SB Nation Minnesota - Vikings Vs. Colts: Wrapping Up A Rough Loss For Minnesota

NFL Issues Fines For Matt Kalil And Jasper Brinkley, But Not Jared Allen

2012-09-21T21:09:41Z

The Minnesota Vikings ended the weekend on a pretty sour note last Sunday when Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts handed the team its first loss of the season. Unfortunately some Vikings were also hit quite hard in the pocketbook, though Jared Allen somehow avoided the wrath of the NFL.

Allen complained quite a bit about a personal foul penalty he was called for, leading most to believe he'd be fined for complaining about the officiating if not for the hit. That wasn't the case, however, as 1500 ESPN was able to track down the fines from last weekend's game -- and although quite a few Vikings were included, Allen wasn't one of them.

Rookie offensive lineman Matt Kalil was fined $7,875 for a late hit on Colts nose tackle Martin Tevaseu while Jasper Brinkley was fined the same amount for the altercation he was involved with alongside Colts tight end Dwayne Allen.

As far as the Colts are concerned, offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo and Allen were both fined $7,875 as well.

Head over to Daily Norseman for more Vikings news, and be sure to visit SB Nation's NFL hub for more coverage from around the league.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Where Minnesota Is Mystifying

2012-09-19T12:00:57Z

The old saying goes, "Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern". So after two weeks of NFL action, we have 32 coincidences. We're not quite at the point of the season where we can definitively pin down patterns yet, but there is a nice bit of symmetry going on in the league:

Six teams are undefeated at 2-0.
Twenty teams are even 1-1.
Six teams are still searching for their first win at 0-2.

But all records are not created equal. Here's our latest iteration of the NFL power rankings. After each team we provide their record and how they moved in the rankings compared to last week.

49ers (2-0, NC): Two impressive wins over NFC North teams that made the playoffs last year. Next up: another NFC North team, but one that went 3-13 last year and just lost to a team that went 2-14 last year. Something tells us that San Francisco will be in this area of the power rankings next week too.
Texans (2-0, +2): They haven't really played anybody of worth yet, but they've certainly looked dominant over the two teams they faced. It'll be tough to beat Houston and their punishing running attack when they get a lead.
Falcons (2-0, +2): Atlanta might just have a formidable defense to go with their high-powered passing attack.
Packers (1-1, +3): They got back on track defensively against Chicago, but their offense isn't hitting on all cylinders yet.
Chargers (2-0, +6): Another team that has played two bottom feeders. However, this is Norv Turner's first 2-0 start in 15 years as a head coach. Any team that can overcome that kind of ineptitude must be pretty good.
Patriots (1-1, -3): Thanks for ruining half the world's suicide pools, New England! Now prove that loss to Arizona was a bizarre anomaly and not a sign of what's to come.
Eagles (2-0, +7): Nine turnovers, two wins. They can obviously move the ball up and down the field if they can stop shooting themselves in the foot.
Ravens (1-1, -2): Tough loss to Philly thanks to a couple very questionable calls by the replacement referees. It doesn't get any easier with New England coming to town this week.
Giants (1-1, NC): Really close to being 0-2 to start the year. The offense is explosive but their vaunted pass rush has been eerily quiet. Are they just too beat up to compete at a high level right now?
Steelers (1-1, +3): Great showing by their depleted defense to knock Mark Sanchez and company back to preseason form. Their offensive line is still a mess but they have the perfect quarterback to remedy the problem.
Broncos (1-1, -5): Psst...Peyton Manning isn't all the way back yet. Still, it was impressive to see them fight back in the Monday night game after the worst possible start.
Cardinals (2-0, +8): Their defense has just been upgraded from "legit" to "holy crap they might be one of the best in the league". If they keep the dream alive and beat Philadelphia this week, expect another big jump in the rankings.
Lions (1-1, -1): Kept it respectable on the road against our top rated team. They need more consistency on both sides of the ball.
Bears (1-1, -6): Good Jay Cutler showed up in Week 1. A-hole Jay Cutler reared his whiny head in Week 2. They go as far as he goes...and I'd be worried about that if I were a Chicago fan.
Seahawks (1-1, +9): Classic Seattle: struggle on the road, look great at home. We'll see just how great they are in the Pacific Northwest when the Pack comes to town on Monday.
Cowboys (1-1, -6): They were down 10-0 before they knew it in Seattle. They can't afford to make that many mistakes, especially on special teams.
Buccaneers (1-1, -1): They gave away that game to the Giants. By allowing roughly seven miles of Eli Manning passing yards.
Panthers (1-1, +5): I'm not sure if they'll make the playoffs, but I can guarantee that this is one of the most fun teams to watch in the league.
Bengals (1-1, +2): Surprisingly, it's their defense that's the big concern so far. They're ranked 30th after being a top 10 unit the past few years.
Redskins (1-1, -5): It felt like a pretty fluky loss to Saint Louis. The bigger issue: the horrible injuries they suffered to their defense.
Jets (1-1, -4): Must...not...make...clichéd...joke...about...crowd...chanting...for...backup...quarterback...
Bills (1-1, +5): There's the Buffalo team that a lot of people expected last week. Now do it against a team that isn't horrible.
Rams (1-1, +2): There's a reason that people are running to pick up Danny Amendola off their fantasy football waiver wire like it was a Black Friday sale: this team might not be all that bad. I don't know how they're accomplishing anything behind their third-string offensive linemen, but they're looking competitive at the very least.
Saints (0-2, -6): In the immortal words of Scooby-Doo: ruh roh. The only winless team in the NFC has alot of tough questions to answer.
Colts (1-1, +5): Andrew Luck will keep this team in a lot of games they have no business winning. That said, they were obviously the better team in Indianapolis this past Sunday.
Dolphins (1-1, +6): Huh?! They looked pretty darn sharp against Oakland. Reggie Bush finally played the game he was drafted to play over six years ago.
Vikings (1-1, -8): So we rated them way too high last week at 19. Cut us some slack. We are a Minnesota site after all. Paging Jared Allen...no sight of him yet in the 2012 season.
Browns (0-2, +3): Unlike the remaining teams on this list, at least Cleveland is putting up a fight with their wildly untalented team so far.
Chiefs (0-2, -7): A sleeper pick for a lot of people that's looking like a coma pick after two games. Yeesh.
Titans (0-2, -6): Can we just replace the letter "O" with the number zero when we're talking about Tennessee's offense? Like this: 0ffense. Doesn't that look much more accurate?
Jaguars (0-2, -3): Thanks to the rest of the AFC South, the Texans might start resting their players by Thanksgiving.
Raiders (0-2, -3): Ranking them last might be a little harsh, but here are their next three opponents: Pittsburgh, Denver, Atlanta. Let's just be proactive and put them at the bottom now.

