Monday, November 26, 2012

No Percy Harvin? Now It's a Problem

The bye week is past and the tough part of the Vikings schedule began yesterday in Chicago.

The Bears came off a miserable performance in San Francisco last Monday night, so there was some hope for the Vikings.

But after kicking an early field goal at Soldier Field yesterday, it was all downhill for the Vikings.

Jay Cutler was back after suffering a concussion recently, and had a fine game. He led Chicago to three first half TDs, and one after an Adrian Peterson fumble. It was 25-3 at the break and it was pretty much all over. The Bears coasted into a 28-10 win.

Christian Ponder had a shaky game, going 22-for-43 for 159 yards, a TD (to Kyle Rudolph) and an interception. His favorite target, Percy Harvin, was forced to sit out another game with his ankle injury. Adrian Peterson was shut down in the first half with just 25 yards, but came alive after the break and finished with 108 yards rushing. He became the first Vikings running back to rush for 100 yards in 5 consecutive games.

It was a costly win for Chicago, as five regulars were lost to injuries, including Devin Hester and Charles Tillman.

The Vikings fell to 6-5, but were fortunate that Seattle, Tampa Bay, and especially Green Bay all lost yesterday. So there position in the playoff race is almost the same as it was going into yesterday's game.

Next Sunday will be another critical game, this time with the Packers in Green Bay. And I'm betting getting Percy Harvin back from injury will be absolutely necessary for the Vikings' chances of making it to the postseason this coming Sunday.

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