Read More: Josh McCown (QB – CHI), Michael Strahan (DE – NYG), Jared Allen (DE – MIN), Charles Tillman (CB – CHI), Chad Greenway (LB – MIN), Jim Kleinsasser (TE – MIN), Ryan Longwell (K – MIN), Kevin Williams (DT – MIN), Lorenzo Booker (RB – MIN), Brian Robison (DE – MIN), Earl Bennett (WR – CHI), Erin Henderson (LB – MIN), Percy Harvin (WR – MIN), D.J. Moore (CB – CHI), Joe Webb (QB – MIN), Toby Gerhart (RB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Jordan Todman (RB – MIN), Caleb King (RB – MIN), Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings, Jan 1, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Fans of the Minnesota Vikings had something to cheer about on Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome, but in the end it was more of the same as the home team fell to the Chicago Bears by a score of 17-13.

The Vikings got off to a quick 10-0 lead, thanks to a couple of Chicago turnovers, getting a Ryan Longwell field goal after a fumble by Chicago’s Earl Bennett and a 5-yard Percy Harvin touchdown run after a fumble by running back Khalil Bell. However, that turned around quickly thanks to a 22-yard touchdown pass from Josh McCown to Roy Williams and an interception that Chicago’s Charles Tillman took into the end zone after it bounced off the hands of Toby Gerhart, quickly turning a 10-0 Minnesota lead into a 14-10 deficit.

Early in the second quarter, quarterback Christian Ponder got sacked by Chicago’s Isreal Idonije and needed help to get off of the field, re-aggravating the hip injury he suffered earlier on in the season and bringing Joe Webb in at quarterback. Webb provided a bit of a spark, completing 17-of-32 passes for 200 yards, but could only lead the Vikings to three points in his two-plus quarters of work along with two interceptions, including one to D.J. Moore to ice the game for Chicago.

The Vikings also lost running back Toby Gerhart to a knee injury during the game, and it was revealed afterwards that he suffered a partially torn MCL. That left Lorenzo Booker as the Vikings’ only healthy running back, as the team had both Caleb King and Jordan Todman inactive for this afternoon’s game.

It was the final game for Vikings’ tight end Jim Kleinsasser, who played for the Vikings for the entirety of his 13-year career. After Leslie Frazier stated earlier in the week that the team wanted to get Kleinsasser the ball and work him into the game plan, the burly tight end managed to get neither a carry nor a catch in his final game in purple and gold.

The big story for the Vikings in this one, however, was defensive end Jared Allen. He entered the game with 18.5 sacks, and got on the board early by splitting a sack with Erin Henderson to give him 19. He got McCown again in the second quarter to increase his total to 20, and the excitement at the Metrodome grew every time McNown dropped back to pass.

On the first play of the third quarter, Allen dropped McCown again for his 21st sack of the season, which tied him with Chris Doleman for the single-season record in Vikings’ team history. Allen took the record all for himself late in the third quarter, taking down McCown for another sack to give him 22 for the year, and putting him just one sack away from Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5* set in 2001.

However, in typical Vikings’ fashion, it was not to be. The Bears put a ridiculous number of blockers on Allen for the rest of the afternoon, and he didn’t get another sack of McCown on the afternoon. As a team, the Vikings registered seven sacks on the afternoon, with Chad Greenway, Brian Robison, and Kevin Williams getting in on the act as well.

The loss by the Vikings, along with losses by the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Rams, cements the Vikings into the third overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, the highest the team has selected since taking Chris Doleman with the fourth overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft.

That’s your season, ladies and gentlemen. The Vikings finish the season 3-13, tied for the worst record in Vikings’ franchise history, with a 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears. We would like to thank you for making SB Nation Minnesota your home for Minnesota Vikings’ coverage this year, and hope that you will stay around during the off-season as we analyze the Vikings going forward.

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Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton remembers the days of playing in old Metropolitan Stadium. And he’d love to see the team go back to the great outdoors when they move out of the Metrodome — but stay in Minnesota, of course.

He calls playing outside part of “the culture of Minnesota.”

