CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 1, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — First, Jay Cutler. Then, Matt Forte. Finally, Brian Urlacher.

The Chicago Bears stopped their five-game losing streak at the end of this what-could-have-been season, but even this victory was plenty painful.

Charles Tillman’s interception return in the second quarter gave the Bears the lead for good in a 17-13 victory over the Vikings on Sunday despite 3½ of Minnesota’s seven sacks by Jared Allen and a late injury to Urlacher, the soul of Chicago’s defense.

“It just breaks my heart to see. He is the Chicago Bears,” quarterback Josh McCown said. “That’s the name you think about, so to see that guy down on the turf is a sick feeling.”

Allen finished the season with 22 sacks, behind Michael Strahan’s mark of 22½ for the New York Giants in 2001. Joe Webb relieved Christian Ponder at quarterback for the Vikings (3-13) for the third time in the past month, but the wild-scrambling Webb wasn’t able to keep the Vikings from matching their worst record in franchise history, set first in 1984.

“I was really hoping for one more one-on-one, one more third-and-9,” Allen said.

The Vikings claimed the third pick in next year’s draft after going 0-6 in the NFC North, the first time in their 51 years they’ve failed to win a division game.

Coach Lovie Smith said Urlacher sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, which bent awkwardly in the end zone while he helped break up a pass with 5:15 left. He’ll have ample time to recover this winter with the Bears (8-8) missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, but that wasn’t a good way to finish for a guy who’ll turn 34 before next season. Urlacher was able to walk off the field without assistance, but he was in enough pain initially that he briefly covered his face with his hand.

The past month has been hard to watch for all of the Bears and their fans, following Cutler’s broken right thumb. They were 7-3 with the postseason well within reach until Cutler was sidelined. Forte, their Pro Bowl running back, sprained his right knee two weeks later, and the Bears stumbled into this meaningless matchup at Minnesota with last season’s trip to the NFC Championship Game a distant memory.

“It’s not a whole lot of fun finishing your season knowing that, but we’re a good football team and we’re going to try and keep as many of our coaches and players together as possible,” Smith said. “We don’t want to tear this team down and start over or anything like that. This is a good football team, and we’re going to win a lot of games with this core remaining the same.”

Smith acknowledged he’s concerned about Urlacher but also noted his recuperative history.

“He heals a little bit quicker than most people, so he should be OK,” Smith said.

Despite Allen being in his face all day, blowing by left tackle J’Marcus Webb often until the tight ends started to help, McCown finished 15 for 25 for 160 yards and a second-quarter touchdown pass to Roy Williams with one interception. Though the season was already lost, McCown fared far better than Cutler’s first fill-in, Caleb Hanie, after being signed off the street to take his first NFL snaps in two years.

“What a great group, and it’s just an honor to play for the coaches and the guys that are on the field today,” McCown said.

The Bears have won five straight in this series, their longest streak against the Vikings since winning six in a row from 1983-86.

“The last time I looked at our record we were 7-3, and from that moment on everything came tumbling down like a small snowball into a huge snowman,” said receiver-returner Devin Hester, who had another quiet game.

Though the circumstances were so much different on this day, the Vikings came full circle with another loss to McCown. He filled in for the Arizona Cardinals in the 2003 season finale and knocked Minnesota out of a playoff spot with a stunning heave into the end zone on the final snap.

The Vikings got the ball back with no timeouts at their own 6-yard line and 1:51 left, but D.J. Moore’s interception — the second of the game by Webb — at the Chicago 29 was the clincher.

Ponder went 4 for 10 for 28 yards before aggravating a hip pointer he suffered a month ago. Webb, who rallied the Vikings to victory last week at Washington and brought them within 1 yard of a win at Detroit on Dec. 11, went 17 for 32 for 200 yards. He netted only 2 yards on four rushes.

“They did a real good job of being gap smart and not letting him escape,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said.

The Vikings had their share of gaffes familiar to this at-times-woeful season. Most notable was Ponder’s 13th interception, a poorly thrown pass behind Toby Gerhart that bounced off the running back’s hands and into the arms of Tillman for an untouched 22-yard return. That was the third pick-six in the past five games against Ponder, the first-round draft pick who took over as the starter for the seventh game of the season.

