Minnesota Vikings: Players on the Rise After Week 8
By Luke Sims
On Sunday at Soldier Field, the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) slipped past the Chicago Bears (2-5) with a field goal as time expired, winning 23-20.
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Frankly, this game was a bit of a disappointment on the whole. Division games are meant to be tough. When you meet teams twice a year and that rivalry brews, almost anything can happen. But this was a game the Vikings simply should have won in much grander fashion.
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Instead, it was a three-point game (and the Bears missed a field goal) that saw the Vikings exposed as weaker than some may have originally thought.
In particular, Alshon Jeffery‘s ability to make the Vikings secondary (he caught 10 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown) look mediocre at best, quarterback Jay Cutler out-muscled safety Harrison Smith at the goal line for a rushing touchdown, and the offense didn’t seem to be entirely on the same page. The Bears had more first downs and higher time of possession (even with one less drive), and won the turnover battle.
Fortunately for the Vikings, a win is a win, no matter how ugly and the ugly ones count just as much as all the others.
Not everyone was a disappointment, though. While this list is shorter than usual, here are three players who saw their stock rise in Week 8 for the Vikings.
Nov 1, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback
Marcus Sherels(35) returns a punt for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
DB/PR Marcus Sherels
Sherels really should be the hero of the Vikings victory over the Bears. His punt return for a touchdown when the Vikings were down 0-3 was the spark that the team needed to get things right. It didn’t look like the Vikings were mounting much of a game, coming out stunningly flat before Sherels took it to the house.
In fact the entire punt return unit should be commended for how well the return looked. With a beautiful wall down the right side of the field, Sherels accelerated up the sideline and didn’t even need to look back.
It was good to see Sherels get his first return for a TD sine 2013 and it helped do the work to get the Vikings on track.
Dec 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tackle
Mike Harris(79) and guard
Joe Berger(61) and center
John Sullivan(65) and guard Vladimir Ducasse (62) prepare to block against the New York Jets in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive Line
Every person on the offensive line should be commended. They weren’t perfect, but this was a step forward for a unit that has looked mediocre at times this season. Pro Football Focus had right guard Michael Harris as the highest-graded player in the game (+4.6) for the Vikes.
Left guard Brandon Fusco was really the lone disappointment for the unit, but they all played together much more cohesively than they have at other times this season. It isn’t a perfectly sound unit, but it is learning to gel and step up together.
More than any other positions in football, the offensive line needs to play together and act as one. On Sunday against the Chicago Bears, it really looked like the Vikings O-Line was finally starting to come together.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sacked just once and running back Adrian Peterson was able to mount another 100 yard game. That’s a step forward for this unit.
Nov 1, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker
Blair Walsh(3) kicks the game winning field goal against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. The Vikings won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
PK Blair Walsh
Blair Walsh was struggling coming into the 2015 regular season. It was a major concern for the team and it rightly got plenty of attention.
Week 8 may have been exactly what he needed to finally put everything behind him.
Not only did Walsh have the game-winning kick as time expired, but he also connected on two other kicks. All told, he was 100 percent from 43, 48, and 36 yards out and he didn’t miss an extra point. His kicks were solid and didn’t look in danger of sneaking outside the uprights.
Walsh won with a kick and the opposing kicker, Robbie Gould, missed one.
With Sunday’s three field goals, Walsh has now hit on 17-of-19 field goals and is 12-of-14 on points after.