Fourth Quarter Thoughts: It's Better to Be Lucky...

(If you're trying to figure out what I'm referencing, these are all in roughly chronological order. Thoughts on the First Half and Third Quarter are below.)

• Ben Leber has been great in coverage today. He's knocked down two deep passes to go along with his acrobatic interception, one in the Third Quarter and one near the beginning of the Fourth Quarter. The most impressive part was that he was covering Devery Henderson, the Saints' deep threat both times.

• Martin Gramatica's absolutely launched the field goal that tied the game at 20. It was a 53 yarder, but it would have been good from much further back--it was still at the top of the goal posts when it crossed the bar. A tape measure field goal if you will.

• I think I understand now what Bears' fans were talking about when they said that Bernard Berrian had too many drops--he should have caught that pass for a first down.

• Either Chris Kluwe just massively screwed up, or Brad Childress should be fired for not telling Kluwe to punt the ball out of bounds. Inexcusable.

• Bernard Berrian more than made up for his earlier drop--both catches he had on the drive following Bush's second punt return touchdown were catches that a lesser receiver doesn't make. Both balls were underthrown, but he was still able to adjust, come back to the ball and hang on while being covered by multiple defenders, and, on the touchdown, by Aundrae Allison. I don't know how long it's been since the Vikings' have had a receiver with 100 yards in a game, but Berrian has 110 yards already and the 69 yards he had on that drive might have saved the game for the Purple.

• Cedric Griffin absolutely LIT UP Billy Miller. I think it was a legal hit too, despite Mike Tirico's politicking for a fine. That was Greg Blue-esque (heh). Ben Leber's coverage was pretty good on the play, but Drew Brees' pass was perfectly placed just above Leber's outstretched arms. I have to say, I've enjoyed watching a good quarterback work, even if it's come at the expense of the Vikings. We really have got to get ourselves one of those.
  

• I don't know what Sean Payton was thinking when he called his final two plays before the Two Minute Warning. Rather than run the ball on 2nd Down with 2:13 left, letting the clock run down to the two minute warning (or forcing the Vikings' to burn one of their two time outs), he called a pass, which ended up incomplete. Then he did it again on third down. And that left 2:04 in the half , a 46 yard field goal attempt (which Gramatica left--whoooo) and the Vikings with two timeouts.
  

• Yeah, I'd have to say that Bernard Berrian has more than made up for that dropped pass. Not a bad thought by Frerotte to chuck it deep on 3rd and 3 and not a bad throw either. That play doesn't happen last year and without it, there's almost no way the Vikings get down the field in time to get a field goal attempt.
  

Three Stars: Yup, I'm Still Doing It

After I took an unplanned week off (sometimes, work just takes over), the Vikings responded by losing a game against a very beatable team, which most likely ended any realistic hope of their finishing .500, let alone making the playoffs. Just like after the last seven games, however, it's important for us to congratulate those players who turned in quality performances for the Purple. And, even in the loss, there were quite a few.

• Brooks Bollinger, the Vikings third string quarterback turned in a quality performance in relief of Kelly Holcombe, after Holcombe got to find out what Deacon Jones Helmet Slap felt like prior to having his head driven into the turf. When Bollinger came out throwing, I was openly questioning Brad Childress' play calling. When Bollinger completed his first three throws for thirty yards, I was less skeptical. Bollinger never got the Vikings in the endzone, and he was sacked twice, but he also completed seven of ten passes for 96 yards and rushed for 15 yards on two carries. They weren't amazing stats, but they were pretty solid.

• The Purple Jesus doesn't make the three stars this week, for the first time this season. It might be a matter of expectations being too high for him, but Adrian Peterson was good, but not great, rushing for 70 yards on 20 carries. He also made an awful mistake on the opening kick of the second half that practically guaranteed the Vikings would not be able to do anything with the drive. That being said, he still turned in some plays that defy description--I have never, and I mean never, seen a running back HURDLE the line and then hit the ground running.

• Both Keneci Udeze and Ben Leber both turned in crucial sacks in the second half, sacks that helped force the Eagles two punts before they started running to kill time. The only other time the Eagles punted also included pressure on McNabb. That's not a coincidence folks.

3rd Star: Ryan Longwell

Yeah, he's the kicker. He was also responsible for 62.5% of the Vikings points. Without him, the Vikings don't keep within striking distance of the Eagles. And while two of his kicks were only a little more than 30 yarders, his final field goal was a 48 yarder, which isn't a chip shot in anyway. And, if the Vikings are going to make him such an important part of their offense, then I'm going to reward him with a spot in the three stars.

