The Rise Of The Purple People Eaters: A Minnesota Vikings Franchise

[Kyle K.]

WEEK TWO RESULTS

....

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-0)
VS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (0-1)

NO SUCH LUCK!
COLTS COME UP SHORT IN COMEBACK AGAINST THE VIKINGS AT HOME


TOP: LUCK GETS STRIPPED OF THE BALL IN THE DYING MINUTES OF THE GAME TO HELP SECURE A VIKINGS WIN
BOTTOM LEFT: PONDER SCAMPERS IN FOR HIS SECOND RUSHING TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON
BOTTOM RIGHT: PETERSON CATCHES HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON, WITH ONLY A SECOND LEFT IN THE 1ST HALF

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (AP) - Two weeks in a row have seen Kyle Kole sneak out wins against two opponents many thought should be blow out wins, but when you have a defense playing like he has the Vikings playing you don't need very many points to win a game. This week the game started out a whole lot better for the Vikings as right off the start they managed to push the Colts to a 3 and out, followed by a good Percy Harvin punt return allowing the Vikings to be inside the Indianapolis 40 yard line. Sadly the offense looked a lot like last weeks as they sputtered after gaining a single first down only to kick a field goal go up by 3 points. The good news is the defense continued its terrific play from a week before as on the very next Colt offensive play Luck would be picked off by Winfield, giving the Vikings the ball inside the Colts 20. This time Ponder took it upon himself and scampered in for a quick 7 yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a fast 10 point lead, scoring 10 points this game almost a full half earlier then against Jacksonville a week prior. Luck and the Colts would answer back before the end of the first quarter though on a 7 yard slant pass to Mike Williams (yes, he is still in the league, we were surprised as well). This cut the lead down to 3 points heading into the 2nd quarter.

The second quarter was a display of defense and really poor wide receiver play on the Vikings side of the football. Percy Harvin had two dropped passes that could of been driving extending first downs, rather they would end up being drive killers. The good news is that it didn't hurt the Vikings as Andrew Luck was struggling to find any kind of success against the Vikings defense for almost the entire game. Ponder and the offense were finally able to get kicked into gear after Harvin was benched at the end of the first half, allowing some bigger plays by Adrian Peterson, who would cap the series off with a quick little 1 yard out, with only a second left on the clock before half, and extending the Vikings lead to a healthy 10 points.

"I felt he needed to come off the field, he wasn't giving it his all and I had to show the team that it wouldn't be allowed. If you get hit, you get hit. You cannot stop trying to catch the ball or drop it every time someone may or may not hit you, this is football. If he doesn't want to be hit he can go play baseball. I told him that on the sideline, so this isn't news to him, and Percy understood where I was coming from and that is why he was back on the field for the second half of the game. I however made the choice to put him in the slot, and as you can see it worked out pretty well for us in the game didn't it. Moving forward I think Percy will be a slot receiver, though I am not entirely sure who I will be giving that 2nd outside receiver position to, no one has really proven themselves yet for me to automatically say someone is the starter." - Kyle Kole, Head Coach

Luckily for everyone in the stands the third quarter didn't get any more exciting then the second quarter. Both teams traded blows of poor offensive ability until finally towards the end of the quarter Minnesota got a drive going to kick a field goal as time expired, giving them a 13 points lead going into the 4th. Indianapolis didn't take a very long time to answer back either, as in just 2 minutes and 50 second they saw themselves cut the lead back down to only 10 points with a Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. The stands were once again rocking and Minnesota found it hard to get much of anything going, especially on the ground as the entire offensive line all seemed to forget how to block for Adrian Peterson. Lucky for the Vikings the defense was still playing solid and saved the game with a strip sack of Andrew Luck with 5 minutes to go, when the Colts were down on the Vikings 7 yard line. The Vikings ultimately couldn't kill much time, and they were not able to convert the turnover into points but they killed just enough clock to force the Colts to drive back down field where Luck found Fleener for a 18 yard touchdown pass with a minute and 54 seconds left on the clock. It was then up to Peterson to run the clock out with the Colts still having all three timeouts left, and after a first down run for no yards Peterson banged out a 11 yard run followed by a 13 yard run to end the game and secure the win for the Vikings, their second straight to start the season.

"I knew the game was on my shoulders at that point and I needed to make a couple big plays to help the guys out. Thankfully I was able to do just that. The big guys upfront were blocking their asses off, the Colts defense isn't as easy to beat as some people think. They play a really tight man coverage and those linebackers can fly around the field, especially Freeney. When I made those 2 first downs I made sure to go back to the huddle and let all those guys know how great they did. This isn't the last you're going to hear of us this season and I know moving forward the sky is the limit for this team, and we are going to be going to the top before you know it, and a large part of that is because of the confidence coach Kole has given us." - Adrian Peterson, Running Back

Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts
Sep 16, 2012 1 2 3 4 F MIN (2-0) 10 7 3 0 20 IND (1-1) 7 0 0 10 17 Top Performers PASS: (MIN) Christian Ponder - 23-34, 279 Yds, 1 TD RUSH: (MIN) Adrian Peterson - 31 Car, 111 Yds, 3.5 Avg REC: (MIN) Percy Harvin - 8 Rec, 121 Yds, 15.1 Avg	Team Stats Comparison MIN IND First Downs 22 11 3rd Down Efficiency 37% 41% 4th Down Efficiency -- -- Total Yards 512 411 Passing Yards 269 154 Rushing Yards 138 112 Penalties-Penalty Yards 4-40 1-10 Turnovers 1 (+1) 2 (-1) Time of Possession 37:51 22:09
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING MIN IND 10:04 (MIN) B. Walsh, 23 Yd FG 3 0 7:34 (MIN) C. Ponder, 7 Yd run (B. Walsh kick) 10 0 1:34 (IND) M. Williams 7 Yd pass from A. Luck (A. Vinatieri kick) 10 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING MIN IND 0:01 (MIN) A. Peterson 1 Yd pass from C. Ponder (B. Walsh kick) 17 7 THIRD QUARTER SCORING MIN IND 0:00 (MIN) B. Walsh, 19 Yd FG 20 7 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING MIN IND 12:10 (IND) A. Vinatieri, 41 Yd FG 20 10 1:54 (IND) C. Fleener 18 Yd pass from A. Luck (A. Vinatieri kick) 20 17
Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Ponder 23/34 279 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD A. Peterson 31 111 3.5 0 C. Ponder 4 25 6.2 1 T. Gerhart 4 1 0.2 0 J. Felton 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 8 121 15.1 0 A. Peterson 6 73 12.1 1 D. Aromashodu 4 31 7.7 0 J. Wright 3 13 4.3 0 K. Rudolph 1 7 7.0 0 J. Simpson 1 34 34.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK J. Felton 1 0 C. Johnson 1 0 M. Kalil 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C. Greenway 6 0 0 0 E. Henderson 6 0 0 0 C. Cook 4 0 0 0 T. McKenzie 4 1 0 0 J. Sanford 4 0 0 0 A. Winfield 3 0 1 0 M. Mitchell 3 0 0 0 H. Smith 3 0 0 0 B. Robison 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG B. Walsh 2/2 2/2 8 23 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 C. Kluwe 6 237 39.5 3 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 3 66 22.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 4 39 9.7 0 Indianapolis Colts PASSING C/A YDS TD INT A. Luck 14/25 159 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Brown 19 68 3.5 0 V. Ballard 3 25 8.3 0 A. Luck 2 10 5.0 0 A. Dixon 1 9 9.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Williams 4 58 14.5 1 C. Fleener 4 64 16.0 1 D. Brown 3 7 2.3 0 R. Wayne 2 28 14.0 0 A. Dixon 1 2 2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK A. Barron 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD K. Conner 12 0 0 0 P. Angerer 10 0 0 0 A. Bethea 8 0 0 0 P. Sims 6 0 0 0 D. Butler 5 0 0 0 T. Zbikowski 5 0 0 0 V. Davis 3 0 0 0 D. Freeney 3 1 0 0 J. Westerman 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG A. Vinatieri 1/1 2/2 5 41 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 P. McAfee 5 236 47.2 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD T. Hilton 2 43 21.5 0 D. Avery 2 36 18.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Moore 4 66 16.5 0

[Kyle K.]

AROUND THE NFL
WEEK TWO

ARIZONA STEALS A WIN IN NEW ENGLAND
KOLB OUT PLAYS AND OUT LASTS BRADY IN HUGE WIN

Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots
Sep 16, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Arizona Cardinals (1-1)	0	0	10	17	27
New England Patriots (1-1)	7	10	0	0	17

Team Stats Comparison
	ARI	NE
Total Offense	394	276
Rushing Yards	112	71
Passing Yards	282	205
First Downs	9	13
Punt Return Yards	58	32
Kick Return Yards	78	25
Total Yards	530	333
Turnovers	0 (+2)	2 (-2)
3rd Down Converstion	35%	41%
4th Down Conversion	--	--
2-Point Conversion	--	--
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0-1	1-0
Penalties	3-30	5-35
Posession Time	29:31	30:29

WEEK TWO STANDINGS

NFL Standings - Updated: Sep 18, 2012
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
New York Giants	1	1	0	78	85
Philadelphia Eagles	1	1	0	48	47
Washington Redskins	1	1	0	45	55
Dallas Cowboys	0	2	0	47	75
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Minnesota Vikings	2	0	0	40	32
Chicago Bears	1	1	0	81	71
Green Bay Packers	0	2	0	67	86
Detroit Lions	0	2	0	49	85
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Atlanta Falcons	2	0	0	43	37
New Orleans Saints	2	0	0	72	48
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	0	0	85	48
Carolina Panthers	0	2	0	45	71
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Seattle Seahawks	2	0	0	63	41
San Francisco 49ers	2	0	0	85	54
St. Louis Rams	1	1	0	57	51
Arizona Cardinals	1	1	0	55	53
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Miami Dolphins	2	0	0	42	31
Buffalo Bills	1	1	0	48	48
New England Patriots	1	1	0	46	49
New York Jets	0	2	0	57	96
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Baltimore Ravens	2	0	0	81	46
Pittsburgh Steelers	1	1	0	87	66
Cincinnati Bengals	1	1	0	59	58
Cleveland Browns	0	2	0	24	61
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Houston Texans	1	1	0	41	45
Indianapolis Colts	1	1	0	53	52
Tennessee Titans	1	1	0	41	45
Jacksonville Jaguars	0	2	0	25	49
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Kansas City Chiefs	1	1	0	34	30
Denver Broncos	1	1	0	60	52
San Diego Chargers	1	1	0	47	25
Oakland Raiders	0	2	0	24	52

