Vikings vs. Panthers: Highlights, game tracker and more

The Minnesota Vikings faced the Carolina Panthers on December 10 in Week14 of the 2017 NFL season. Here are highlights from the game.

In one of the bigger matchups in Week 14, the Minnesota Vikings (10-2) travel to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon to face the Carolina Panthers (8-4). The Vikings, leaders of the NFC North, can clinch the division with a win or losses by Detroit and Green Bay. Carolina can move into a first-place tie in the NFC South with a win.

This game should feature outstanding defense. The Vikings are No. 2 in total defense, while the Panthers rank No. 6 in total defense. Both teams are strong against the run, too, as Minnesota is second in run defense and Carolina is fourth. The Panthers will look to get their running game going with quarterback Cam Newton’s legs and Christian McCaffrey catching passes out of the backfield.

Newton, former league MVP, is having an up-and-down season. In Newton’s defense, he isn’t getting a ton of help from his running game or outside receivers. For as good as Newton is, it’s Minnesota’s quarterback who will be the talk of the game on Sunday. Case Keenum is having a career season in charge of Minnesota’s offense and is set for a huge payday in 2018 from the Vikings or someone else. Keenum is completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 2,703 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2017.

Quarterback play will certainly play a large role in the outcome of this game. Newton has turned the ball over far more frequently than Keenum this season. Keenum, though, will face plenty of pressure on Sunday afternoon and how he handles it will determine how successful Minnesota’s offense is this weekend.

Minnesota leads the all-time series, 8-5, and have won the past two meetings. The Vikings also happen to be the hottest team in the NFL, winners of eight in a row. Carolina, meanwhile, lost an important division battle to New Orleans last week but had previously won four in a row.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/939920926589706240

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/939929137849839616

https://twitter.com/nfl/status/939961892834963456

https://twitter.com/nfl/status/939961892834963456

Whenever you have a game between two teams of this caliber, the implications are obvious. As such, it was interesting from the jump to see which version of the Vikings and the Panthers would show up on Sunday.