Webb took a 10-yard loss on one of his scrambles instead of throwing the ball away on third-and-4 at the 20, moving Ryan Longwell’s field goal attempt back to 48 yards. Julius Peppers blocked it, preserving a 14-10 lead. Longwell made a pair of 26-yarders in the first half, but a high snap and a dropped hold led to another botched field goal in the second half.

Notes

• Gerhart carried 15 times for 67 yards for the Vikings before leaving with an injury to his left knee.
• Kahil Bell rushed for 54 yards on 17 carries for the Bears.

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

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.

Gotta run!.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson
has scheduled surgery to repair his left knee.

Dr. James Andrews will perform the operation Friday in Alabama, six days
after Peterson tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his
knee while being tackled in a game against the Washington Redskins.

Coach Leslie Frazier said Peterson will be back in Minnesota on Monday for
the team’s season-ending meetings. His rehabilitation work will be done in
Minnesota and his home state of Texas.

Peterson was on crutches Thursday when he entered the locker room, but he
didn’t speak to reporters. He finished the season with 970 yards and 12
touchdowns rushing in 12 games.

The Vikings have said they expect him to be ready for next year’s opener.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Read More: Josh McCown (QB – CHI), Michael Strahan (DE – NYG), Jared Allen (DE – MIN), Jay Cutler (QB – CHI), Kahlil Bell (RB – CHI), Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are 3-12 and without star running back Adrian Peterson heading into Week 17, but the Chicago Bears have lost five games in a row and are left with Josh McCown and Kahlil Bell to lead the offensive unit. Neither team expected to be in this situation at the end of the season, but now it’s about who can make the best of it. Bell has been running hard for the Bears, and may be looking to make a statement against the Vikings, the team that cut him before he made his way to Chicago. Meanwhile, Jared Allen needs 4.5 sacks to surpsass the NFL single-season record set by Michael Strahan. There are still some interesting aspects to a game that has no bearing on the playoff picture.

The five-man panel at CBS Sports has released picks for Week 17, and three out of five experts expect the Bears to lose the season finale. Pete Prisco explained his prediction of a Bears in the following way:

The Bears season went right down the drain when Jay Cutler got hurt. What could have been? Now they are playing a meaningless division road game to close it. How motivated will they be? The Vikings are at home, which is why they are the pick — even without Adrian Peterson. Vikings 21, Bears 21.

It wouldn’t be the best thing for the Vikings in terms of 2012 NFL Draft position, but no doubt the players on the field would love to cap the season with a victory.

For more on the Chicago Bears, head over to Windy City Gridiron. Vikings news is always available at Daily Norseman. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more Chicago sports updates and breaking news.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Gotta run!.

The athletic abilities of star running back Adrian Peterson led
the Minnesota Vikings to give him a seven-year, $100 million
contract extension before the season started.

Now, they hope his recuperative abilities are just as good and
he is able to live up to being the highest-paid running back in the
NFL.

Minnesota expects Peterson to be recovered from left knee
surgery for two torn ligaments in time to start the 2012
season.

“We expect most people to recover from this injury in eight to
nine months and instead of comparing Adrian to any other player at
any level that’s had an anterior cruciate ligament, and they happen
every day, I would really like Adrian to stand on his own merit
because Adrian, I feel, is very unique,” Vikings head trainer Eric
Sugarman said Monday.

“Adrian has a great work ethic. Adrian has the DNA to heal
quickly, which he has shown in the past. He certainly will have the
desire and the mental toughness to be able to get through the rehab
process, which will take months and months, as you know. So, I
think if anyone can get better quickly and safely in that time
period, it would be Adrian Peterson.”

Peterson tore his ACL and MCL when he was hit in the side of the
knee by Washington Redskins safety DeJon Gomes in the third quarter
of Saturday’s 33-26 win at Washington. An MRI on Saturday evening
revealed the ligament tears and meniscus damage, and Peterson will
undergo surgery within the next seven to 10 days.

Backup Toby Gerhart, who started three games earlier this season
when Peterson was out with a high ankle sprain, will start Sunday
in the season-finale against the Chicago Bears. A second-round pick
in 2010, Gerhart has filled in well for Peterson and notched the
first 100-yard rushing game of his career with 109 yards on 11
carries Saturday. But the Vikings expect Gerhart’s time as the
starter to be short-lived.