WEEK TWO INJURY REPORT

Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
LOLB	Von Miller - Denver Broncos	Foot Fracture - 5 Weeks
RE	Darnell Dockett - Arizona Cardinals	Upper Arm Fracture - 3 Weeks
LT	Jake Long - Miami Dolphins	Dislocated Elbow - 4 Weeks
RG	Josh Sitton - Green Bay Packers	Broken Thumb - 4 Weeks
ROLB	Clay Matthews - Green Bay Packers	Broken Jaw - 1 Week
LT	Jordan Gross - Carolina Panthers	Upper Arm Fracture - 3 Weeks
FS	Quintin Mikell - St. Louis Rams	Groin Tear - Season Ending
LT	Russell Okung - Seattle Seahawks	Foot Fracture - 1 Week
RE	Kedric Golston - Washington Redskins	Hip Fracture - Season Ending
WR	Torrey Smith - Baltimore Ravens	Broken Hand - 1 Week

[Kyle K.]

WEEK THREE PREVIEW

Matchup Preview | September 23, 2012
	@
San Francisco 49ers (2-0, 1-0 Away)		Minnesota Vikings (2-0, 1-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 42.5 Points Per Game 20.0 846 Total Offensive Yards 656 659 Passing Yards 397 187 Rushing Yards 259 50% Red Zone Percentage 100% Defensive Stats Comparison 27.0 Points Per Game 16.0 884 Total Yards Allowed 560 795 Passing Yards Allowed 295 89 Rushing Yards Allowed 265 0 (+1) Interceptions 1 (+2) Injury Report Ray McDonald - Broken Thumb 2 Weeks None Darcel McBath - Partial ACL Tear 3 Weeks Game Notes MINNEAPOLIS, MN (AP) - The upcoming game against the 49ers will be the toughest test that Minnesota might face all season long. To make matters worse the 49ers offense is coming in on fire, led by Alex Smith who is absolutely tearing the league apart right now with a 129.4 QB Rating, 659 Yards Passing (More than Minnesota has as total offense). And to make matters worse 7 touchdown passes, and not a single interception. The good news for Minnesota is that the 49ers defense is playing some of its worse football in a few years and opens the doors for the Vikings offense if they so wish to show up and put some points up on the board. Not a lot will be asked of Christian Ponder, it will be mostly the same that has been asked the last couple weeks. Don't turn the ball over and complete your passes that are open; Percy Harvin was able to find his groove last week as a slot receiver and now hopefully will be able to continue that play this week against a suspect 49ers pass defense. Adrian Peterson will have his work cut out for him as San Francisco has only allowed 89 rushing yards this season the lowest total in the league. Defensively once again the Vikings just need to come out and protect the red zone, and remember that field goals are better than touchdowns.

[Kyle K.]

WEEK THREE RESULTS

....

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2-0)
VS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-0)

ARE THEY FOR REAL?
MINNESOTA DOMINATES A SHELL SHOCKED 49ERS TEAM


TOP: THE 49ERS DEFENSE GOT TO SEE A LOT OF ADRIAN PETERSON'S JERSEY ON A 77 YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN
BOTTOM LEFT: SANFORD PICKS OFF ALEX SMITH ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME FOR SAN FRANCISCO
BOTTOM RIGHT: HARVIN CAPS THE TURNOVER OFF WITH A 11 YARD TOUCHDOWN RECEPTION FROM CHRISTIAN PONDER

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (AP) - Another week and another win for Kyle Kole in his absolutely brilliant start to a NFL career, though one has to question how is it possible that no one has given this man a chance before now? After two really tight wins against lesser opponents almost every expert had the Vikings dead to rights against the 49ers, and yet they come out and absolutely lay a beat down on the defending NFC West Champions. The game wasn't all roses, but a lot of really good happened today, and it started with a interception on the very first play of the game, which was followed by Christian Ponder finally showing he has the ability to throw the ball down the field and scored a quick touchdown with the help of his new best friend Percy Harvin. After that drive though the game turned into the David Akers field goal clinic as the next 12 points of the game were all David Aker field goals to give the 49ers a 5 points lead shortly into the second quarter, an unlikely turn of events but welcomed after the Vikings defense continued its impressive start to not allowing touchdowns in the red zone.

