Dalvin Cook‘s 489 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns lead the league. The Vikings star running back, though, won’t play Sunday after injuring his groin in the Week Five loss to the Seahawks Instead, Alexander Mattison will make his first career start. Mattison has played 18 career games but always as a backup. He had 124 carries for 569 yards in his career before last week when he replaced Cook and ran for a career-high 112 yards on 20 carries. “I guess the best compliment I can give Matt is that when Dalvin leaves the game, I don’t change my mindset at all,” offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “I mean he’s a fine, young player, is playing behind a very established player in this league, so he’s got a great example in front of him. Matt is a three-down player. He understands pass protections, catches the ball really well, and you guys have seen what he can do, so we’re really proud of how he played the other night. I would say everybody expects it from him, because of watching him work, watching him practice and his preparation as a player, and [Kennedy Polamalu] does a really good job with him, so Matt has got a very bright future.” It is a chance at redemption for Mattison, who came up a yard short on fourth-and-one with two minutes remaining in a five-point game that turned into a one-point loss after Russell Wilson‘s heroics. NBC
The Vikings thought they were reloading. Their record suggests they’re rebuilding, especially on defense. The good news, if there is any, is that the defense has gotten better as the season has progressed. The bad news, and there’s plenty, is that the defense has failed to hold late leads against a pair of elite teams, Tennessee and Seattle. If the defense had held up its end of the bargain, Minnesota would be 3-2, not 1-4. Safety Harrison Smith, a leader of the defense who finally added a “C” to his jersey this year, recently explained the current state of a unit that not long ago was among the league’s best. “We are a little bit younger, newer, whatever you want to call it, than we have been in the past,” Smith said Friday, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “And we are making a ton of improvement across the board in all phases. But like you say, winning is it. Nobody is waiting around taking those empty wins. It’s a good thing, but at the end of the day, winning. It’s only winning. So I think that mind-set too is important to ingrain in a young guy — that losing is not OK. Getting better is important and that’s the only way you’re going to get to winning. But at the end of the day, no matter how you win, no matter what you do, game day wins, that’s why we’re here.” The Vikings have their best chance of the season to get a win on Sunday, with the 0-5 Falcons coming to town fresh from a housecleaning. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Julio Jones seems to be healthy — and Xavier Rhodes is no longer there to slow him down. Minnesota will need one of its young corners to step up, or 1-4 could become 1-5 at the bye. If whoever gets the call to cover Jones can’t get it done, that player will likely hear it from Smith. “It’s not like people need that tough love, but you need to know how it is and that’s the reality of this profession,” Smith said. “Especially playing defense these days. It’s hard. Accept it as that and rise to the occasion. Because when you win, it makes it that much better.” A victory would move Minnesota to 2-4 with two weeks to prepare for a shot at redemption against the Packers on November 1, part of a three-game tour of the division (Lions and Bears are up next) that could give Minnesota a chance to pull itself back into the chase for the seventh seed in the NFC playoff field. NBC ________ ________________ They need a complete team game today.... no turnovers can help the defense big time.
They need a complete team game today.... no turnovers can help the defense big time.[/QUOTE] The Defense needs to learn how to win I hope the Vikings can finally fix the O-line cause they.will play a major part in Alexander Mattison success it's time for Irv Smith jr play a bigger role GO VIKINGS
The Vikings come out and do exactly the opposite of what I was talking about, lol. Can not turn the ball over.
They got to rid of this guy and Zimmer got to go you got to be kidding me where the hell is the Defense ( sigh )
It's a beatdown will there be any halftime adjustments? Looks the Falcons will get there first win another INT 3red one
WTF is going on here is anybody in charge here this is pitful Mike Zimmer the ghost of Marvin Lewis is strong,what an embarrassing effort by the head coach!
Cleveland has not.had a very GOOD GAME why can't the Vikings fix there O-line problem it's been years