“It’s what separates that great part of the country from the rest of the country,” Tarkenton said. “We ought to have outdoor football.”

In this week’s TwinCities.com video, Tarkenton focuses on playing outdoors vs. indoors. Among the highlights:

– Tarkenton told stories about former Vikings coach Bud Grant wanting the team to embrace the cold — refusing to allow heaters on the sideline, for example.

“He’s the

A rendering of a Vikings stadium in downtown Minneapolis. (AECOM)

greatest character in the history of the world, and the greatest coach in the history of the world and my mentor,” Tarkenton said. “But he was so funny with the cold weather.”

– Tarkenton said playing outside in Green Bay doesn’t help the Packers. Playing on a dry field, even in a dome, helps.

“They don’t run the ball, and they don’t play good defense. … For Green Bay, home-field advantage is not an advantage,” he said.

Editor’s note: Fran Tarkenton is a former quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also is an advocate for small businesses and the founder of OneMoreCustomer.com. Now Tarkenton adds the title of Vikings analyst for TwinCities.com and the Pioneer Press.

An artists rendering provided by the Minnesota Vikings shows the development of business in the area surrounding a possible Minnsota Vikings football stadium in Arden Hills. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings)

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Read More: Joe Webb (QB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins, Dec 24, 2011 12:00 PM CST

The Minnesota Vikings spent their first round draft pick on Christian Ponder last year, but the team’s past couple of games are apparently making the coaching staff re-think that decision. The reason being, of course, that Joe Webb may have been the quarterback of the future all along.

Webb was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, but has been looked at as more of a gadget guy who can provide different looks rather than a prototypical quarterback. His ability to lead a second Vikings comeback in as many appearances has apparently made head coach Leslie Frazier re-think that, however, according to statements made to 1500 ESPN.

“Some of the things he does, man, and what it does to the rest of our team — you can’t ignore it,” Frazier said after Webb led three touchdown drives in relief of injured Christian Ponder and the Vikings beat the Washington Redskins 33-26.

“It’s something we’re going to take a real hard look at as we go forward. He definitely lifts our team. He’s done it. He did it a season ago as well.”

Few fans will be happy if Webb earns the starting spot over Ponder heading into next season — though that’ll be more due to the drafting of Ponder than the starting of Webb — but it’ll be worth keeping an eye on as Minnesota continues looking forward to next season.

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Fans of the Minnesota Vikings have gotten a lot of punches in the gut over the past couple of years, culminating with yesterday’s serious knee injury to running back Adrian Peterson. However, on this Christmas Day, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel that is actually not connected to an oncoming train.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated reported earlier this evening on NBC’s Football Night In America that the Vikings and the state of Minnesota are close to a deal that would keep the team in Minnesota, and that such a deal is no longer a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when.”

King did not specify whether or not the stadium would be at the Vikings’ preferred location in Arden Hills, on the site of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, or if it would be in Minneapolis somewhere. My guess is that if you were to ask most Viking fans, the overwhelming majority would respond with something along the lines of, “Who cares? Just get the darn thing built already!”

The Vikings could, potentially, become free agents at the conclusion of their season finale against the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome on New Year’s Day, but it appears that, after months of wrangling in public, in the media, in the halls of the legislature, and in smoke-filled back rooms, a deal to give the Minnesota Vikings a new home is imminent.

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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Out for the game – and now much longer – with a serious knee injury,
Adrian Peterson
was on his way back from the X-ray room in the depths of the stadium when he looked at a television monitor.

“I see Toby break up the sideline,” Peterson said. “So, `Go, Toby, go.”‘

What else could happen to the
Minnesota Vikings
in one of the worst seasons in franchise history? How about losing Peterson to a direct hit on the left knee and
Christian Ponder
to a possible concussion on back-to-back plays to start the second half? It just didn’t seem fair.

And the news only got worse as Saturday went on. The Vikings said an MRI showed that Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament
in his left knee, and coach Leslie Frazier will provide a further update at his news conference Monday.

But here’s a twist: They won the game.
Toby Gerhart
and
Joe Webb
answered the call, leading Saturday’s 33-26 victory over the
Washington Redskins
that snapped a six-game losing streak and helped make up for the fact that their best player was standing on crutches in the
locker room.