The good news for the 49ers was they had the lead, the bad news was they didn't see a single point the rest of the game, so unless your defense is really playing lights out generally speaking 12 points will not cut it in any league. The Vikings would chip slowly away at the lead with a Blair Walsh field goal that cut the deficit down to only two points with a bit over 5 minutes left in the game. Ponder and company would be able to do some more damage against the 49ers before half time as Adrian Peterson would finally make his way into the end zone on the ground, after two straight weeks of being held out of it. The plus was this also gave the Minnesota Vikings the lead going into the half, and really had the 49ers stunned all around as they really had no idea what had happened to them with Ponder marching the ball straight down the field against them.

"This is a complete game, I have been telling everyone around here that we have yet to play a complete game. We have done enough to win but never really put it all together especially on offense, and wouldn't you know it that in Ponders' worst game we would have our best offensive showing. When you talk about this defense, I can't say enough good things about them, they have been absolutely wonderful and all the times we spend practicing the red zone defense it has paid off greatly for us so far this season allowing only 1 touchdown in 3 games. If we can keep this up things should only get better, especially against our division with the Loins, Bears and Packers all coming up." - Kyle Kole, Head Coach

The third quarter started off with a bang before it ended with a sizzle. Adrian Peterson, who to that point had 11 carries for 21 yards, busted out a huge 77 yard touchdown run to give the Vikings a 12 point lead, though that would be the only scoring action either team would see the rest of the 3rd quarter. Peterson would get his third touchdown of the day early in the 4th quarter with a 3 yard run, capping a terrific day for a man that was just coming back from a major injury. The 49ers would try and try to claw back into this game but sadly for them, turnovers would be the killer, Alex Smith who had no interceptions the two games prior but during a drive to try and get a little closer in the game Winfield would gladly take another pick, his second of the year to give Smith his second on the day. Walsh would get to work his leg out a little more and would drill another short field goal after some excellent running by Adrian Peterson. The ensuing kickoff would see another bad turn for the 49ers as they would fumble giving the ball right back to the Vikings who would go on to kick another field goal making it 37-12 and complete the dismantling of the 49ers and sending fans home happy and giving the Vikings an impressive 3-0 start to the 2012 season.

"The results don't surprise us at all, coach Kole has us practicing hard and has come up with amazing gameplans for us. We have executed so far great and if we continue it I don't see why this won't continue as the season goes. We know we have some hard games coming up, we know that but so does the coaching staff. We are just seeing the ball really good right now on defense, swarming to the ball and the young guys have given us veterans a jump in our step with their enthusiasm. We have a tough road ahead and we know that things can change for the worst just as quick as they have started great so we have no illusion that we are the best team in the NFL or anything like that, we are just taking this slowly, one game at a time." - Antoine Winfield, Defensive Back

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Sep 23, 2012 1 2 3 4 F SFO (2-1) 9 3 0 0 12 MIN (3-0) 7 10 7 13 37 Top Performers PASS: (MIN) Christian Ponder - 19-31, 247 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT RUSH: (MIN) Adrian Peterson - 30 Car, 167 Yds, 5.5 Avg, 3 TD's REC: (MIN) Percy Harvin - 6 Rec, 91 Yds, 15.1 Avg, 1 TD	Team Stats Comparison SFO MIN First Downs 12 18 3rd Down Efficiency 21% 50% 4th Down Efficiency 0% -- Total Yards 427 565 Passing Yards 170 239 Rushing Yards 72 209 Penalties-Penalty Yards 2-20 3-25 Turnovers 3 (-1) 2 (+1) Time of Possession 26:20 33:40
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING SFO MIN 13:33 (MIN) P. Harvin 11 Yd pass from C. Ponder (B. Walsh kick) 0 7 10:08 (SFO) D. Akers, 53 Yd FG 3 7 4:42 (SFO) D. Akers, 56 Yd FG 6 7 0:54 (SFO) D. Akers, 18 Yd FG 9 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING SFO MIN 7:45 (SFO) D. Akers, 35 Yd FG 12 7 3:59 (MIN) B. Walsh, 32 Yd FG 12 10 1:08 (MIN) A. Peterson, 1 Yd run (B. Walsh kick) 12 17 THIRD QUARTER SCORING SFO MIN 14:47 (MIN) A. Peterson, 77 Yd run (B. Walsh kick) 12 24 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING SFO MIN 13:13 (MIN) A. Peterson, 3 Yd run (B. Walsh kick) 12 31 5:28 (MIN) B. Walsh, 29 Yd FG 12 34 2:18 (MIN) B. Walsh, 22 Yd FG 12 37
San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT A. Smith 17/33 183 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD F. Gore 19 52 2.7 0 B. Jacobs 4 15 3.7 0 A. Smith 1 5 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD V. Davis 6 85 14.1 0 M. Crabtree 3 33 11.0 0 M. Manningham 3 37 12.3 0 F. Gore 2 13 6.5 0 B. Miller 2 4 2.0 0 G. Celek 1 11 11.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK J. Staley 2 0 M. Iupati 2 0 J. Goodwin 1 0 J. Looney 0 1 L. Davis 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD N. Bowman 10 1 0 0 P. Willis 7 0 0 0 A. Brooks 6 0 2 0 T. Brown 6 0 0 0 D. Whitner 5 0 0 0 P. Haralson 5 0 0 0 C. Spillman 4 0 0 0 A. Smith 3 0 0 0 L. Grant 3 0 0 0 D. Goldson 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG D. Akers 4/4 0/0 12 56 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 A. Lee 5 223 44.6 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD K. Hunter 2 49 24.5 0 P. Cox 5 122 24.4 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Cox 1 14 14.0 0 Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Ponder 19/31 247 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD A. Peterson 30 167 5.5 3 R. Gerhart 4 20 5.0 0 C. Ponder 3 20 6.6 0 J. Felton 2 2 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 91 15.1 1 D. Aromashodu 3 51 17.0 0 J. Simpson 3 28 9.3 0 A. Peterson 3 55 18.3 0 K. Rudolph 2 7 3.5 0 M. Jenkins 1 1 1.0 0 J. Wright 1 14 14.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK G. Schwartz 2 0 J. Sullivan 1 0 K. Rudolph 1 0 M. Kalil 1 0 P. Loadholt 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C. Greenway 7 0 0 0 J. Sanford 6 0 1 0 T. McKenzie 6 0 0 0 A. Jefferson 5 0 0 0 E. Henderson 5 1 0 0 A. Winfield 4 0 1 0 H. Smith 3 0 0 0 B. Robison 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG B. Walsh 3/3 4/4 13 32 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 C. Kluwe 3 143 47.6 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 5 101 20.2 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 2 16 8.0 0

