Minnesota Vikings: The Good, Bad and Ugly in the Vikings Loss to the Broncos

For the Minnesota Vikings, going up against the Tim Tebow led Broncos was strength against strength—the Broncos rushing offense against the Vikings rushing defense.

With all of the injuries to the Vikings defensive backfield, this was a matchup that still gave the Vikings the best chance of winning a game in their remaining schedule.

The Minnesota defense stepped up and played very well in the first half, giving the Vikings another lead at halftime. Limiting the Broncos to only 49 yards and a single first down in the first 30 minutes, a Christian Ponder interception return for a touchdown was the only score for the Broncos.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, Denver went to the pass and was able to score on a nine-play drive to open the second half that covered 78 yards in only 3:42.

Tebow led the Broncos to 25 second-half points to tie the score at 32 with 1:38 left in the game.

Christian Ponder would lead the Vikings to three second-half scoring drives, only to have the Vikings defense allow the Broncos to answer. 

Another incredible loss in a game the Vikings should have won.

Another ill-thrown pass by Ponder that led to an interception with only 1:33 left in the game, setting up the game-winning field goal for the Broncos.

Final score: Broncos 35, Vikings 32.

Here's a look at the good, bad and the ugly from the Vikings 10th loss of the season.

The Good: A Game of Firsts

The game against the Broncos held several firsts.

Wide receiver Stephen Burton caught his first NFL pass. The seventh-round draft pick was added to the active roster when Michael Jenkins was placed on the injured reserve. Burton caught two passes for 38 yards.

Defensive tackle, Remi Ayodele registered his first sack of the season. Ayodele, who has started 11 of 12 games this season, came into the game with only two tackles and no sacks.

Christian Ponder finished with the first 300-yard passing game of his career and the first this season for the Vikings. Ponder finished with 381 passing yards and 29-of-47 with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Head coach Leslie Frazier made two challenges in the game that overturned two calls. The first led to the reversal of a down by contact call and the Vikings recovering a Willis McGahee fumble. The second reversed a reception on third down, forcing the Broncos to punt the ball. In both cases, the Vikings received the football.

The Good: Kyle Rudolph's Touchdown Catch

Kyle Rudolph is proving that he will be a go-to receiver for Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings.

With 3:40 left in the first half, the Vikings drove deep into Denver territory. On a 1st-and-10 from the 19-yard line, Christian Ponder put the ball into the end zone, where Rudolph made the catch, reaching over Quinton Carter for his second touchdown this season. 

At the time, it gave the Vikings a 12-7 lead.

Unfortunately, it would be the only catch Rudolph would make on the day.

The Good: Devin Aromashodu Has a Breakout Game

Devin Aromashodu came into the Denver game with only nine receptions on the season.

On Sunday, he finished with six receptions for 90 yards. 

Given the chance, perhaps Aromashodu can be the downfield threat the Vikings were looking for when they signed another former Chicago receiver, no longer with the team.

The Good: The Play of Jared Allen

After being shut out the past two games, Jared Allen made his presence known against the Broncos.

Wasting no time, Allen scored the first points of the game with a tackle of Bronco running back Willis McGahee on Denver's first offense play from scrimmage.

The play was set up on a great play by a special teams player, Eric Frampton, when he downed a Chris Kluwe punt inside the one yard line.

With 0:47 left in the first half, Allen sacked Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow and recovered a fumble on the Denver 21 yard line.  

It led to Ryan Longwell field goal and a Vikings 15-7 halftime lead.  

The Good: Percy Harvin Does It Again

Leave no doubt about it—Percy Harvin is the Minnesota Vikings best and most talented offensive weapon. He proved that he is a scoring threat from anywhere on the field.

Harvin led the Vikings with eight receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdown receptions went for 52 and 48 yards. In both instances, it gave the Vikings an eight-point lead over the Broncos.

For Harvin, it was his first 100-yard receiving game this year, and only the second on the season for the Vikings.

Harvin added 19 yards on five rushing attempts to lead the Vikings again with 175 combined yards.

The Bad: The Vikings Defensive Backfield Is Exposed Yet Again

The Minnesota Vikings defense was spectacular in the first half.

