The Vikings played a pretty good solid all-around game last Friday Night at the MetroDome.  Brett Favre got the start and he looked rusty completing only 1 of 4 passes for 4 yards.  Tarvaris Jackson was the star on this night as he completed 12 of 15 passes for 202 yards with 2 TD passes.  John David Booty finished up this game by completing 6 of 8 passes for 61 yards.  Adrian Peterson led the way on the ground for the Vikings in this game with 44 yards on 10 carries (4.4 ypc).  WR Darius Reynaud led the way for the Vikings in this game with 88 yards receiving on 2 catches (44.0 avg) including a 64-yard TD from T.J.  TE Visanthe Shiancoe added 2 catches for 42 yards (21.0 avg) including Jackson’s other TD pass.  The Vikings finished up with 360 total yards in this game (93 rushing, 267 passing).

Linebackers Kenny Onatolu and Jasper Brinkley each led the way in this game for the Vikings with 5 tackles apiece.  The Vikings only allowed 298 total yards of offense (106 rushing, 192 passing) in this game.

The Minnesota Vikings controlled this game on the ground holding the football for a amazing 38:59!  Sage Rosenfels started this game and he was solid completing 10 of 13 passes for 91 yards.  Tarvaris Jackson was not nearly as effective completing 7 of 15 passes for 39 yards.  John David Booty finished up this game by completing 4 of 7 passes for 23 yards.  Albert Young led the way on the ground in this game for the Vikings with 58 yards on 14 carries (4.1 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 13 yards.  Ian Johnson also had a solid game with 50 yards rushing on 9 carries (5.6 ypc).  TE Visanthe Shiancoe led the way in the passing game for the Vikings with 55 yards on 4 receptions (13.8 avg).  The Vikings rushed for an amazing 198 yards on 41 carries (4.8 ypc) in this game.  When you can run the ball like that you can overlook the rather pedestrian 153 yards passing. 

Linebacker Erin Henderson and CB Asher Allen led the way for the Vikings in this game with 5 tackles apiece.  The Colts could only muster 142 total yards (77 rushing, 65 passing) in this game.  This was a good first game effort for the Vikings.

The Vikings looked pretty bad in this game but they were resting some key players.  Brooks Bollinger had a terrible game against the Cowboys completing only 6 of 18 passes for 62 yards.  John David Booty also got a lot of playing time in this game but he wasn’t that effective either.  Booty completed 8 of 15 passes for 93 yards with 1 interception.  Albert Young was the leading rusher for the Vikings in this game with 68 yards rushing on 14 carries (4.9 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 14 yards.  Maurice Hicks was also busy in this game as he carried the ball 8 times for 25 yards (3.1 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 26 yards in this game.  The Vikings only had possession of the football for 24:06 of this football game and it’s very hard to win that way.  The Vikings finished up with 100 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 33 passes for 145 yards.

Cornerback Benny Sapp led the Vikings on defense with 9 tackles against the Cowboys.  The Cowboys finished up with 97 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 41 passes for 210 yards.  The Vikings finished up the preseason with a very unimpressive 1-3 record.  They better hope the offense gets in gear next week against the Packers as the games will start counting now.

The Vikings didn’t look too good last Saturday Night especially on offense.  Gus Frerotte started and he did not play that well as he completed 13 of 19 passes for 133 yards with 1 interception.  Rookie QB John David Booty made a brief appearance and he completed 4 of 5 passes for 19 yards.  Adrian Peterson had a tough night as he carried the ball 12 times for 21 yards (1.8 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 11 yards (3.7 avg).  WR Aundrae Allison led the way in the passing game for the Vikings with 5 grabs for 56 yards (11.2 avg).  The Vikings finished up with 32 yards rushing on 22 carries (1.5 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 24 passes for 131 yards.  They only had possession of the football for 23:37 and it’s hard to win that way.

Linebacker Chad Greenway led a solid defensive effort by the Vikings with 7 tackles.  The Steelers finished up rushing for 102 yards on 31 carries (3.3 ypc).  They also completed 26 of 40 passes for 179 yards.