[Kyle K.]

AROUND THE NFL
WEEK THREE

CAM NEWTON HAS A "SUPER" PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE GIANTS
3 TOUCHDOWN PASSES HELPS PROPEL THE PANTHERS TO FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers
Sep 21, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York Giants (1-2)	10	3	14	3	30
Carolina Panthers (1-2)	7	7	13	7	34

Team Stats Comparison
	NYG	CAR
Total Offense	407	444
Rushing Yards	127	108
Passing Yards	280	336
First Downs	20	11
Punt Return Yards	31	6
Kick Return Yards	79	139
Total Yards	517	589
Turnovers	1 (-1)	0 (+1)
3rd Down Converstion	28%	37%
4th Down Conversion	100%	--
2-Point Conversion	--	--
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-2	2-0
Penalties	3-15	5-60
Posession Time	31:40	28:20

WEEK THREE STANDINGS

NFL Standings - Updated: Sep 25, 2012
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Philadelphia Eagles	2	1	0	79	57
New York Giants	1	2	0	108	119
Washington Redskins	1	2	0	68	81
Dallas Cowboys	0	3	0	64	95
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Minnesota Vikings	3	0	0	77	44
Chicago Bears	1	2	0	109	101
Green Bay Packers	1	2	0	105	103
Detroit Lions	0	3	0	69	119
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Atlanta Falcons	3	0	0	70	50
New Orleans Saints	3	0	0	108	58
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3	0	0	105	65
Carolina Panthers	1	2	0	79	101
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Seattle Seahawks	2	1	0	80	79
San Francisco 49ers	2	1	0	97	91
St. Louis Rams	2	1	0	87	79
Arizona Cardinals	1	2	0	65	84
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Miami Dolphins	3	0	0	79	53
Buffalo Bills	2	1	0	89	81
New England Patriots	1	2	0	59	76
New York Jets	0	3	0	79	133
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Baltimore Ravens	3	0	0	108	59
Pittsburgh Steelers	2	1	0	119	91
Cincinnati Bengals	2	1	0	85	81
Cleveland Browns	0	3	0	57	102
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Tennessee Titans	2	1	0	75	65
Indianapolis Colts	2	1	0	101	94
Houston Texans	1	2	0	56	64
Jacksonville Jaguars	0	3	0	67	97
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Denver Broncos	2	1	0	93	66
Kansas City Chiefs	1	2	0	44	66
San Diego Chargers	1	2	0	60	52
Oakland Raiders	0	3	0	49	84

WEEK THREE INJURY REPORT

Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
WR	Percy Harvin - Minnesota Vikings	Dislocated Elbow - 2 Weeks
DT	Geno Atkins - Cincinnati Bengals	Pulled Groin - 2 Weeks
ROLB	Thomas Howard - Cincinnati Bengals	Abdominal Tear - 3 Weeks
RT	Jeromey Clary - San Diego Chargers	Dislocated Hip - 2 Weeks
ROLB	Tamba Hali - Kansas City Chiefs	Broken Jaw - 2 Weeks
LE	Kroy Biermann - Atlanta Falcons	Upper Arm Fracture - 5 Weeks
RT	Bryan Bulaga - Green Bay Packers	Partial MCL Tear - 2 Weeks
LT	Nate Solder - New England Patriots	Dislocated Elbow - 5 Weeks
RE	Matt Shaughnessy - Oakland Raiders	Dislocated Knee - 5 Weeks
RE	Antonio Smith - Houston Texans	Fractured Shoulder Blade - Season Ending

[Kyle K.]

