Vikings game ball: Adrian Peterson

By Krupka  |   Tuesday, September 11, 2007  |  Comments( 9 )

Minnesota Vikings
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The Minnesota Vikings' 24-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday was the consummate team win. Minnesota was in control the entire game with each of the three facets -- offense, defense and special teams -- doing what was necessary to defeat Atlanta.

Each Tuesday, I will give out a game ball to a player who was most influential in helping the Vikings the previous contest.

Let's take a look at the nominees for Week 1.


Chris Kluwe- The Viking punter had an outstanding day, pinning the Falcons deep in their own territory on a consistent basis. All five of his punts left Atlanta inside its own 20-yard line, and he had a long of 52 yards. The special teams unit looked vastly improved from the preseason, and some of the credit goes to Kluwe.

The defense - The entire defense played phenomenally, so it's hard to pinpoint just one player.

Linebacker Ben Leber, although he took a penalty, set the tone on the very first play when he hit Falcons QB Joey Harrington late. Harrington escaped heavy pressure to avoid the safety, but he was nailed by Leber, a linebacker. From then on, the signal caller seemed uncomfortable, and he would go on to have a bad game.

Defensive tackle Kevin Williams scored the first touchdown of the year for Minnesota, intercepting a pass and returning it 54 yards for a score.

Linebacker Chad Greenway, playing in his first meaningful contest, had a game-high 10 tackles.

The Achilles' heel last year was pass defense and sacks, but both seemed much improved as Minnesota allowed just 199 aerial yards and took down Harrington six times.

Tarvaris Jackson- The stats don't look great -- 13 of 23 for 163 yards, one touchdown and one interception -- but Jackson played within himself, limited his mistakes and notched his first career victory. If Jackson, who wasn't sacked at all by Atlanta, is able to manage the game every week like he did Sunday, Minnesota should win a fair share of its games.

The offensive line- The O-line also looked improved from last year. Surprisingly, many of Minnesota's large gains rushing came as a result of great right-side blocking. Oddly, the right side was supposed to be the Vikings' weak link on the line. Nevertheless, the entire group of blockers cleared the way for 139 yards on the ground and, as mentioned earlier, didn't allow any sacks.

Adrian Peterson- In his first career game, the ex-Oklahoma Sooner showed the explosiveness and playmaking ability Minnesota knew it was getting when it drafted the running back with the No. 7 overall pick in April. Originally, Peterson was expected to split carries with starter Chester Taylor. However, a hip injury sustained early in the game by Taylor put the onus on Peterson to shoulder the load. And, boy, did he ever. The rookie carried the ball 19 times for 103 yards and added a spectacular catch on a swing pass, which he took 60 yards for a touchdown.

Because of his stellar, game-breaking performance, Peterson deserves the game ball in his inaugural NFL contest. Kevin Williams and the 'D' are a close second.

-Senior writer Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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