It's been bad for the Minnesota Vikings so far in the first half of play. . .and yet, somehow, it doesn't feel like it's as bad as it could be.
The Atlanta Falcons have gotten two Matt Ryan touchdown passes, one to Harry Douglas and one to Roddy White, and a 37-yard field goal to Matt Bryant to give themselves a 17-0 lead at halftime of this afternoon's game at the Georgia Dome. The Vikings are turning into a bit of a M*A*S*H unit to this point, with defensive backs Tyrell Johnson and Asher Allen getting injured during the first half, and Jared Allen being pressed into long snapping duty due to long snapper Cullen Loeffler suffering a bruised tailbone on a punt return late in the second quarter.
The Vikings have only run two plays in Falcons' territory in the first half, having only amassed 97 total yards in the first half of play. The Falcons have held the ball twice as long as Minnesota has, having 19:36 in the time of possession column in the first half compared to 10:24 for the Vikings.
Quarterback Christian Ponder has played rather well, considering that he's been under constant pressure from the Falcons on every snap. He has completed 10 out of 12 passes for 81 yards. Toby Gerhart, getting the bulk of the rushing attempts in place of Adrian Peterson, has carried the ball 8 times for 23 yards, and has been stopped for no gain four times.
The Vikings will get the ball first in the second half of play. Not sure how much good it's going to do, but they will. However, as we head into the locker room, the Vikings trail the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 17-0.