WEEK FOUR PREVIEW

Matchup Preview | September 30, 2012
	@
Minnesota Vikings (3-0, 1-0 Away)		Detroit Lions (0-3, 0-1 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 25.7 Points Per Game 23.0 1104 Total Offensive Yards 1174 636 Passing Yards 972 468 Rushing Yards 202 92% Red Zone Percentage 88% Defensive Stats Comparison 14.7 Points Per Game 39.7 802 Total Yards Allowed 1175 465 Passing Yards Allowed 761 337 Rushing Yards Allowed 414 6 (+3) Interceptions 0 (-2) Injury Report Percy Harvin - Dislocated Elbow 2 Weeks None Game Notes MINNEAPOLIS, MN (AP) - Another week went by and it was another win for the Minnesota Vikings, and now they head into Detroit to face a Lions team that has been getting lit up all season long. Ponder looked good again last week against the 49ers, though he did throw two interceptions he was able to move the ball down the field when it mattered the most and the game was on the line. The injury to Percy Harvin will hurt the Vikings no doubt but with Peterson coming on stronger the last couple of games it is even more likely he will see the ball more coming up. Defensively the Vikings will go against the best offensive team they have seen up to this point with the Stafford led Lions. Calvin Johnson has 300 yards receiving already this season and Titus Young has grabbed 25 passes for 280 yards, a dynamic threat that is evolving in Detroit. The problem for the Lions is they cannot run the ball with only 200 yards on the ground thus far and it being very unlikely they will get it going against Minnesota the game most likely will be in the hands of Matthew Stafford and the passing game against as of right now the best defense in the NFL.

[Kyle K.]

WEEK FOUR RESULTS

....

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-0)
VS
DETROIT LIONS (0-3)

THE FIRST SHOT HAS BEEN FIRED
COACH KOLE FIRED UP AFTER "AWFUL SPORTSMANSHIP" SHOWED BY DETROIT


TOP: STAFFORD BREAKS THE SINGLE GAME PASSING RECORD ON THIS PASS
BOTTOM LEFT: JOHNSON HAULS IN ONE OF HIS TWO TOUCHDOWN PASSES ON THE DAY
BOTTOM RIGHT: PETERSON BARELY MAKES IT INTO THE END ZONE TO SCORE ONE OF MINNESOTA'S TWO TOUCHDOWNS

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (AP) - This was one of those games you just want to forget everything about as quickly as you can, though we can safely say that Kyle Kole will not be one of those people. The game got off to a rough start with Detroit driving down the field to kick a field goal and then followed that up with a touchdown to make it 10-0 very quickly. The defense looked lethargic and had a hard time getting to the ball, all game long Winfield especially looked his age as Calvin Johnson beat him consistently all game long, beat him like a drum. Detroit refused to give up all the first half, with an unrelenting passing attack that saw them move up and down the field with ease against the Minnesota secondary, giving Hanson 3 more field goals in the 2nd quarter, and adding in a Nate Burleson touchdown pass. The Vikings got a tiny bit of offense going finally in the second half though Ponder for most of the game was once again cold when it came to making the big plays with the majority of his completions being made with very short passes or screen passes. Walsh drilled a 52 yard field goal to prevent the shutout but with the game being 26-3 at the half it already seemed that it was to far out of reach.

"We didn't show up on defense, it is as simple as that, we know we have to play a hell of a lot better than that. I played awful and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if I saw myself being benched next game. I know the coach was real mad at me today putting me on the bench for most of the fourth quarter. I should be able to cover someone one on one without safety help over the top and today I just couldn't do it, I was beat and I have no excuses as to why I was. Next game I need to come out and play a whole lot better because if I don't my ticket may be punched for a ticket out of Minnesota, especially if you listen to the rumors that some teams already have expressed interest in me. I will be sure to play my best next game and show that I can still make it in this league despite what people may think after this game." - Antoine Winfield, Defensive Back

Antoine wasn't wrong about what he said, but thankfully with the start Minnesota had in the second half people may have stopped thinking about it for a few minutes at least. Ponder came out gunning and Peterson drove the ball down the field with authority. One a gutsy 4th and 1 on the 1 yard line Kyle Kole decided to go for it and Peterson was able to fight his way in barely for the touchdown, though the two point conversion failed after some controversy after it looked like the ball had crossed the line. Sadly for the Vikings the defense played better in the third quarter but still managed to give up a touchdown to Titus Young on a slant play to extend the lead and pretty much stomp out any hope that the Vikings had to make any sort of comeback; which is where the now what seems to be absolute hatred comes from. The Detroit Lions continued to pass the ball the rest of the game despite having at one point a 33-9 lead, and then a 40-9 lead. Kole was visibly upset on the sideline at the tactics of the Lions, and after the 47 yard Calvin Johnson touchdown could be seen and heard swearing across the field at the Detroit coaching staff, and on Monday he can expect himself to be lighter in the pocket because of it. A mercy Minnesota touchdown gave them 16 points on the day, but Detroit passed their way down the field and in doing so allowed Matthew Stafford to set the single game yards record in the process. 54-16, a wake up call for the Vikings, and after two shaky starts by Ponder, questions are starting to surface about the quarterbacks ability to make the big plays.

