Defense and special teams lift Vikings to 24-21 win

By Bill Lynch | Monday, November 14, 2005 | ( 0 )

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For the first time in NFL history a team was able to return an interception, a kickoff, and a punt return for a touchdown. The Minnesota Vikings (4-5) accomplished this feat, and in the process, they defeated the New York Giants (6-3) 24-21 despite the fact that their offense was terribly ineffective. For the first 58 plus minutes of the game, their passing and rushing attacks combined for only 95 total yards. Starting running back Michael Bennett could only muster 16 yards on the ground on 19 carries. Giants' defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora put constant pressure on Vikings' quarterback Brad Johnson.

Unfortunately the New York defense could not stop the Minnesota defense from picking off Giants' quarterback Eli Manning four times, which included a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown. They also could not stop the Vikings' special teams from returning a kickoff for an 86-yard touchdown return and returning a punt for a 71-yard score. And despite dominating the opposing offense for the vast majority of the game, they allowed Johnson to drive down the field for a game winning field goal by Paul Edinger with only 10 seconds left on the clock.

Tiki Barber had another career game with a personal best 111 receiving yards added onto his 95 rushing yards. He also scored a touchdown with only minutes left and also tacked on a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 21-21. Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, and Jeremy Shockey all had over 50 receiving yards, but all that was nullified by Manning's four interceptions. The offense finally clicked on their last drive which culminated in a touchdown, but it was too little, too late.

The Minnesota Vikings are somehow back in the playoff hunt in the NFC North with a 4-5 record. Meanwhile, the New York Giants hope to retain their NFC East lead depending on the outcome of the Redskins/Buccaneers and Cowboys/Eagles games. Their defense looked like a powerhouse for the third straight game, but their offense and special teams will need to play much better football if they want to start winning games again. Sloppy play plagued them all game, including on the opening kickoff, when Willie Ponder fumbled the return and the Vikings recovered.

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