Defense propels Vikings to victory

By Krupka  |   Monday, October 09, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Minnesota Vikings
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The adage in the NFL has always said that defense wins championships. For the Minnesota Vikings, the latter remains to be seen. But, boy, do they have a good defense. And on Sunday, they found out defense wins games.

All afternoon, the offense had trouble moving the ball, let alone scoring a touchdown. So the defense took matters into its own hands and did what the offense had been unable to do--score touchdowns.

With a 17-3 deficit looming at the start of the fourth quarter, the Vikings were in trouble. The defeated Detroit Lions, winless in their last eight attempts against the Vikings, and winless in Minnesota since 1997, had a win all but locked up. Then they had the misfortune of being the Lions.

See, when you're the Detroit Lions, you find ways to lose. Ways to come up just short, and torment your fans. But, hey, if you're a Detroit fan, who really cares right now? I mean, after all, you're still probably drunk with excitement over the Detroit Tigers.

Then again, let's not discount what really happened in the Metrodome. The Minnesota Vikings, staring blankly at a possible third consecutive loss, were down 14 points to the lowly Lions, yet had dominated the game statistically. The difference up to that point was the three Vikings turnovers turned into 14 Lions points. With the game on the line, in crunch time, the better team won, thanks to its defense.

In the game's final stanza, for the first time since Week 1, the Vikings resembled a complete team--playoff caliber to boot. The offense was no longer offensive, but became aggressive, moving the ball downfield; and (gasp) the unit scored a touchdown. Then the defense took over.

After an illegal block in the back penalty nullified Eddie Drummond's ensuing return for a touchdown, the Vikings' defense stepped up in the form of 317 pounds of brute strength. Defensive tackle Pat Williams flew into the backfield untouched, sacking quarterback Jon Kitna and knocking the ball loose. Linebacker Ben Leber picked up the loose ball and walked into the end zone, holding the ball in one hand for the 1-yard fumble return TD.

The extra point was blocked, leaving a 17-16 advantage in the Lions' favor. The Vikings defense' forced consecutive three-and-outs. Then the offense was stuffed at the goal line, settling up a 20-yard field goal.

However, the defense wasn't done yet. With just under two minutes remaining on a fourth-and-10 at their own 49-yard line, Kitna was pressured heavily, scrambled around, and, as he was being taken down, tossed the ball up. Linebacker E.J. Henderson snatched it with one hand and scampered down the sideline for the touchdown.

With the game on the line, the Vikings' defense stepped up. During the offseason plenty of pundits ripped the Vikings' linebackers, saying they weren't good enough for the Tampa 2 defensive scheme the team was implementing. Sunday, each of the three starting LBs (Leber, Napoleon Harris, Henderson) showed exactly why defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin has shown so much confidence in them. The linebackers accounted for three turnovers (one apiece), two touchdowns, and 11 tackles.

With the loss the Lions have now dropped nine consecutive games against the division-rival Vikings, including 15 of the last 17 meetings.

The focus in Minnesota is on the defense. If you weren't a believer in the Vikings' defense before, and aren't after this performance, ask Jon Kitna about it.

Defense wins games.


Eric Krupka is a senior writer for RealFootball365.com He responds to readers email daily, and can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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