Vikings Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

Vikings coach Brad Childress said rookie Jasper Brinkley(notes) is going to get an opportunity to replace veteran E.J. Henderson(notes) at middle linebacker after Henderson suffered a fractured femur in his left leg in Sunday’s 30-17 loss at Arizona.

Henderson underwent surgery on Sunday night in Phoenix, and his season is over.

Brinkley, a fifth-round pick out of South Carolina last April, has played on special teams this season and seen some spot duty at linebacker near the end of games when Minnesota has held a comfortable lead.

Now, he will be thrust into starting at a key position for a 10-2 team that is poised to win the NFC North and is expected to make a deep playoff run.

“I’m another player who will get an opportunity to go out and show my teammates that I can step in there and take control of the defense and not let the defense skip a beat,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley is expected to take over the job of making calls and getting guys lined up in the defense.

Brinkley proved in training camp that he isn’t afraid to hit opponents, and that’s expected to be one of the things he brings.

“He weighs 250 pounds, and when he hits somebody, he does some damage,” linebacker Chad Greenway(notes) said. “He’s a good player, got a lot of talent, he’s worked hard on special teams and been a good player there. He’s proven himself to us as veterans. He’s a heady guy. He’s going to be fine.”

NOTES, QUOTES

—Coach Brad Childress on what he told his players after the Vikings’ 30-17 loss to Arizona on Sunday night: “I just didn’t think we matched their tempo and urgency in this particular game. I don’t know that I’ve seen that. I certainly wouldn’t tell you that in our loss to Pittsburgh. I just don’t feel like we had ‘it’ tonight. That comes back on me looking at preparation and those type of things.”

• Quarterback Brett Favre(notes) on the two third-quarter interceptions he threw against the Cardinals: “We got in a position tonight where, at times, we had to throw the ball. I kind of let their defense get to me. The two picks, they rushed three and dropped eight. It’s hard to throw into that. The better decision would have been to not throw it, at least not there. In a game like this, where it is hard to stop their offense from scoring, I don’t need to give them any advantage.”

• Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe(notes) on the aftermath from the defeat: “We’re 10-2. We accept where we are. We’ll move on from this. We’re looking forward to Cincinnati next week. We’ve got a lot of football and a lot of season left.”

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Player Notes  

• RG Anthony Herrera(notes) has missed the past two games because of a concussion, but he could return Sunday against Cincinnati.

• SS Tyrell Johnson(notes) suffered a concussion against Arizona on Sunday and was replaced by rookie Jamarca Sanford(notes). Johnson will be closely monitored this week and could miss the Bengals game.

• RT Phil Loadholt(notes) missed time in the first half against the Cardinals after injuring his shoulder, but he was able to return.

• LT Bryant McKinnie(notes) left Sunday’s game briefly because of an ankle injury but also quickly got back in.

• CB Antoine Winfield(notes) has missed the past six games because of an injury to his right foot, and at this point it’s anyone’s guess when he will return. Coach Brad Childress said Winfield “just has to be comfortable to go out and play the game like he plays it.”

Report Card  vs. CARDINALS

Passing Offense:   C—After throwing three interceptions in his first 11 games, Brett Favre threw two in the third quarter against the Cardinals en route to posting a 79.4 passer rating. With the Vikings trailing for much of the game, Favre threw 45 passes and completed 30 of them for 275 yards with two touchdowns. He also was sacked three times. Sidney Rice(notes) caught seven passes for 72 yards, and Percy Harvin(notes) added six receptions for 79 yards with a touchdown that came late in the game. Favre appeared to be trying to do too much at times in part because his team was struggling and got away from the type of play that has made him so successful this season. Favre has been far more than a game manager this season, but he also has done an excellent job of playing within himself. He failed to do that on Sunday.

Rushing Offense:   C-minus—The run game was nearly non-existent, accumulating a season-low 62 yards on 20 attempts. Pro Bowl RB Adrian Peterson was held to 19 yards on 13 carries, a 1.5-yard average. That was the second-lowest rushing total of his three-year career. How bad were things for Peterson? He finished third on his team in rushing behind Harvin, who had 22 yards on two carries, and Chester Taylor(notes), who had 21 yards on five carries. It didn’t help matters that the Vikings were without RG Anthony Herrera for a second consecutive game because of a concussion. The Vikings also lost LT Bryant McKinnie and RT Phil Loadholt to injury briefly in the first half. The pair returned, but it was uncertain how healthy there were.

Pass Defense:   D—Antoine Winfield missed his sixth game in a row because of a foot injury, and this time around it really hurt the Vikings not having the Pro Bowl cornerback. Arizona QB Kurt Warner(notes) passed for 285 yards, connecting with Larry Fitzgerald(notes) eight times for 143 yards and a touchdown and Anquan Boldin(notes) seven times for 98 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals used a variety of multiple-receiver formations and got the Vikings to use a dime package that forced them to employ Cedric Griffin(notes) and Karl Paymah(notes) at the corners and rookie Asher Allen(notes) and Benny Sapp(notes) inside. The Cardinals were able to get Fitzgerald matched up against Allen at times, a mismatch given Allen’s inexperience. Fitzgerald’s 34-yard touchdown reception near the end of the first half came with S Madieu Williams(notes) as the only defensive back in the vicinity. Boldin caught a 39-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter that came at the expense of Griffin, who was coming off a standout game against Chicago but appeared to have issues against the Cardinals.

Rush Defense:   B-minus—The Cardinals dominated in every aspect of this game and running the ball was no exception. The Cardinals rushed for 113 yards—the first time a team has had 100 or more yards against the Vikings since their Oct. 25 loss at Pittsburgh—and leading rusher Tim Hightower(notes) gained 50 yards on six carries, an average of 8.3 yards per touch. The majority of his yards came on a 32-yarder in the fourth quarter. Beanie Wells(notes) led Arizona with 13 carries but gained only 28 yards.

Special Teams:   C—After giving up two long kickoff returns in their victory over Chicago in Week 12, the Vikings’ issues this time around came on punt returns. Steve Breaston(notes) helped set the tone with the Vikings leading 7-0 first quarter when he returned a Chris Kluwe(notes) punt 64 yards to the Minnesota 2-yard line to set up a touchdown. Breaston avoided Heath Farwell(notes), broke a tackle by Jamarca Sanford and got around P Chris Kluwe on the return. He was finally brought down by Sanford. The Vikings’ coverage units have shown great improvement this season, but after struggling mightily in 2008, Minnesota wants to make sure it does not take a step back now. The Cardinals also became the latest team to try to find ways to keep the ball away from kickoff return sensation Percy Harvin. Harvin ended up averaging 20.7 yards on three returns, but the Cardinals were able to get the ball into the hands of blocking TE/FB Jeff Dugan(notes) three times as well on kick returns.

Coaching:   C—Coach Brad Childress admitted he wasn’t pleased with what he saw from his team and made it clear that things started with him. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt simply seemed to have a better game plan going into this one. That included having Warner get rid of the ball quickly so the Vikings pass rush was neutralized. The Cardinals knew they could attack Minnesota’s defensive backs, especially with Winfield not in the game. The key now for Childress will be to get his team to bounce back Sunday against a very good Cincinnati team at the Metrodome.