2012 NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Vikings Fall After Loss

2012-09-18T19:16:23Z

The Minnesota Vikings have taken a dip in NFL power ranking from around the web after losing their Week 2 contest to the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings were already ranked low last week so they didn't have far to fall, but they did drop at least one spot in all rankings.

In Joel Thorman's power rankings at SB Nation the Vikings slipped from 24th last week to 25th this week. At ESPN, the Vikings also dropped just one spot, from 28th to 29th. Pete Prisco at CBS was a little harsher on the Vikes, moving them down three spots from 27th to 30th, which makes them the lowest ranked team with a win in his rankings. And over at Fox, Brian Billick also dropped Minnesota three spots in his rankings, down from 25th to 28th, summing them up thusly:

This is a team that just isn't very good right now. The lone bright spot on Sunday was Percy Harvin, who had a career-high 12 receptions. Even star RB Adrian Peterson is going to struggle behind that offensive line.

That gives the Vikings an average ranking of 28th between the four sites. All four sites agreed that the San Francisco 49ers are the top ranked team at the moment.

For more on the Minnesota Vikings, check out Daily Norseman. For news from around the league, be sure to visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Vikings Small Injuries Added Up On Sunday

2012-09-17T16:43:17Z

The Minnesota Vikings suffered a number of minor injuries Sunday in their 23-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but none that will keep any player out for a significant period of time.

Wide receiver Percy Harvin dealt with cramping issues throughout Sunday's contest, leaving the game twice, however, returning both times. Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com writes that Harvin is not overly concerned about the issue.

"I got tackled kind of funny on my calf muscle, so it just kept flaring up," Harvin said. "So, drinking fluids, pickle juice, all that. I was able to finish the game. I'm fine."

Linebacker Erin Henderson had to leave the game temporarily with an apparent elbow injury. He did return to the game. Fullback Jerome Felton suffered a leg injury in the second quarter. He too returned to the game.