“I can enjoy my Christmas now,” Frazier said.

Gerhart scampered for a 67-yard run – the play Peterson saw on TV – to start Minnesota’s next series after the Peterson-Ponder
injuries and finished with 109 yards on 11 carries. Webb again made a case to be a starting quarterback by throwing for two
touchdowns and running for another as the Vikings (3-12) kept alive their hopes to not finish with the worst record in team
history. A win next week against Chicago would put them ahead of the dubious 1984 Minnesota team that went 3-13.

Asked if it’s time to give the option-running Webb a look at the No. 1 job, Frazier didn’t hesitate.

“Some of the things he does, and what it does to the rest of our team, you can’t ignore,” Frazier said. “So it’s something
we’re going to have a real hard look at as we go forward. He definitely lifts our team.”

He might get the start next week, at least, because of Ponder’s injury, but Webb surely was an inspiring presence Saturday,
completing 4 of 5 passes for 84 yards and rushing five times for 34 yards. His 9-yard touchdown run came on the option, and
he put a perfect 17-yard scoring pass into the arms of rookie tight end
Kyle Rudolph
, a touchdown appropriate for Christmas Eve, to give the Vikings a 23-20 lead late in the third quarter.

“When they bring in a weapon like that,” Redskins linebacker
Perry Riley
said of Webb, “not a secret weapon – we’d seen him on tape and we had a feeling – but it’s hard to prepare fully on a short
week for two quarterbacks. … It’s hard to change it mid-stream like that.”

Webb’s 8-yard pass to
Percy Harvin
broke a 23-all tie early in the fourth quarter, and rookie
Mistral Raymond
‘s first career interception set up
Ryan Longwell
‘s 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 10-point lead with 4:05 to play. Minnesota had gone nine games without a pick
before Raymond’s big play.

The Redskins pulled within a touchdown on
Graham Gano
‘s 47-yard field goal with 1:25 remaining. They got the ball back after a punt, but
Rex Grossman
‘s final long fling to the end zone fell incomplete to give Washington (5-10) a sixth straight home loss, its longest such
skid since 1994.

Peterson said he knew “it was something bad” the moment he was hit by safety
DeJon Gomes
at the end of a 3-yard gain on the first offensive play of the second half. The X-rays were negative, but Peterson had an
MRI late Saturday after the team returned to Minnesota.

“It’s such a special person that you want to be right before you prognosticate on what might be,” Frazier said before the
exam.

The torn ACL, the worst-case scenario, will likely sideline Peterson for some nine months and make it difficult for him to
return for the start of next season.

“Anytime you take a blow to the knee like that, you’re concerned about the ACL, MCL,” Peterson said before the diagnosis.
“I’m trying to stay as positive as I can.”

On the play after Peterson was hurt, Ponder suffered a head injury when sacked by
Adam Carriker
and
London Fletcher
. Ponder remained in the game for one more play – a third-down incomplete pass – before heading to the locker room.

Frazier said Ponder had “concussion-like symptoms.” The coach said he’s uncertain whether the quarterback will play in next
week’s season finale against the Bears.

“We’ll have to weigh it when we get back,” Frazier said, “and I’ll follow the doctor’s lead.”

With the way Webb is playing, Ponder might get the week off anyway.

Notes: Grossman had two more giveaways – a lost fumble and interception – to put his total at 24 for the season. He was already
tied for the most turnovers in the NFL entering the game. … Washington’s
Evan Royster
, getting the start with fellow rookie
Roy Helu
out with an injury, ran for 132 yards on 19 carries. … Minnesota’s
Jared Allen
had one sack to raise his total to 18 1/2. … The Vikings were also short-handed along the offensive line, with guard
Steve Hutchinson
inactive with a concussion and guard
Anthony Herrera
sidelined for part of the game with a lower back injury.

—

© 2011 STATS LLC

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — New images of a proposed Minnesota Vikings stadium in Arden Hills, Minn. released Tuesday show potential options for development.

