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Mike Wobschall
vikings.com
So what went wrong? Here are a few ideas…
Cowboys netted 14-point swing to open 2nd half
With 12:23 to play in the 3rd quarter, the Vikings had a 10-6 lead behind a Blair Walsh
field goal in the 1st quarter and then a six-yard Christian Ponder
touchdown run, his fourth of the season, in the 2nd quarter. But things changed quickly, and drastically, at that point. Less than one minute of game time later, the Cowboys had surged ahead and were enjoying a 20-10 lead.
Neither defense nor offense closed when given the chance
Touchdowns by Kyle Rudolph
and Adrian Peterson
allowed the Vikings to recover from that 14-point swing and take back the lead, and then, with a 23-20 advantage in their favor, the Vikings defense had Romo and Co. trapped in a 3rd and 9 from their own 27 with just 4:35 to play in the game.
Couldn’t capitalize on prime field position
When you’re a struggling team playing on the road against a high-scoring offense, taking advantage of every opportunity is a must.
Ball security
On three occasions the Vikings mishandled or turned over a possession that wound up costing them. The first two came in combination, with Patterson muffing a kickoff and the ball bouncing out of bounds at the Minnesota 5 as a result. On the first play of that drive, Ponder was sacked and lost possession of the ball in the end zone, resulting in the Hayden touchdown.
Injuries continue to mount
The Vikings came into the game banged up. It got worse during the game, as right tackle Phil Loadholt
(concussion), cornerback Xavier Rhodes
(knee) and tight end Kyle Rudolph (foot) all left the game due to injury. Defensive tackle Letroy Guion
was also hobbled during the game.
Read more: http://www.vikings.com/news/article...oys-Loss/35b2a39a-eafe-4ed3-a8ad-2cf8eaaa5dae
vikings.com
So what went wrong? Here are a few ideas…
Cowboys netted 14-point swing to open 2nd half
With 12:23 to play in the 3rd quarter, the Vikings had a 10-6 lead behind a Blair Walsh
field goal in the 1st quarter and then a six-yard Christian Ponder
touchdown run, his fourth of the season, in the 2nd quarter. But things changed quickly, and drastically, at that point. Less than one minute of game time later, the Cowboys had surged ahead and were enjoying a 20-10 lead.Neither defense nor offense closed when given the chance
Touchdowns by Kyle Rudolph
and Adrian Peterson
allowed the Vikings to recover from that 14-point swing and take back the lead, and then, with a 23-20 advantage in their favor, the Vikings defense had Romo and Co. trapped in a 3rd and 9 from their own 27 with just 4:35 to play in the game.Couldn’t capitalize on prime field position
When you’re a struggling team playing on the road against a high-scoring offense, taking advantage of every opportunity is a must.
Ball security
On three occasions the Vikings mishandled or turned over a possession that wound up costing them. The first two came in combination, with Patterson muffing a kickoff and the ball bouncing out of bounds at the Minnesota 5 as a result. On the first play of that drive, Ponder was sacked and lost possession of the ball in the end zone, resulting in the Hayden touchdown.
Injuries continue to mount
The Vikings came into the game banged up. It got worse during the game, as right tackle Phil Loadholt
(concussion), cornerback Xavier Rhodes
(knee) and tight end Kyle Rudolph (foot) all left the game due to injury. Defensive tackle Letroy Guion
was also hobbled during the game.Read more: http://www.vikings.com/news/article...oys-Loss/35b2a39a-eafe-4ed3-a8ad-2cf8eaaa5dae