“He sets his goals extremely high and he’s one of those guys
who, when he puts his mind to it, there’s no reason to ever doubt
that he can achieve what he sets his mind to,” Minnesota coach
Leslie Frazier said of Peterson. “We’re looking forward to his
attacking this rehab like he’s attacked every offseason, to come
back and play and be even better than he was before. I know with
Eric and our medical staff, they’re going to do everything they can
to get him back on the field and ready to go when we line up in
that first football game next season.”

Gerhart’s emergence over the past month at least offers optimism
if Peterson has to miss extended time next season.

Gerhart has had the top three rushing days of his career in the
past four weeks. On his first carry after Peterson left Saturday’s
game, Gerhart showed some big-play ability of his own, busting free
for a 67-yard run, the longest of his short career.

Believing Peterson will be ready for the first game of 2012 and
knowing Gerhart is available if needed, Frazier said the team
wouldn’t change its run-first offensive approach.

“One of things about Adrian’s absence earlier in the season, we
had a chance to get Toby some extended snaps and we really haven’t
altered the offense by any means,” Frazier said. “Toby has done a
very good job in Adrian’s absence. Did a great job (Saturday) of
stepping in and performing and rushing for over 100 yards. So we
really haven’t had to alter things. We really don’t plan to. We
look forward to eventually getting Adrian back on the field, but we
don’t think we have to really alter the offense.”

That’s all for today.

The Minnesota Vikings can’t catch a break. You’d think a team
that played its first season way back in 1961 would receive one by
now.

The Vikings haven’t had much to get excited about this
season.

There was the Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals (34-10).

There was the 24-21 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 and
the 33-26 win over the Washington Redskins on Christmas Eve.

And that’s it.

The other 13 weeks on the schedule are marked with the letter
“L.”

The 3-12 Vikings are suffering through their worst season in
decades.

You have to go back to 1984 to find a Vikings team that only won
three games. That team was 3-13.

You have to go back to 1962 to find a Vikings team that won two
games. That team finished 2-11-1.

The initial Vikings of 1961 were 3-11 and have a better winning
percentage than this year’s bunch.

So the Vikings pick up their third win of the season and in the
process lose their franchise running back Adrian Peterson to a
devastating knee injury.

Go figure.

Safe to say, the Vikings would give back that win for a healthy
Peterson in a heartbeat.

Who knows if Peterson will be able to return for the 2012
season?

Who knows if he’ll ever be the same when he does return?

Some are questioning why Peterson was playing in a basically
meaningless game this late in the season. After all, he’d been
hampered with an ankle injury.

So no one could have blamed him or the Vikings if they’d just
shut him down until the 2012 season.

But that’s not how Adrian Peterson is wired.

He’s a competitor, and guys like that want to play.

Guys like that want the ball every down, no matter if the team
is 12-2 or 2-12.

So if Peterson was healthy enough to play, he was going to
play.

No one, however, expected him to rip up his knee in the
process.

But Viking fans have grown accustomed to disappointment.

It’s been happening for decades and there’s not enough column
space to go into much detail.

Viking fans can recite the history from memory.

There’s the four Super Bowl losses.

There was the Cowboys’ Drew Pearson push-off.

There was the Herschel Walker debacle with the Cowboys, as
well.

There was the 1998 NFC championship game heartbreaking loss to
the Atlanta Falcons.

There was the 2003 last-second loss to the Arizona Cardinals on
a fourth and 25 that knocked the Purple out of the playoffs.

There was the crushing 2009 NFC title game loss to the New
Orleans Saints.

And now the knee injury to quite possibly the most exciting
player in franchise history.

But don’t feel sorry for Vikings fans — they don’t need your
sympathy.

True Vikings would never think of jumping ship.

I mean, what’s the alternative — cheer for another team?

That’d be the easy way out and wouldn’t be any fun.

Did you know?

That Peterson is 66 yards shy of becoming the Vikings’ all-time
leading rusher. Peterson has 6,752 career yards.

Robert Smith is the all-time leader with 6,818 yards.

Reach Kirk Hardcastle at 421-0540 or
kirk.hardcastle@globegazette.com.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Read More: adrian peterson injury, Adrian Peterson (RB – MIN), Mickey Shuler (TE – MIN), Allen Reisner (TE – MIN), Caleb King (RB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson’s knee injury has landed the All-Pro running back on the injured reserve, effectively ending the season for the Minnesota Vikings running back. In a corresponding move, the Vikings signed Caleb King from the team’s practice squad.