Safety Mistral Raymond missed much of the fourth quarter due to hydration problems. Dehydration has been a recurring issue for Raymond as cramps forced him to miss two games last season.

Defensive end Brian Robison also suffered an apparent arm injury in the fourth quarter.

For more on the Vikings, head over to Daily Norseman or SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around the league, check out SB Nation's NFL news hub.

NFL Injury Report: Vikings Escape Week 2 With No Major Injuries

2012-09-17T13:26:41Z

The Minnesota Vikings squandered a fourth quarter comeback on Sunday when they allowed Andrew Luck to lead the Indianapolis Colts into field goal range with less than 30 seconds left, where Adam Vinatieri booted through the game-winning kick. But if there was any silver lining in Minnesota's 23-20 loss, it was that the team escaped the game with no major injuries.

With a Week 3 matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers looming, the Vikings will be practicing at full health and will only have to worry about getting previously injured players up to speed. One notable player on that front is receiver Jairus Wright, who missed his second straight game after injuring his ankle in the team's final preseason game. Wright, a 2012 fourth-round pick from Arkansas, was expected to have a role in Minnesota's offense this season.

For more on the Vikings, head over to Daily Norseman or SB Nation Minnesota. For more news, notes and analysis from around the league, check out SB Nation's NFL news hub.

Vikings Vs. Colts: Jared Allen Embarrassed By Minnesota Defense

2012-09-17T12:13:21Z

The Minnesota Vikings rallied to tie the Indianapolis Colts with just 31 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, but despite having little time, Andrew Luck was able to guide Indianapolis into range for the game-winning field goal. The Colts prevailed, 23-20.

After the game, Minnesota defensive end Jared said he was not proud of the effort from the team's defense. "That was embarrassing," Allen said. "Yeah, I don't know. I've got nothing to say."

The Vikings rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final quarter only to have their hopes dashed by that last effort from the Colts' offense. Overall, though, Minnesota's defense wasn't bad. The Vikings allowed just 278 total yards to the Colts, who averaged just 4.4 yards per play.

Minnesota hosts the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3.

Head over to Daily Norseman for more Vikings news, and be sure to visit SB Nation's NFL hub for more coverage from around the league.

Vikings Vs. Colts 2012: Christian Ponder Plays Well In 4th Quarter

2012-09-17T12:11:16Z

The Minnesota Vikings came up short on Sunday, but they finished with a strong fourth-quarter rally that nearly turned the tide. SB Nation's Daily Norseman appreciated the play of quarterback Christian Ponder over the final 15 minutes:

There's something cool about a guy that can bring a team back from two scores down and tie the game late. Yeah, there was a little luck involved, but still, hat tip to the young kid for not giving up and putting the Vikings in position to win the game. Those last two drives were impressive, and absolutely big time and clutch.

Ponder helped the Vikings erase a two-touchdown deficit and tie the game late, but the Colts were able to come right back and get into position for a game-winning field goal. Ponder finished the day 27-35 for 245 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

For more in-depth coverage, visit Vikings blog Daily Norseman. And for all your pro football needs, be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub.

Vikings At Colts Final Score: Minnesota Loses On Last-Second Field Goal

2012-09-16T20:39:55Z

The Minnesota Vikings got a 55-yard field goal from Blair Walsh in Week 1 against Jacksonville to force overtime and ultimately escape with a 26-23 victory. In Week 2, they got a taste of their own medicine.

After a furious comeback that saw the Vikings tie the game after being down by 14 points with ten minutes remaining, Andrew Luck maneuvered the Indianapolis Colts into position to give veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri a chance at a 53-yard field goal. Vinatieri did what he's done for most of his career, drilling the kick down the middle, and the Vikings didn't have another miracle in them, as they took the loss to fall to 1-1.

Statistically, Christian Ponder played another solid game for the Minnesota Vikings, completing 27-of-35 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Vikings' offense took quite a while to really "wake up," much the same as they did against Jacksonville.

It also didn't help that the Vikings were flagged for ten penalties in the game, resulting in 100 yards worth of penalties. Many of them came in big situations, particularly after third down stops. It's tough for any team to overcome that many miscues.

We'll have a more thorough analysis of this one shortly. For now, the Vikings fall to 1-1 on the season, and will host the San Francisco 49ers at the Metrodome next week. The Colts' record also goes to 1-1, and they will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at home next weekend.