"I am not going to address Christian right now, I was be talking to him on Tuesday. Right now I want to talk about the bull**** we just witnessed on the field with them running up the f***ing score! It would be one thing if we were close and almost in the game but there was no chance that we were going to be making a comeback, and it wasn't even that they pulled Stafford, they were doing this **** while the whole first team offense was in the god damn game! We will remember this going forward they can damn well bet on that. Winfield, it was apparent to me today that his speed is a liability against the better wide receivers in this league, Johnson burnt him every time, the only time he was stopped was when we finally pulled Antoine out of the game, 265 yards and 2 touchdowns, there is a stat line I wish we could get for ourselves, but right now he seems like the age is starting to creep up on him and if he can't turn it around in the next couple of weeks all of our options will be on the table when it comes to what we do. - Kyle Kole, Head Coach

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Sep 30, 2012 1 2 3 4 F MIN (3-1) 0 3 6 7 16 DET (1-3) 10 16 7 21 54 Top Performers PASS: (DET) Matthew Stafford - 31-45, 561 Yds, 4 TD's RUSH: (MIN) Adrian Peterson - 26 Car, 97 Yds, 1 TD REC: (DET) Calvin Johnson - 10 Rec, 265 Yds, 2 TD's	Team Stats Comparison MIN DET First Downs 14 23 3rd Down Efficiency 47% 68% 4th Down Efficiency 100% -- Total Yards 573 765 Passing Yards 210 546 Rushing Yards 123 114 Penalties-Penalty Yards 2-15 1-5 Turnovers 2 (-2) 0 (+2) Time of Possession 31:25 28:35
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING MIN DET 12:50 (DET) J. Hanson, 50 Yd FG 0 3 6:21 (DET) C. Johnson 41 Yd pass from M. Stafford (J. Hanson kick) 0 10 SECOND QUARTER SCORING MIN DET 13:41 (DET) J. Hanson, 36 Yd FG 0 13 10:50 (DET) J. Hanson, 42 Yd FG 0 16 9:00 (MIN) B. Walsh, 52 Yd FG 3 16 2:49 (DET) J. Hanson, 23 Yd FG 3 19 0:17 (DET) N. Burleson 6 Yd pass from M. Stafford (J. Hanson kick) 3 26 THIRD QUARTER SCORING MIN DET 9:04 (MIN) A. Peterson, 1 Yd run (2-Pt failed) 9 26 7:30 (DET) T. Young 14 Yd pass from M. Stafford (J. Hanson kick) 9 33 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING MIN DET 14:57 (DET) K. Smith, 6 Yd run (J. Hanson kick) 9 40 11:19 (DET) C. Johnson 47 Yd pass from M. Stafford (J. Hanson kick) 9 47 7:27 (MIN) T. Gerhart, 2 Yd run (B. Walsh kick) 16 47 3:21 (DET) K. Smith, 14 Yd run (J. Hanson kick) 16 54
Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Ponder 20/29 244 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD A. Peterson 26 97 3.7 1 C. Ponder 3 24 8.0 0 T. Gerhart 1 2 2.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Wright 9 110 12.2 0 A. Peterson 5 83 16.6 0 K. Rudolph 4 22 5.5 0 J. Simpson 1 7 7.0 0 D. Aromashodu 1 22 22.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK J. Sullivan 1 1 G. Schwartz 0 1 P. Loadholt 0 3 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD A. Winfield 7 0 0 0 E. Henderson 7 0 0 0 C. Greenway 6 0 0 0 H. Smith 5 0 0 0 J. Sanford 5 0 0 0 T. McKenzie 5 2 0 0 C. Cook 5 0 0 0 A. Jefferson 4 0 0 0 B. Robison 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG B. Walsh 1/1 1/1 4 52 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 C. Kluwe 5 239 47.8 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 10 226 22.6 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 1 14 14.0 0 Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Stafford 31/45 561 4 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Best 16 51 3.1 0 K. Smith 7 60 8.5 2 O. Mughelli 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C. Johnson 10 265 26.5 2 T. Young 6 69 13.8 1 N. Burleson 5 86 17.2 1 B. Pettigrew 4 61 15.2 0 T. Scheffler 3 32 10.6 0 J. Best 2 21 10.5 0 M. Thomas 1 14 14.0 0 O. Mughelli 1 13 13.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK O. Mughelli 1 0 K. Smith 0 1 J. Backus 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD D. Levy 10 1 0 0 J. Durant 8 0 0 0 N. Suh 8 2 0 0 L. Delmas 4 0 0 0 C. Houston 4 0 0 0 C. Avril 4 2 0 0 J. Lacey 2 0 1 0 L. Jackson 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG J. Hanson 4/4 6/6 18 50 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 N. Harris 1 43 43.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Thomas 3 69 23.0 0 T. Young 1 21 21.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Thomas 1 15 15.0 0

[Kyle K.]

