3 Stars: Momma Always Said

As my momma always said, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Which is why I'm going to start out the week with the 3 Stars before I get into the fountain of negativity that will be actually analyzing this game. It's never a good sign when you have to try hard to come up with three stars, rather than having to weed out undeserving candidates. Everyone on the offense not named Adrian Peterson was immediately eliminated for the most pathetic half of football since the game at Green Bay last year (another bad sign-that was only five games ago). And defensively, there were only a few stand outs. I actually considered Chris Kluwe due to his three punts inside the twenty. Ugh.

Anyway, before I get to cynical and sarcastic, let's move onto the stars of the game. I don't want to waste any of my cynicism on my "positive" post, since I'm going to need it all for the actual game recap.

3rd Star: Spencer Johnson

Spencer Johnson was one of the bright spots yesterday and the only defender who managed to get to Damon Huard, doing so twice. He also created the Vikings only turnover of the day dragging down Huard as he attempted to throw a swing pass, causing a fumble. He also helped the Vikings dominate a Chiefs rushing game that was supposed to be their strength, holding them to 56 yards on 31 carries for the day.

2nd Star: Chad Greenway

It's hard to say how much of an impact Chad Greenway would have had last season, but he's showing this year that he wasn't just killing time last season while he was sitting out injured. Greenway led the team with eight tackles yesterday and was a key part of shutting down the Chiefs running game. He's now leading the team in tackles, with 25, and is second in solo tackles, with 17. He also managed to recover the fumble Spencer Johnson caused, setting up the Vikings final scoring play of the game. If there was any doubt before today about whether he was fully recovered from his knee injury, it was put to rest by Greenway's outstanding effort.

1st Star: Adrian "Purple Jesus" Peterson

The Purple Jesus is becoming a fixture in the 3 Stars post, not surprising, considering he's become the focus of the offense. He had 25 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown yesterday, for an outstanding 4.08 yards per carry average. He also had 3 catches for 48 yards, which means that he had 60% of the Vikings 252 total yards yesterday. That probably says it all, right? The kid's really good--let's all pray he doesn't get hurt.