Peterson’s season ended with a torn ACL, a torn ACL and further damage to his meniscus as well, and while his status for the beginning of next season could be in doubt, Peterson put forth a solid effort this season for a losing team. The fifth-year pro ran for 970 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games for the Vikings, overcoming a high ankle sprain before the knee injury took him out of action for good.

King has yet to make his NFL debut after being a player on the Vikings practice squad thus far this season, but the rookie running back carried the ball 80 times for 430 yards for the Georgia Bulldogs last season.

The Vikings also waived tight end Allen Reisner on Monday while promoting Mickey Shuler from the practice squad.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Here’s the situation; the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams are all currently tied at two wins apiece. If both the Vikings and Rams lose this upcoming Saturday, all three will have identical records of 2-13. At that point, the Colts will still be in possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

However, if the Colts win their third game next weekend and the Vikings/Rams remain at two wins apiece through the final week of the regular season, the Vikings would then take over control of the No. 1 pick.

In case you’ve been oblivious to the headlines, there’s a certain player that has already declared himself eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft that makes this No. 1 overall pick extremely valuable. That player is Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Considered by many NFL scouts to be the greatest quarterback prospect since Payton Manning, Luck has proven throughout his three years as Stanford’s starting signal-caller that he’s more than worthy of the hype. Combining elite passing skills and intelligence with outstanding athleticism, Luck is a nightmare for defenses. He is one of the few quarterbacks to come out of college in the last few years who can read coverages with ease and makes quick decisions based on his reads. There’s plenty more, but you get the point.

Despite how tantalizing of a talent Luck is, a certain dilemma would arise for the Vikings if the No. 1 pick happened to fall into their laps.

Seeing as Luck is a quarterback, what would the Vikings do with their current starting quarterback, Christian Ponder, who they already spent their 2011 first-round pick on?

The first option would be to stick with Ponder and draft a different player with that No. 1 overall pick. Although that seems logical after the Vikings already committed to the former No. 12 overall pick this season, but how does a struggling team like Minnesota pass up on one of the most intriguing quarterbacks to come out of college in the last decade? Ponder has displayed some flaws this season, whereas Luck has the potential to be as elite of a quarterback as you can realistically ask for. The decision would be favorable in the locker room, but could the Vikings front office really deal with the constant “what if we had Luck” thoughts going through their heads?

The second option would be drafting Luck and getting something out of Ponder via trade. In this scenario, the Vikings not only get the best player to enter the pro ranks in years, but they also have the opportunity to get some value out of Ponder through a trade. This move might not sit well in the locker room after much of the Vikings squad built their confidence around Ponder’s promotion to the starting quarterback role, but Luck would be able to persuade them to believe that the Vikings made the right choice.

For those of you wondering why the Vikings couldn’t pick Luck and keep Ponder around as a second option: it wouldn’t work. Luck is too intriguing to let him sit on the bench behind an unproven player. Ponder is a talented young quarterback who is too valuable to let him hold a clipboard when other teams could give you something in return for him.

The third and final option for the Vikings would be to trade away the pick and hope that missing out on Luck doesn’t come back to bite them. The one positive aspect to this option would be the king’s ransom that they could expect in return for the No. 1 overall pick. Who knows what some team desperate to land Luck would be willing to give? Not only would they most likely receive a handful of draft picks, but veteran talent could also be thrown into the equation in an attempt to sweeten the deal. The negative aspect: the Vikings would still have Ponder and no Luck.

Don’t get me wrong; I like Ponder and what brings to the Vikings’ offense. But the possibility of Luck donning the horns is too exciting to pass up just because they already have Ponder on the roster.

If the Vikings did decide to draft Luck, the next logical step for them would be bolstering their horrendously depleted offensive line. Arguably their weakest position, the offensive line would need massive upgrades if the Vikings planned on getting the most out of Luck’s talents. There’s no way Luck can work his magic with the porous blocking that the Vikings currently have enlisted. Whether it’s through the draft or via free agency, that front five needs to improve in a big hurry even if they stay with Ponder.

Of course, this is all hypothetical. The Colts still have to win their last game and the Vikings still have to lose their last two for any of these options to come into play. A little speculation never hurt anyone, though.

Would the Vikings pick Luck? I’m not sure even they know. Will the Vikings get the No. 1 pick? We can’t know until next weekend. Will this be one of the biggest topics flying through the Vikings’ blogosphere? Undoubtedly!

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

The Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings will both likely be making
changes in the offseason after disappointing years.

