Sunday’s game in Philadelphia may not have been a “must win” for the Minnesota Vikings, but to get out of Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field with a victory is huge. Not just the W, but the way the Vikings won could go a long way to restoring the swagger they had been missing the first four weeks of the season.
There were a lot of heroes to be sure, and (at least for now) we don’t have to obsess about yet another kicker going haywire in a purple uniform.
This was one of those games like the ones in Green Bay and LA, where it looked like the Vikings were going to do just enough to lose. But for some reason, even while watching Dan Bailey miss not one but two makeable field goals, I still had a feeling that THIS time the outcome might be different.
The reasons for this optimism are many, but let’s start with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. I used to think people were overrating the wide receiver duo last season, when they started to wonder if they weren’t the NFL’s top pair. For that, I would like to publicly announce “I am sorry for ever doubting you.”
Diggs finished with nine catches for 91 yards and as you probably know by now, Thielen recorded seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. That makes him the first player since 1961 to start a season with five 100-plus-yard receiving games.
Every team knows they have to find a way to limit Thielen and Diggs... knowing it is one thing, but actually being able to do it is proving to be quite another. And on a day when Kirk Cousins attempted 37 passes, you have to give serious credit to the banged-up and much maligned Vikings offensive line for giving Kirk enough time to do his thing.
Said Cousins afterward, “To go on the road, with Riley Reif having to go out, and moving Rashod (Hill) over to left tackle Brian (O’Neill) a rookie stepping in at right tackle, I thought it was very impressive by them to only give up one sack and play the game that they played.”
Classy move by Cousins, who continues to make the Vikings look smart by going out and getting him. The QB was brilliant, completing 30 of 37 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown on a remarkable dime to Thielen.
It’s been a long time since the Vikings have had a quarterback of Cousins' caliber, and if that makeshift offensive line can continue to give him time the Vikings are going to be in most of the games they play.
Of course, there’s no way the Vikes win this one without Linval Joseph’s 64-yard fumble return for touchdown, or the Vikings' defense forcing a fumble by Philly’s Jay Ajai on their five-yard line.
“The get turnovers, we had a key turnover in the red zone, that was a big play too," said Joseph. “I think that play there jump-started our offense again in the second half to go down there and seal the game.”
Two back-to-back sequences in the fourth quarter were equally critical in getting the Vikings this win.
First, holding a tenuous 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter, rookie Roc Thomas was unable to bring in a swing pass from Cousins. The pass was backward, making it a lateral (and subsequent fumble) that the Eagles recovered on the Viking 30-yard line.
Looking like the Eagles were a safe bet for at least a field goal, the Vikings pressured Carson Wentz into intentional grounding on second and 10 from the 30, resulting in a 10-yard penalty and a loss of down. Harrison Smith separated Alshon Jeffrey from Wentz’s pass on the next play, and the Eagles ended up punting on fourth and 20 from the Viking 45.
The Purple then took over, first and 10 on their 11-yard line, with nine minutes and 11 seconds left in the game and produced a drive that could go on to define their season.
Mixing six passes and four runs, the Vikings moved the ball 55 yards to the Philadelphia 36-yard line, where Bailey redeemed himself by drilling a clutch 52-yard field goal, restoring the Vikings nine-point advantage at 23-14 with just 2:47 to play.
While the drive was critical, it was the WAY they did it (using the pass AND the run), eating up almost six and a half minutes of game time and giving the Viking defense critical time to rest in the fourth quarter. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who had been winless against Philly’s Doug Pederson in two earlier trips to Philly, said this win was just about as big as you could get.
“There was a lot of pressure on us to come in here and get a win,” said Zimmer. “I thought our guys studied hard this week, they prepared well and they went out and fought their rear ends off.”
In the end it came down to Thielen making one more play, this time coming up with Jake Elliot’s knuckleball on-sides kick to seal the deal.
Again, it may not have been a “must win" but for one week, the Vikings collectively found a way to win a tough game on the road. The kicker is, the victory in Philly will only truly matter if the Vikings go out next week at home and take care of business against Arizona.