The Minnesota Vikings played a good game on both sides of the football last Saturday Night.  Tarvaris Jackson played well as he completed 7 of 11 passes for 82 yards with a 23-yard TD pass to WR Martin Nance.  Jackson also rushed for 22 yards on 2 carries (11.0 ypc) before leaving the game with a sprained MCL.  Gus Frerotte came in next and he completed 4 of 9 passes for 69 yards with a 5-yard TD pass to WR Robert Ferguson.  Brooks Bollinger had a so-so game completing 7 of 15 passes for 63 yards.  Rookie John David Booty had a night to forget as he only completed 1 of 3 passes for 9 yards and he also threw a pickoff that CB Derrick Martin of the Ravens returned 22 yards for a TD.  Albert Young led the Vikings in rushing against the Ravens with 46 yards on 12 carries (3.8 ypc).  Adrian Peterson got some action on Saturday as he carried the ball 8 times for 30 yards (3.8 ypc).  Chester Taylor pitched in with 23 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.8 ypc) against the Ravens.  WR Martin Nance was the leading receiver for the Vikings in this game with 74 yards on 3 catches (24.7 avg) with a 23-yard TD reception from Tarvaris Jackson.  Sidney Rice pitched in with 3 catches for 31 yards (10.3 avg) in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 133 yards rushing on 38 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 38 passes for 206 yards.  The Vikings’ offense looked pretty sharp in this game against a good defense as they held onto the football for 34:35 of this game.

Linebacker Erin Henderson led a spirited effort on defense for the Vikings with 9 tackles.  DEs Jared Allen (3 tackles, 2 sacks) and Otis Grigsby (2 tackles, 2 sacks) were also very good against the Ravens on Saturday Night.  The Ravens did rush for 126 yards on 16 carries (7.9 ypc) but the Vikings held them to only 111 yards passing as they completed 21 of 32 passes.  The Vikings had a solid all around effort in this impressive win over the Ravens.

The Minnesota Vikings had a night to forget against the Seahawks who pushed them around last night.  But, Tarvaris Jackson was a bright spot for the Vikings last night as he completed 8 of 11 passes for 118 yards with a 6-yard TD pass to fullback Thomas Tapeh.  Gus Frerotte followed Jackson in the game and he completed 4 of 7 passes for 60 yards.  John David Booty made his NFL debut and he completed 9 of 18 passes for 82 yards with a interception.  Brooks Bollinger didn’t get to play much as he completed 1 of 2 passes for 8 yards.  Maurice Hicks was the leading rusher last night for the Vikings with 32 yards on 7 carries (4.6 ypc).  Albert Young got a lot of work in last night but he only rushed for 13 yards on 11 carries (1.2 ypc).  Chester Taylor only rushed for 7 yards on 4 carries (1.8 ypc) but he scored a rushing TD.  The vaunted rushing game of the Vikings only produced 52 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.3 ypc) but that’s misleading because Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor didn’t play much.  The Vikings also completed 22 of 38 passes for 246 yards last night which is a good sign.

The Vikings did not play well at all on defense last night.  Free safety Husain Abdullah led the way for the Vikings with 6 tackles last night.  Linebacker Erin Henderson also had a solid night with 5 tackles.  Overall though the Vikings’ defense was pretty awful as the Seahawks rushed for 162 yards on 35 carries (4.6 ypc).  The Seahawks also completed 24 of 31 passes for 257 yards last night.

The Vikings looked pretty good in their final tuneup for the regular season.  Tavaris Jackson made a brief appearance and he completed just 1 of 5 passes for 13 yards.  Brooks Bollinger saved his best performance for the last pre-season game as he completed 9 of 15 passes for 109 yards and a TD.  Kelly Holcomb completed 5 of 8 passes for 99 yards and 1 interception in first game with the Vikings.  Artose Pinner led the way in the running game with 12 carries for 34 yards (2.8 ypc) and a TD.  Mewelde Moore looked good as he always does carrying the ball 7 times for 33 yards (4.7 ypc).  Ciatrick Fason had a rough time as he rushed for 18 yards on 8 carries (2.3 ypc).  Rookie Sidney Rice caught 2 passes for 17 yards and a TD.  The Vikings finished up the game with 99 yards rushing on 35 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes for 180 yards.

The Vikings’ defense was tough against the run as always holding the Cowboys to only 29 yards rushing on 15 carries (1.9 ypc).  But the Cowboys completed 30 of 39 passes for 208 yards.