Whether the quarterbacks are among those changes remains to be seen.

The Vikings visit the Redskins on Saturday, needing to win their final two
games to avoid finishing with the worst record in the franchise’s 51-year
history.

Minnesota’s worst 16-game record was 3-13 in 1984 while the 1961 Vikings
went 2-11. This year’s squad has shown little reason to make anyone believe it
can win at least one of its final two games – the last of which will come at
home against Chicago – much less two.

Minnesota’s losing streak reached six – its longest single-season skid since
1984 – with a 42-20 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. The Vikings (2-12) were
outgained 573-207 and had 12 first downs to the Saints’ 36.

This will be the second straight season Minnesota has missed the playoffs
after reaching the NFC title game in 2009.

“There’s a lot at stake,” linebacker Erin Henderson said of the final two
games. “They’re watching closely right now to see who’s still fighting, who’s
still coming out here trying to give their best and give it their all, and look
to see who they can build this team with next year and continue to move forward
with.”

While coaches are often the first to take the fall for a team’s failures,
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier reportedly has the support of the team’s owners.
Frazier took over after Brad Childress was fired last season.

“I’m really optimistic about the future, as difficult and as crazy as that
may sound,” Frazier said. “I think I have a good idea of what we need to do to
not be in this situation in the future. So no, I’m not concerned about 2012 at
this point.”

Frazier hopes quarterback Christian Ponder is part of the team’s plans going
forward. Ponder, the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, took over when
Donovan McNabb struggled. However, after showing promise early on, Ponder had
regressed. In the last two weeks, he’s 25 of 52 for 235 yards with four
touchdowns and four interceptions.

“With Christian, like so many young quarterbacks, you don’t want to base
your judgment on one or two games,” Frazier said. “Give him a chance to have an
offseason to get with our coaches in OTAs that are going to help him. I think
it’s a little bit too early to panic about Christian.”

With Ponder struggling, Minnesota needs Adrian Peterson at full strength.
Peterson, who is 68 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards for a fifth straight
season, had 10 carries for 60 yards last week after missing three games with a
sprained ankle.

Like the Vikings, the Redskins (5-9) also face questions about their roster
as they near the end of a third straight losing season.

Washington won for the second time in 10 games, beating the New York Giants
23-10 last Sunday.

Rex Grossman completed 15 of 24 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and two
interceptions while the defense held the Giants to a field goal until the final
minute of the fourth quarter.

Grossman’s two interceptions give him 18 this season – two shy of his career
high. His 71.4 passer rating ranks 29th among qualifying quarterbacks, just
behind Ponder’s 72.3.

However, Grossman could have better luck against the Vikings secondary,
which hasn’t forced an interception in the last nine games while giving up an
average of 271.9 passing yards.

Grossman will be a free agent at the end of the season, but he has the
support to come back from at least one of his teammates.

“We’ve been feeling that rhythm again once Rex got back out there, giving us
that swag that he carried on the first part of the season,” receiver Santana
Moss said. “That’s leading us to go out there and do what we do. We needed a guy
like that to take advantage of those opportunities that we have.”

The Vikings defeated the Redskins 17-13 in Washington last season in
Frazier’s first game as head coach.

Comment Below!.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

The Minnesota Vikings need to win their final two games to avoid the worst record in the franchise’s 51-year history.

Whatever happens, coaches and players know that many jobs are on the line as the Vikings (2-12) limp toward the end of the season.

There is turnover every year in the NFL, but the rate increases exponentially on a team that is going through the kind of season the Vikings are experiencing right now. They have lost six games in a row, each one seemingly more painful than the next, including last weekend’s 42-20 embarrassment at home against New Orleans.

After fighting so admirably for most of the season despite having little to show for it, Minnesota finally appeared to hit a wall.

“At some point you just have to say, ‘what the heck’ we’re 2-12, what do we have to lose?’” defensive end Jared Allen said after the game. “Try to make every play. A lot of people are probably going to get fired at this point anyways.”

Coach Leslie Frazier is widely believed to be safe after a long first season on the job. The Wilf family has a lot of respect for Frazier and likely wouldn’t be too pleased with paying three head coaches next year since Brad Childress is still on the payroll for another two years.

But if the Vikings are completely outclassed in the final two games — at Washington and home against Chicago — all bets are off.

Frazier said the team can’t afford to think about what’s going to happen after the season. They clearly need to put all their attention on this weekend’s game to have a chance of winning.