2nd Star: Visanthe Shiancoe

Shiancoe set a career high for receptions today, catching five passes for fifty yards (his second highest total), including two big first downs. He also hauled in the Vikings only touchdown pass, which ties him for second on the team in touchdowns (lets not talk about the fact that Adrian Peterson is the only Viking with more than one touchdown). Today was the day that the Shiancoe showed off the receiving skills that led to the Vikings signing him for 5 years and $18.2 million. If he can continue to have this kind of an impact on games, he'll be a bargain.

1st Star: E.J. Henderson

E.J. Henderson is one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL. He's also one of the hardest hitters. His performance today was just another example of why those first two statements are correct. He racked up ten tackles, second only to Antoine Winfield's eleven, and was a huge reason why the Eagles were held to only 62 rushing yards on 25 carries. Bryant Westbrook rushed for a paltry 46 yards on 21 carries. Prior to this week, Westbrook had the 8th best success rate amongst NFL running backs and the 4th best DVOA. Both of those stats deal with how good a back is on a per carry basis. Westbrook is going to see his stats drop after this week and E.J. Henderson is the biggest reason why.

Three Stars and the Purple Jesus

Well...that certainly looked like a kick ass offense, didn't it? The Vikings haven't put up this many points since they beat Chicago's backups in the final game of the 2005 season. And I have to say, it feels good to once again have to decide between many deserving candidates, rather than having to stretch a little bit to feel out the Three Stars.

Some of the Vikings that deserve to be honored but didn't make the cut include E.J. Henderson, who lead the team in tackles, including a hit on Jason McKie that was so vicious it sent the ball flying in the air and left McKie unconcious on the field. Sidney Rice only caught one pass (and he really, really should have caught the pass right before his reception), but main, what a catch that was, having to stop, turn around and launch his 6'4 frame into a dive to haul it in. Tarvaris Jackson also had some miscues, including some startling inaccurate passes, but he did not turn the ball over once today, and he threw a breathtakingly beautiful deep ball to Troy Williamson that was so well thrown that even Troy Williamson had to catch it.

Before we move on to the Three Stars, I'd like to take this moment to honor Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins. By making a juggling interception on the sideline, he helped Brett Favre become the Interception King and allowed Favre to set the record against the team that was the first to pick him off. A tip of the horns goes out to Rogers, who will always be welcome amongst Vikings Fans. And now, the Three Stars:

Third Star: Troy Williamson

If you'd told me prior to the game that Troy Williamson would be the leading receiver against da Bears, I would have been worried. For once, however, Williamson showed why he was the 7th overall pick. He's always had the speed and he's always had the ability to get by corners and safeties, but, for whatever reason, the catching part has eluded him. It didn't against da Bears, when he hauled in a 60 yard touchdown pass to answer Devin Hester and tie the game at the end of the first quarter. And it was good.

Second Star: Ben Leber

Da Bears were driving near the end of the third quarter, looking to answer Adrian Peterson's 73 yard touchdown run that had put the Vikings up 21-14. After a false start, Brian Griese looked across the middle for Desmond Clark, who was wide open for a sure first down. Luckily for the Vikings, Leber was there, or at least close enough to stretch out for a leaping interception that set up a Vikings field goal. He also had the Vikings only sack, when he came in unmolested to drop Griese and end another Bears drive.

First Star: Ryan Longwell

What? You expected someone else to get the First Star? C'mon--it's got to be tiring kicking all those extra points. And I like to reward kickers when they make game winning 55 yard field goals. Longwell bounced back from a miss against Detroit to knock a possible season saving field goal through the swirling Soldier Field winds and seal the Purple's second victory, and Brad Childress' first division win against a team aside from Detroit.

Purple Jesus: Adrian Peterson

When a Vikings' player obliterates a franchise record and almost singlehandidly carries them to victory in the most stunning coming out party I've ever seen, they don't get the First Star. That would cheapen it somehow. Adrian Peterson really was the Purple Jesus on Sunday, breaking three long touchdown runs, all of which he earned. He broke tackles, made cutbacks and embarrassed defenders in ways they weren't ready to be embarrassed. These weren't runs that any back could have made. And it wasn't enough for the Purple Jesus to score three touchdowns and rush for 224 yards on 20 carries. Not at all. The NFL's leading rusher also returned four kickoffs for 128 yards, including a 53 yard return that set up the game winning field goal. Not only did he outrush da Bears, the fifth time he's outrushed the Vikings' opponent, he accounted for 52% of the Vikings' total yards. Honestly, I don't have the words to describe how dominant he was today. I've never seen anything like it, and that includes Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper at their best. That's something folks. Man is that something.