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The Vikings made some big mistakes on offense and it cost them in this football game.  Tavaris Jackson did o.k. as he completed 9 of 18 passes for 117 yards.  Brooks Bollinger finished the game and he was a disaster.  He completed 6 of 11 passes for 52 yards and he threw 2 pickoffs.  One of Bollinger’s interceptions was returned 39 yards for a TD by rookie CB Kevin Hobbs.  Running back Chester Taylor looked very sharp as he carried the football 8 times for 61 yards (7.6 ypc).  Rookie Adrian Peterson continued his fine pre-season work with 10 carries for 41 yards (4.1 ypc).  Third stringer Mewelde Moore also got his work in carrying the football 7 times for 24 yards (3.4 ypc).  WR Bobby Wade had an outstanding game as he caught 5 passes for 85 yards and he also threw a 6-yard TD pass to TE Visanthe Shiancoe.  The Vikings finished up the game with 152 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 30 passes for 167 yards.

The Vikings offense kept giving the Seahawks short fields and that’s why they gave up 30 points.  The Vikings were tough against the run holding the Seahawks to 75 yards on 23 carries (3.3 ypc).  The Seahawks also completed 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270825026

Last night was a perfect example of the style of football the Vikings are going to play this season.  They are going to run the football and play defense.  The Vikings didn’t learn anything about their QBs last night as they only threw 18 passes.  Tavaris Jackson completed 2 of 4 passes for 12 whole yards.  Brooks Bollinger looked a little better completing 2 of 4 passes for 27 yards and he also ran the ball twice for 18 yards (9.0 ypc).  Drew Henson got to play and he completed 4 of 9 passes for 33 yards.  Tyler Thigpen made a cameo at the end of the game and he threw one incomplete pass and he rushed for 8 yards on one carry.  Rookie running back Adrian Peterson was the star of the show last night as he carried the football 8 times for 70 yards (8.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Mewelde Moore carried the ball 8 times for 27 yards (3.4 ypc) and he also caught a 12 yard pass but he seems locked in as the #3 RB this season on the Vikings.  Artose Pinner gained 20 yards on three impressive carries.  Chester Taylor carried the ball 4 times for 16 yards (4.0 ypc) and he also caught a pass for 18 yards.  The Vikings offense looked efficient at what they wanted to do last night but it will be interesting to see how they do against teams when they start gameplanning for them and make the Vikings’ QBs make some plays.  The Vikings ran the football 31 times for 167 yards (5.4 ypc) but they only completed 8 of 18 passes for 63 yards.

The defense of the Vikings gave up some yards last night but they also scored 3 TDs and looked dominant most of the time.  Darren Sharper (40 yard return) and Chad Greenway (16 yard return) both scored TDs of Chad Pennington interceptions.  Rookie DE Brian Robison also scored on a three yard fumble return and he also caused a fumble.  The Jets finished up with 148 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.8 ypc) and they completed 22 of 35 passes for 167 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270817020

The Vikings are probably upset about the offense as a hole last night but Tavaris Jackson was exciting to watch last night.  He completed 8 of 11 passes for 83 yards and he also ran the ball twice for 25 yards (12.5 ypc).  The Vikings hope he will build off of his impressive performance last night.  Brooks Bollinger replaced Jackson and he completed 4 of 6 passes for 23 yards.  Rookie Tyler Thigpen also looked pretty decent when he got to play as he completed 3 of 6 passes for 29 yards and he ran the ball twice for 18 yards (9.0 ypc).  Rookie Adrian Peterson toted the football 11 times for 33 yards (3.0 ypc) and he caught 1 pass for 2 yards.  Bobby Wade, who the Vikings brought in as a free agent, looked good in grabbing 2 passes for 42 yards.  Troy Williamson actually played decent also with 3 grabs for 32 yards.  The Vikings carried the football 23 times for 87 yards (3.8 ypc) and they completed 15 of 23 passes for 128 yards.  The Vikes can’t be happy with those numbers or with the 3 points they scored on offense.  But, it’s still just the pre-season so they have three weeks to improve before the games count.

The defense did a good job of bending but not breaking last night.  The Rams ran the ball 22 times for 87 yards (4.0 ypc) and they completed 30 of 43 passes for 236 yards.  But the Vikings had three pickoffs one of which was returned 82 yards for a TD by Dontarrious Thomas.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270810016