touchdown catch is one of the few times the Vikings have ever sent Harvin on a straight go route, which is insane considering how fast he is. Ideally, he should be used as a kickoff returner and a slot receiver in the mold of Wes Welker.

Harvin is a mismatch against anyone trying to cover him one-on-one, and there is no reason he shouldn't get 100 catches a season.

Christian Ponder Played His Best Game

I'm not saying Christian Ponder played great, but he certainly played his best game as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.

It's very hard to gauge how well Ponder is playing considering the woeful line in front of him and the pedestrian receivers he's throwing to. Though he didn't light up the world, Ponder made some nice runs when he had to and threw for 186 yards, completing 17 of 25 passes. Ponder's 103.1 passer rating was his best of the season.

He threw into coverage several times when he probably shouldn't have, but he was never picked off (although he should have been), and sometimes, a quarterback has to give his receivers a chance to make a play. Ponder is playing on a terrible team, but he's showing more and more signs of being a solid NFL starter at quarterback.

Jared Allen Loves Football

Well, this one is no shocker, but Jared Allen took his all-out throwback style to another level on Sunday against the Falcons.

He didn't get any sacks for the second week in a row, but he was a constant presence, as he always is, and it was clear the Falcons were rolling quarterback Matt Ryan away from Allen's side all day long.

What made this a different day for Allen, however, was his fill-in duty as the Vikings long-snapper after Cullen Loefler left the game after taking a huge hit in the first half. Allen was spot-on on all his long snaps and even made an open field tackle on one punt. He was seen smiling like a madman after getting dump-trucked on an extra-point attempt. You just wish you could put Allen's motor into every player on your roster.

Adrian Peterson Deserves More Credit Than We Give Him

Adrian Peterson is the best running back in the NFL. He's fast, elusive and one of the toughest ball-carriers to bring down in the league, a scintillating combination of power and moves that is a joy to watch.

Peterson sat out Sunday's game against the Falcons, and we learned one thing about him: He might be better than we've ever given him credit for. 

Watching the over-matched Toby Gerhart try to run behind the worst offensive line in the NFL reminded us how much Peterson has to do on his own. His windows of opportunity (running lanes) are the smallest in the league, and yet, Peterson continues to be among the league leaders in rushing and scoring.

The Vikings gave Peterson a huge deal this summer of 100 million dollars over seven years, and he earns every cent of it.

What the Vikings Should Look for in the Draft

It's become pretty clear that the Vikings, at 2-9, will be picking pretty high in next year's draft. Much debate has raged among Vikings faithful about what the Vikings need the most: a franchise left tackle, a playmaking wide receiver or a difference-making defensive back.

Correct, correct and correct.

By most draft analysts' accounts, the best player after Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, who would be a phenomenal get for the Vikings and would anchor the left side of the line for years to come.

If they can't get him, they could go with Oklahoma State's record-breaking wideout, Justin Blackmon, who would pair up with Percy Harvin to give the Vikings a lethal receiving duo.

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne would instantly be the best cover man the Vikings have had in at least a decade.

The Vikings pretty much can't go wrong with their first pick next year, but it's also crucial that they find starters with their second and third round picks as well.