AROUND THE NFL
WEEK FOUR

DARREN MCFADDEN LEADS THE RAIDERS TO WIN IN DENVER
BRONCOS FORGET HOW TO TACKLE AND SEE THE RAIDERS NOTCH THEIR FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
Sep 30, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (1-3)	7	17	7	3	34
Denver Broncos (2-2)	10	0	7	3	20

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	DEN
Total Offense	426	393
Rushing Yards	297	49
Passing Yards	129	344
First Downs	12	20
Punt Return Yards	14	30
Kick Return Yards	55	81
Total Yards	495	504
Turnovers	0 (+1)	1 (-1)
3rd Down Converstion	15%	40%
4th Down Conversion	--	50%
2-Point Conversion	--	--
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-0	2-1
Penalties	5-61	8-75
Posession Time	30:57	29:03

WEEK FOUR LEAGUE LEADERS

NFL League Leaders - Updated: Oct 2, 2012
Passer Rating			Tackles
	1. Jay Cutler, CHI	132.0		1. Lorenzo Alexander, TEN	37
	2. Alex Smith, SF	113.8		2. Jerod Mayo, NE	36
	3. Ryan Fitzpatrick, BUF	112.0		3. Zach Brown, TEN	35
	4. Matthew Stafford, DET	109.5		4. Clint Session, JAC	35
	5. Joe Flacco, BAL	108.0		5. Jon Beason	34
Rushing Yards			Sacks
	1. Steven Jackson, STL	499		1. Brian Robison, MIN	6
	2. Adrian Peterson, MIN	483		2. Cliff Avril, DET	4
	3. Ray Rice, BAL	465		3. Terrance Knighton, JAC	4
	4. DeMarco Murray, DAL	441		4. Tyrone McKenzie, MIN	4
	5. Michael Turner, ATL	395		5. Luis Castillo, NE	4
Receiving Yards			Interceptions
	1. Calvin Johnson, DET	559		1. Josh Wilson, WAS	3
	2. Greg Jennings, GB	466		2. Rodney McLeod, STL	2
	3. Michael Crabtree, SF	416		3. Danieal Manning, HOU	2
	4. Brandon Marshall, CHI	408		4. Troy Polamalu, PIT	2
	5. Victor Cruz, NYG	399		5. Antoine Winfield, MIN	2

WEEK FOUR STANDINGS

NFL Standings - Updated: Oct 2, 2012
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Philadelphia Eagles	3	1	0	113	81
New York Giants	1	3	0	132	153
Washington Redskins	1	3	0	95	112
Dallas Cowboys	1	3	0	94	118
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Minnesota Vikings	3	1	0	93	98
Chicago Bears	1	3	0	132	131
Green Bay Packers	1	3	0	128	132
Detroit Lions	1	3	0	123	135
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Atlanta Falcons	4	0	0	104	81
New Orleans Saints	4	0	0	137	81
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	0	0	136	92
Carolina Panthers	1	3	0	110	135
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
St. Louis Rams	3	1	0	135	93
San Francisco 49ers	3	1	0	142	118
Seattle Seahawks	2	2	0	94	127
Arizona Cardinals	2	2	0	84	98
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Miami Dolphins	3	1	0	93	72
Buffalo Bills	3	1	0	120	108
New England Patriots	1	3	0	86	107
New York Jets	0	4	0	106	178
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Baltimore Ravens	3	1	0	142	100
Cincinnati Bengals	3	1	0	125	95
Pittsburgh Steelers	2	1	0	119	91
Cleveland Browns	1	3	0	98	136
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Indianapolis Colts	2	1	0	101	94
Tennessee Titans	2	2	0	92	85
Houston Texans	2	2	0	76	81
Jacksonville Jaguars	0	4	0	81	137
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Denver Broncos	2	2	0	113	100
San Diego Chargers	2	2	0	105	76
Kansas City Chiefs	1	3	0	68	111
Oakland Raiders	1	3	0	83	104

WEEK FOUR INJURY REPORT

Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
ROLB	Lance Briggs - Chicago Bears	Partial PCL Tear - 6 Weeks
MLB	Rey Maualuga - Cincinnati Bengals	Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks
LG	Mike Iupati - San Francisco 49ers	Broken Thumb - 3 Weeks
LT	Eugene Monroe - Jacksonville Jaguars	Pulled Groin - 1 Week
LE	Jarvis Jenkins - Washington Redskins	Dislocated Hip - 1 Week
DT	Brandon Mebane - Seattle Seahawks	Upper Arm Fracture - 4 Weeks
ROLB	Thomas Howard - Cincinnati Bengals	Abdominal Tear - 2 Weeks
CB	Terrence McGee - Buffalo Bills	Broken Thumb - 4 Weeks
TE	Visanthe Shiancoe - Kansas City Chiefs	Torn Tricep - Season Ending
FS	Quintin MIkell - St. Louis Rams	Groin Tear - Season Ending