Both summer and winter illustrations were released that give an idea of what the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant site could look like with a new stadium.

The summer proposal features running and biking trails, multi-use practice fields and a “Main Street” concept that would mix retail, residential, commercial and park space surrounding a community pond.

The winter image shows fire pits, ice skating on the community pond and cross-country skiing. A “lake house” next to the pond could provide indoor and outdoor space for community events, according to the team.

Summer. (credit: Minnesota Vikings)

Winter. (credit: Minnesota Vikings)

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Read More: Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, Dec 11, 2011 12:00 PM CST

The Minnesota Vikings are starting a rookie at quarterback in Christian Ponder. Sometimes, rookie quarterbacks make throws that they shouldn’t. That was clearly the case early in the second quarter at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions.

On a second down play, Ponder dropped back to pass and once again found a wide open Alphonso Smith. As we intimated earlier on this afternoon, Smith still plays for the Lions and not the Vikings, so that’s a bad thing. Smith went untouched into the end zone for a 30-yard return, and the Lions had pushed their lead back to three touchdowns at 28-7.

It has been a rough afternoon for all three phases of the Vikings’ team thus far. The sad part? We’re only two and a half minutes into the third quarter. A long afternoon has the potential to get even longer for fans of the purple and gold.

As it stands now, we have 12:33 left in the first half of play, and the Minnesota Vikings trail the Detroit Lions by a score of 28-7, with 21 of Detroit’s points coming directly off of Minnesota turnovers.

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Read More: Stephen Tulloch (LB – DET), Cliff Avril (DE – DET), Phil Loadholt (OT – MIN), Toby Gerhart (RB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, Dec 11, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Once again, the Minnesota Vikings have given up an early touchdown when the defense was nowhere to be found.

After allowing one first down to the Lions on their first series, Minnesota forced a punt that was taken at the 9-yard line. On the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage, Christian Ponder faked a handoff to Toby Gerhart and dropped back to pass, and Lions’ defensive end Cliff Avril beat Phil Loadholt like a drum around the right edge. Avril got to Ponder and forced a fumble that wound up bouncing into the end zone. Stephen Tulloch jumped on the fumble in the end zone, and the Lions had an early touchdown.

This is the second game in a row that the Vikings’ offense has surrendered a touchdown early, as last week the Denver Broncos got an interception for a score for their first score in Minneapolis.

We have 12:56 left in the first quarter, and the Detroit Lions have already staked themselves to a 7-0 lead.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 4: Christian Ponder #7 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts to throwing a interception for a Denver Broncos touchdown in the first quarter on December 4, 2011 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

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With twelve minutes left in the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Oakland Raiders, Raiders’ wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey caught a pass on a crossing route across the middle of the field, and was brought down by Vikings’ cornerback Cedric Griffin. At the end of the play, Vikings’ linebacker E.J. Henderson came flying into the play and caught Heyward-Bey in the back of his head with either his knee or his thigh.

Though it didn’t look like it was terribly serious on the replay, Heyward-Bey remained down on the field and didn’t get up. He eventually had the training staff come out and check him out, and the end result was him getting placed on a stretcher and, ultimately, on a cart and taken off of the field.

Heyward-Bey appeared to have movement in his arms and his legs, and gave his teammates a thumbs-up as he was being taken off the field, so hopefully he will recover without any serious issues.

For further updates on Heyward-Bey’s status, be sure to check out SB Nation Bay Area, as well as SB Nation’s Oakland Raiders’ site, Silver and Black Pride.

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After what can charitably be described as an ugly first quarter, the Minnesota Vikings have dented the scoreboard first in their game against the Oakland Raiders.

After the two teams exchanged punts on their first possessions, the Vikings took the ball from their own 23-yard line. The Raiders appeared to have the Vikings stopped on several occasions, but just kept committing penalties to keep the Minnesota drive going. The Raiders committed personal foul penalties on two consecutive plays, one of which negated what would have been a third down sack of Christian Ponder that would have ended the drive.