“I’m really optimistic about the future, as difficult and as crazy as that may sound,” Frazier said. “I think I have a good idea of what we need to do to not be in this situation in the future. So no, I’m not concerned about 2012 at this point.”

The coaches aren’t the only people under the gun as the season draws to a close. Roster spots are on the line as well.

“There’s a lot at stake,” linebacker Erin Henderson said. “They’re watching closely right now to see who’s still fighting, who’s still coming out here trying to give their best and give it their all, and look to see who they can build this team with next year and continue to move forward with.”

That includes quarterback.

The Vikings drafted Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in the first round and he had a promising start when he took over for Donovan McNabb in Week 7. But Ponder has regressed the last three weeks, and with the Vikings likely picking very high next April, a strong finish would help Ponder solidify his spot as the team’s quarterback heading into next year.

“With Christian, like so many young quarterbacks, you don’t want to base your judgment on one or two games,” Frazier said. “Give him a chance to have an offseason to get with our coaches in OTAs that are going to help him. I think it’s a little bit too early to panic about Christian.”

After not getting an offseason to prepare because of the lockout, Ponder said this one will give him a chance to catch his breath, examine his game and get on the same page with his coaches and receivers.

“Last summer I had the playbook but didn’t really know how things are run,” Ponder said. “Now being through a full season, there will be a lot of time to spend on the small details and working all the time at getting better at the things I need to get better at.”

Ponder said he played too conservatively last week, trying “to play not to lose” rather than going for the win.

Allen thinks the rookie wasn’t alone.

“What are you going to lose? Go out, make plays and try to put your best effort out there and win games,” Allen said. “Sometimes we get in a back-pedal mode and just try to maintain so we don’t get beat too bad.”

Notes: CB Asher Allen and LG Steve Hutchinson did not practice on Wednesday after getting concussions in the game against the Saints. Frazier said both would be evaluated throughout the week before determining if they will be available against the Redskins. … Frazier said he talked with CB Cedric Griffin, who was benched last week, and anticipated that he would be back on the field this week.

___

Follow Jon Krawczynski at http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski

That’s all the news for today.

I know that there’s this sort of rivalry between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, but somehow their hatred seems to consistently spur treachery.

The Vikings have had a number of players make the move from Wisconsin to Minnesota over the last few years, including quarterback Brett Favre (indirectly) and kicker Ryan Longwell. So who would have guessed that a mere practice squad player would refuse to ditch the cheese and don the horns?

Packers’ practice squad wide receiver Tori Gurley has reportedly turned down the Vikings when they offered him a spot on their active roster.

“If you look statistically, their season is going to be over in three weeks,” Gurley explained. “We’re already locked to have a playoff spot. I’m learning from some of the best wide receivers in the game right now. The way our offense is clicking, the grass isn’t going to be greener on the other side. So just learning and taking it one day at a time, my opportunity is going to come.”

Despite his apparent enthusiasm about sticking with the Packers, the team still gave him a raise in hopes of keeping the practice squad player around.

It seems a bit naïve to pass up an opportunity for a promotion, but this isn’t the first time Gurley has turned down a potential suitor to stay with the Packers this season.

When it comes down to it, there were two options for Gurley: stick with the 13-0 Packers where he’ll probably remain as a practice squad roster until the end of the season or join the Vikings for their remaining three games and hang up the cleats by the first week of January.

Although it seems like the logical choice to choose the jump to someone else’s active roster, I’m sure Gurley had his reasons for staying in Green Bay. Whether it was the potential to play for a playoff team who’s clearly a favorite to make it to the Super Bowl or the possibility of being a small part of only the second undefeated team in NFL history, I’m sure he made the right decision for himself.

Packers’ starting wide receiver Greg Jennings was injured last week, which could mean a potential promotion for Gurley if Jennings doesn’t recover in a timely manner. There has also been speculation that veteran Donald Driver could be pondering retirement, which could also open a door for the young pass-catcher.

Regardless of the possibility that all of those reasons potentially outweighed the chance to be one of the better wide receivers on the Vikings’ roster, the choice is made and window has closed.

In case you are unaware, Gurley is an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina who decided to forgo his junior and senior seasons only to not hear his name called on draft day. During his two years with the Gamecocks, he caught 75 passes for 905 yards and six touchdowns.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

There is the quick update of the day.

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

Thanks for reading! .