Of course, the Denver Broncos helped by playing to Minnesota's strength and focused on running the ball.

Held to 48 first half yards and a single first down, the Broncos offense was held scoreless.

If not for a defensive touchdown, the Vikings would have pitched another first half shutout.

Unfortunately with a patched-up defensive secondary with backups playing in the the place of backups, Tim Tebow finished with 202 passing yards—all but 40 of them in the second half, and the most by Tebow this season.

Tebow finished 10-of-15 passing with two touchdowns for an incredible 149.3 passer rating.

The Vikings defensive backfield looked confused, as the cornerbacks continued to pass receivers onto safeties that were not there. 

Twice Cedric Griffin got burned on long pass plays, including a 41-yard touchdown pass to Bronco wideout Demaryious Thomas.

Thomas finished with four catches for an incredible 144 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bad: The Vikings Lead at Halftime

For the fourth time this season, the Minnesota Vikings went into the half with a lead, only to end up losing the game. 

For some reason, the Vikings cannot extend the success of their first half into a victory.

When the Broncos went to a more balanced attack in the second half, Leslie Frazier and his staff were unable to make yet another in-game adjustment.

Three times in the second half Christian Ponder led the Vikings to a scoring drive, only to have the Broncos answer in quick fashion.

The Broncos opened the second half with a nine-play drive for a touchdown that only took 3:42.

Following touchdown drives by the Vikings, Tebow and the Broncos answered with touchdown drives that totaled three plays and covered 107 yards and only took 1:13. 

After the Vikings scored a go-ahead field goal to make the score 32-29 with only 3:29 left in the game, Tebow led the Broncos on a game-tying drive that took only 1:33. 

In the end, the Broncos kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to complete the another Vikings collapse.

The Ugly: Christian Ponder Is a Rookie

While Christian Ponder had a very good day, statistically speaking, it was two rookie mistakes that would cost Minnesota the chance to win their third game of the season.

With the score 2-0 and the Vikings deep in their own territory, Ponder threw an interception that Mario Haggon returned 16 yards for a touchdown.

His last interception was even costlier. With the score tied at 32 and only 1:33 left in the game, the Vikings had the ball on their own 20-yard line.

Instead of taking a conservative approach, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave called for a pass. The pass intended for Percy Harvin was intercepted by Andre Goodman at the Minnesota 35-yard line.

Six plays later, the Broncos would kick the winning field goal.

Before the two interceptions was a costly fumble by Ponder.

Facing a 3rd-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Ponder would drop back to pass. With the Denver defense putting a lot of pressure on Ponder, he would attempt to step up and run with the ball.

Unfortunately, Bronco safety Brian Dawkins would punch the ball out of Ponder's arms. The ball would be recovered by Denver on the 32-yard line, fumbling away at least a field goal. 

In total, Ponders' three turnovers would lead to two touchdowns and cost the Vikings at least three points.

The Ugly: At 2-10, This Could Be the Worst Vikings Team in Franchise History

While Les Steckel, who currently owns the worst season in franchise history, had the misfortune of following the legendary Bud Grant, Leslie Frazier had the advantage of succeeding the unpopular Brad Childress.  

The Minnesota Vikings have too much talent to be sitting with the worst record in the NFC.

Sure, the defensive secondary has been decimated with injuries, but it has been the weakest link on the Vikings team all season. 

It is becoming very apparent why Frazier was passed over for a head coaching job before the Vikings appointed him head coach after the firing of Childress. 

Part of the problem may be in the coordinators Frazier hired. Neither defensive coordinator Fred Pagac nor offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have been coordinators in the NFL.

Some of the decisions made by this regime just boggles my mind. From the release of Bryant McKinnie, to the signing of Donovan McNabb, the re-signing of Bernard Berrian, to the release of McNabb, shows me a staff that is not in control.

The on-field decisions seem to baffle me as well. 

How many times do we see Adrian Peterson, the best running back in the NFL, jogging off the field on third down?

In the game against the Broncos, there was a critical third down that had Percy Harvin, the Vikings best offensive weapon, and Kyle Rudolph, their largest receiving target, on the sideline.

With the prospects of not winning another game this season, there will surely be some house cleaning to be done after this terrible season.