There was also an interesting situation after what could have been a Vikings’ touchdown. Percy Harvin took an inside handoff from Ponder and appeared to have a 40-yard touchdown run, but Michael Jenkins was called for a penalty that brought it back. The Vikings had a rare 1st-and-2 after the spot foul, but the officials showed it on the field as 2nd-and-2. As a result, when the Vikings failed on second down, they thought it was third down and had sent Ryan Longwell onto the field. But, after the Vikings called a time out (which they ultimately weren’t charged for), they converted a third down and kept the drive alive.

A couple of plays later, Adrian Peterson took one right though the heart of the Oakland defense for a 12-yard touchdown run, giving the Vikings a 7-0 lead. It’s Peterson’s 11th rushing touchdown of the season, extending his NFL lead in this category.

With a little more than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Oakland Raiders, 7-0, at the Metrodome.

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I seriously think the football gods set up this weekend to torture Minnesotans. As if a Gophers-Badgers game isn’t bad enough, the Minnesota Vikings have yet another face off against the Green Bay Packers. And this time, the Vikes won’t have the home field advantage.

The Packers are currently at 8-0, and many enthusiastic fans are predicting a 16-0 season and another Super Bowl victory. This week, the Vikings’ big job is to wipe that smug smile off the Packer Backers’ faces.

There are a few signs of hope for Sunday’s game. First, there’s Christian Ponder(notes). I really wish Leslie Frazier would have gotten Ponder in the game several weeks ago, because the Vikings might have had more than two wins by now. My Packer-loving friends like to point to the fact that Christian Ponder is nowhere near Aaron Rodgers(notes) in playing ability. Still, watching a Vikings game led by Ponder is far less embarrassing than watching one with Donovan McNabb(notes) as starting quarterback.

Another promising development: better use of running back Adrian Peterson. Everybody knows Peterson can rush, but he also makes a great receiver. Peterson’s abilities were not fully utilized during the first few weeks of the football season. He complained about this in a recent interview: ” Sometimes I don’t get the ball and I’m like grrr I was wide open.” But when the Minnesota Vikings played the Carolina Panthers, Peterson had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.

The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers when they hosted at the Metrodome three weeks ago, but they did not lose by much. In fact, for a brief period, they were actually leading the Packers. If they can pull it together this week, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t hand the Pack their first loss of the season. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe says it best: “[The Green Bay Packers] need a loss, don’t they? They need one. We’re going to see what we can do about that.”

Born and raised in Minnesota, S. Gustafson has remained faithful to the Vikings through their many ups and downs.

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The fantasy football season has already passed the halfway point. You are probably suffering big time right now if you chose a bust this season (ahem, Donovan McNabb(notes)). The good news is, the fantasy football season isn’t over yet and there are still several good players available on the waiver wire.

If you are among the leagues of disappointed Minnesota Vikings fans, you probably have been following the Christian Ponder(notes) debut closely. A few weeks ago, most fantasy leagues were avoiding both Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks, as it was still impossible to know who would end up as starting for the remainder of the 2011 season. Now that Donovan McNabb has been benched in favor of Christian Ponder, Vikings fans can start snapping up Ponder from the waiver wire.

Although he was only picked 12 ^th in the draft, Ponder has proven a good choice so far. In his first two games as starting quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings have actually been fairly competitive, winning against the Carolina Panthers and losing by a narrow margin to the undefeated Green Bay Packers. Much of the credit for this success goes to Ponder, who has displayed impressive mobility in the pocket and an ability to perform under pressure.

Ponder’s stats in last Sunday’s game were enough for fantasy managers to sit up and take notice. The Minnesota Vikings rookie QB threw for 236 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby, especially on a team that has struggled in passing all season. He did even better against the Green Bay Packers, throwing for a total of 318 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, Ponder also threw two interceptions, but on the whole, he could’ve done a lot worse.

Overall, Ponder’s performance is pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. This can be expected for a rookie quarterback who started in the middle of a rough season. He isn’t going to turn around a struggling fantasy football team, but he might be a good choice for the two quarterback leagues. Otherwise, be sure to keep an eye on Christian Ponder for 2012.

Born and raised in Minnesota, S. Gustafson has remained faithful to the Vikings through their many ups and downs.

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What are your opinions.