Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:43 pm EDT

Vikings take to the air, Steelers win the game

By Doug Farrar

Well, what we speculated about the pass-heavy game plans of the Steelers and Vikings turned out to be correct -- at least on the Vikings' part. Brett Favre(notes), playing from behind in the second half, threw 32 passes in the final 30 minutes alone (51 total), and several of those were straight-up heaves downfield against Pittsburgh's fast defense. Ben Roethlisberger(notes) matched Favre with 19 passing attempts in the first half, then dialed it down as the Steelers took command of the game -- he attempted only seven passes in the second half. Favre was constantly under siege from Pittsburgh's defense -- there were as many short bailout throws as there were long bombs. He was sacked four times and was on the receiving end of six quarterback hits. When he did hit his receivers, they were punished as well. Percy Harvin(notes) was completely lit up by safety Ryan Clark(notes) on a throw over the middle that Favre probably shouldn't have made.

Still, with all the pressure, the Vikings were in the game down 20-17 until late in the fourth quarter, when linebacker Keyaron Fox(notes) picked off a Favre pass and ran it back 82 yards for a touchdown. That was one of three occurrences that stopped the Vikings from winning the game. The second was Favre's fumble that was returned by linebacker LaMarr Woodley(notes) 77 yards for a touchdown, and the third was a drive that concluded with the Vikings having to settle for a field goal despite the fact that they started their final four downs with first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. On that succession of plays, Adrian Peterson got the ball on first down and Favre threw incompletions on second and third down. Peterson carried the ball only 18 times, and the Vikings still owned time of possession 36:58 to 23:02. And Peterson gave one back to Pittsburgh for the Harvin hit, absolutely destroying cornerback William Gay on one of his carries. Taking the ball out of Peterson's hands was a very questionable decision, and the Vikings will regret it as they contemplate a game they could have won.

Related: , Percy Harvin, LaMarr Woodley, Keyaron Fox, Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers

digg delicious
more

228 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. derek_011
    1. Posted by derek_011 Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    "[Roethlisberger] dialed it down as the Steelers took command of the game"
    Did you even see the game? The Vikings owned the time of possession in the second half 19:21-9:39. The longest Steeler drive lasted 3:39. The Steelers' offense did not win this game, and their defense could not stop the Vikes from marching down the field except through fluky turnovers.
    I thought going in that the Steelers would win the game and the Vikings would be exposed as a good-but-not-elite team. At the end, I'm convinced that the Vikings are the better team despite the loss.
  2. jonforpresident04
    2. Posted by jonforpresident04 Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:10 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Way too much throwing with a weapon like Peterson. They need to run and run and run to set up the pass.
  3. AnthonyD
    3. Posted by AnthonyD Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:13 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    As the Steelers "took over the game?" What game were you watching? You refer to Favre been hassled but if you had actually watched the game, many of those dinks and dunks were under no pressure to Favre at all but were very clearly meant to happen.
    Also, nice job not even mentioning the horrifically bad "tripping" call by the Ref that negated a TD and had it not been called (which is what should have happened, it was in NO way "tripping"), would never have led to the fumble-return in the first place. It stands as a total game-changing call - just a joke that it could ruin such an exciting game at that point. Looks like the concept of Hometown refs still exist, pretty blatantly, in the NFL.
    At least get your reporting straight. We stuff their vaunted passing offense the entire game as well as their rushing game (less vaunted) and our offense ate up hours of the clock. I see nothing at all that indicates their dominance other than 2 turnover TDs - both of which were incredibly suspect. The first one, as mentioned above, never happens with the RIGHT referee call and the second was very clearly a deflection off the receiver's hands that bizarrely and luckily bounced right to the Steeler defender. Wow. They really imposed their will on us. Maybe you missed the video clip of Adrian Peterson absolutely destroying Gay on that late run?
    This is disappointingly sloppy reporting....
  4. freeforever
    4. Posted by freeforever Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:13 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Way to much undue influence by the refs. Horrible calls in this game in the red zone!!!!
  5. Kyle
    5. Posted by Kyle Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:21 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    To all the ref haters out there: you complain too much. Everything was legit.
    To all the Viking fans: you lost, pull yourself together and pull your elder QB out of the grass for next week
    To the rest: That was clutch!
  6. CARL
    6. Posted by CARL Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:24 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Yeah, Just like the Steelers winning VI, just luck. Favre met some football players. AN ENTIRE TEAM, not just one player. Lonely Teardrops.
  7. _
    7. Posted by _ Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:33 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    It's funny watching people from a third-rate state like Minnesota think they're actually important to America. When Favre leaves, ESPN and the rest of America will forget the Vikings again. I just wonder how the media is going to twist this around to make Favre look like God.
  8. SeanP
    8. Posted by SeanP Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:35 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I'll second the "did you see the game?" comments.
    The Vikings completely outplayed the Steelers in the 2nd half. Roethlisberger didn't do anything. It was the Vikings' game to lose and they did. Bad referee'ing didn't help at all, but it was a null play considering Harvin's runback immediately after the fumble. The Vikings had that game won until Chester Taylor, who is one of the most solid performers on the team had a ball glance off his hands and right to a Steeler.
    But anyway, back to the main point of this post: Don't write blog entries about games you obviously didn't see. If Ben Roethlisberger is as "dominant" as he was in the 2nd half of that game, he won't win another game all year.
  9. YGM
    9. Posted by YGM Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:35 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    YES!!! That is one more team who can't defeat the Pats 16-0 record this year. Now all we need to kill is: the Broncos, the Colts and the Saints.
    The saints are pretty good, so they should be more of a problem than these other two teams. The colts are good too, but the broncos are just plain lucky!!!
  10. Dj G
    10. Posted by Dj G Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:39 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    LOL I am a fan of either team,,,Take away all the bad calls like when Seattle got robbed in the super bowl by bad calls and the vikings win. Just a perfect example of the steelers getting the game as a gift from the refs.
  11. Dj G
    11. Posted by Dj G Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:39 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    LOL I am a fan of either team,,,Take away all the bad calls like when Seattle got robbed in the super bowl by bad calls and the vikings win. Just a perfect example of the steelers getting the game as a gift from the refs.
  12. Numbat N
    12. Posted by Numbat N Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:40 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    YGM, I think you mean 18-1 record.
  13. X
    13. Posted by X Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:41 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    @Kyle: Did you watch the game? I'm not a fan of either team, but the refs totally screwed this one over. It was definitely NOT "legit". The penalties cost the Vikings the game and the defensive touchdowns by the Steelers were in no way 'epic' or 'clutch'.
  14. Dj G
    14. Posted by Dj G Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Time of Possession 36:58 Time of Possession 23:02
    Total First Downs 21 Total First Downs 14
    Total Net Yards 386 Total Net Yards 259
    vikings left - steelers right ,,, take away the bogus tripping call and who dominated who???
  15. Dj G
    15. Posted by Dj G Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:49 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    lol steeler fans are just like the refs blind
  16. David
    16. Posted by David Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:53 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    dj g are u high? did you miss the touchdown the Steelers had taken away by a bad call, i.e. the pass int call that wasn't pass int? I love you haters suck it fools we won plain and simple cry cry cry all the way home little piggy. I bet you are a Ravens fan, good teams win despite bad calls and the steelers have lost two games by a grand total of 6 points. SIXBURGH!!!!!!!!!!
  17. David
    17. Posted by David Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:54 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    also if your coach didnt go out and blow his challenges than maybe you would have had one for the end of the game Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!
  18. Jicky
    18. Posted by Jicky Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:55 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Wow, horrible post. Obviously did not watch the game. Vikings owned the second half and were done in by a bad ref cal and a fluky deflected pass. Funny enough, this may have been the best game the Vikes have played all year and yet they lost.
  19. robinoflondon
    19. Posted by robinoflondon Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:57 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Rewind... Viks first and goal at the one, Peterson..no gain, incomplete, incomplete.......obviously your vaunted running game not shown much confidence eh.......QQ Vikings scored 17 points...not enough sorry
  20. big 11
    20. Posted by big 11 Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:58 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Someone needs to explain to me why the defense gets penalized for leadig with the helmet, but a running back can lead with there helmet right in the facemask and nothing is called.
  21. t_sun37
    21. Posted by t_sun37 Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:00 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I call taking the lead late in the second quarter and keeping it the rest of the game being in control. Not dominating, but in control.
  22. steel
    22. Posted by steel Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:04 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    the refs did a terrible job, as a steeler fan i recognize that the calls were bad. having said that, the vikings did dominate the stat sheet, favre did a great job with the quick passes and sidney rice tore us up today. you can argue that the turnovers were a fluke, but mendenhall fumbled on the vikings 7 yard line, which led to the controversial call in the first place. then a rare kickoff return touchdown put the vikings back in the game. it was a weird game but the refs didnt give the steelers a victory. two big turnovers and a goal line stand from inside the one yard line led the steelers to victory, and in my eyes that is good defense.
  23. Brian R
    23. Posted by Brian R Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:07 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Deflected passes happen all the time...no more or less 'fluky' than a kickoff return for a touchdown. While you're complaining about the refs, how about the curious call on Heath Miller than wiped out Santonio Holmes' touchdown in the first half?
    Both teams played well...to hold Adrian Peterson under 70 yards rushing is a great effort. Sure, Childress should have ran him more, but he only averaged 3.8 yrd/carry. He did absolutely destroy William Gay late in the game...I'm a Steeler fan, but you still gotta love that hit. Much like the one Ryan Clark delivered to Harvin earlier. Both good, crushing hits!
    In the end, I understand Vikes fans' frustrations with the refs, but look at it objectively. There were bad calls and 'fluky' plays for both teams. As a Steeler fan, I'm glad they won, but appreciate how close it was. Certainly not a dominating victory, but we'll take it. It was a good, close game, like a match-up between two great teams should be. Sure beat all the blow-outs we had today!
  24. Damianus
    24. Posted by Damianus Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:08 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    My sister keeps saying something about Favre going back to the Packers did anyone else hear about this i can't find any info on it she heard it while watching the game and i missed it so whats up about it?
  25. Tony
    25. Posted by Tony Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:09 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Hmm, Favre is forced to put the game on his shoulders and loses the game for his team. Vikings fans should be used to watching that, only difference is now he's playing for the Vikings. Interceptions, fumbles, sounds like the Brett Favre we always knew and loved, only problem is he's now wearing purple.

Shutdown Corner

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

MJD

Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Matthew J. Darnell. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Chris Chase, Doug Farrar, Blair Johnson, Kevin Sullivan, Kerry Rhodes,

Teams

Customize to follow news and rumors on your favorite teams. [ Sign in ]

Related Photo Gallery

More NFL Photos »

Y! Sports Blogs

Shutdown Corner Recent Readers

(provided by MyBlogLog)