Of Bridgewater's 16 incompletions, half were because of poorly targeted passes as he failed to consistently place the ball where his receivers had the best chance to catch it. Receivers contributed drops, but wide-open overthrows, including what should have been a touchdown on 3rd-and-9 to Charles Johnson, are inexcusable for a NFL quarterback.
Twice Kalil gave up pressures and Bridgewater had to bail the Vikings out with his feet, scrambling to gain yardage. Subsequently, the Vikings didn't run the ball a single time between Charlie Johnson and Kalil.
Game ball: Xavier Rhodes -- Rhodes' early pass deflections were crucial in setting the pace that helped dictate what plays the Packers ran on Sunday. His physical play has been a godsend to Zimmer's secondary.
Goat(s): Anthony Barr -- It seems some of those rookie moments have come more often than not for Barr, who has missed seven tackles in the last two games combined.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
The odd thing is Barr was one of the better tacklers up until the past two games.
I'm thinking either coaches are seeing something on film and exploiting it, over persuing perhaps. Or the coaches are trying to use him in increasingly different roles which are putting him out of position.
S197 wrote:The odd thing is Barr was one of the better tacklers up until the past two games.
I'm thinking either coaches are seeing something on film and exploiting it, over persuing perhaps. Or the coaches are trying to use him in increasingly different roles which are putting him out of position.
It seems as though the same jinx or curse that afflicts CP and Kalil has found it's way to Barr
Do not mistake KINDNESS for WEAKNESS!
Best to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool rather than open it and remove all doubt.
losperros wrote:
I thought Rhodes was downright awesome against the Pack. He's one of the future bright spots on the team.
No doubt. I honestly think Rodgers stopped throwing his way and picked on Munnerlyn instead. I don't know how many (statistically) passes Rhodes defended Sunday, but it seemed like a dozen. He was just not allowing anything his way.
EDIT: Well, I guess actually watching the film and reading the article provides answers ... probably shoulda done that before commenting. Officially two passes deflected, and Rodgers did, in fact, stop throwing his way. Munnerlyn was mentioned often in the article as being picked on. So that answers that!
Last edited by J. Kapp 11 on Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I guess this is a good place as any to put PFF gameday grades here:
Minnesota Vikings – Performances of Note
Joe Banyard, HB: +2.3
Breakdown: Much was made of the Vikings signing Ben Tate during the week, but this was the week we finally got to see Joe Banyard given a chance, and he looked like Minnesota’s best running back (AP set aside). Banyard split time with Jerick McKinnon but was the more impressive in this game.
Signature Stat: Banyard played 30 snaps to McKinnon’s 39 but outgained him 5.6 yards per touch to 3.6
Matt Kalil, OT: -0.5
Breakdown: We have given Matt Kalil a lot of flak this season so it’s only fair to point out when he holds up OK. As you can see, his grade has a minus sign in front of it, so that’s about as far as we can go in terms of praise this time, but it represents only his third game not graded in the red this season and his second in three weeks.
Signature Stat: This was the first game all season that Kalil has not allowed his quarterback to hit the ground. He surrendered three hurries, but no sacks or knockdowns.
Xavier Rhodes, CB: +2.1
Breakdown: This is really a joint performance of note with both Rhodes and Josh Robinson holding up very well against the Packers receiving corps and Jordy Nelson in particular. They still got beaten on occasion, but were rarely out of position badly and were all over their receivers at the catch point on several occasions.
Signature Stat: Combined Rhodes and Robinson were thrown at 16 times, allowing eight catches for 72 yards while breaking up two of them. Rhodes, in particular, allowed just two catches for 18 yards.