Week 12 Preview: Vikings at Falcons

The Vikings let a golden opportunity to push the Packers into a deep hole get away. After losing to the Packers last week to fall out of sole possession of first place, Minnesota can once again stand alone at the top after Green Bay lost this Thursday night. After committing just two turnovers in the first four games, the Falcons have given it up 16 times in their last six contests. The stats will look better than they were, thanks in large part to Bridgewater, who ran the ball four times for 43 yards. Zimmer was asked about the most impressive thing about Adrian Peterson this season, and the 59-year-old coach – known for his cantankerous ways – said he recently told Peterson he appreciates “everything” the running back does, including his leadership and the way he prepares.

Rhodes has had good training for this week’s role as the player who will shadow Atlanta’s big, long receiver for most of the game.

Smith hasn’t been prolific in pass coverage this season, with just two passes defensed and one interception, but his stabilizing presence does provide insurance for a Vikings secondary with Newman and Xavier Rhodes as the two starting cornerbacks. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game.

Viking fans, don’t lose hope – you have a lot to be thankful for. He had a season-high three interceptions, ruining his first three-touchdown game of the year. The Vikings haven’t looked that bad since playing the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. Peterson rushed only 13 times for 45 yards, a touchdown, while committing a costly fumble. In order to win the game the Vikings will need Adrian Peterson rushing for more than 100 yards and better protection for Teddy Bridgewater. I think it was foolish to make this past game bigger than it needed to be.

-Fans griped so much about the Vikings not signing a free agent offensive lineman that they overlooked the Vikings re-signing an offensive lineman. Whoever wins this game will have the inside trace.

There comes a point in every National Football League season where a team reaches a true do or die situation. The Falcons are led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, a terrific duo that powers Atlanta’s high powered offense. After dropping a very disappointing 24-21 loss against Matt “back up” Hasselbeck and the Indianapolis Colts the Falcons travel up north to take on the surging Minnesota Vikings. Hopefully, getting a handful of solid connections and nearly 300 yards helped Bridgewater find a groove heading into Atlanta this week. This could be a huge determining factor in the flow of the Falcons offense. The loss to the Packers was only a minor wound, one that can be quickly patched up with a victory over the Falcons.

Bridgewater has faced plenty of pressure since the hit by Joyner. “You can see that he was hurting, but he just battled through it and continued to make plays for us”. The Falcons have found success bringing interior pressure up the middle, but have lacked a presence of defenders rushing in from the outside. I have no doubt that if the Vikings’ offense was centered around Teddy Bridgewater and not Adrian Peterson, he’d be putting up numbers on par with his 2014 QB class contemporaries like Derek Carr and Blake Bortles. Atlanta’s defense ranks No. 10 overall, but its pass rushing is not as much of a threat as one might expect, with only 12 total sacks on the season. It’s hard to stop a beast like AP, and I believe he will get his. But he’s been battered at times, particularly in losses when the team has been forced to throw. Did I jump in the end zone, into the crowd?