You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

[Yrogergj24]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

God, you gotta stop feeding your RB's Current Economy-O's

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 11: at San Francisco

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Vikings News

-After a hard-fought divisional battle that ended in a road win for the Vikings, they hope to start up a new winning streak and make everyone forget about that horrible shutout loss to St. Louis.

Unfortunately, there were some more changes forced on the lineup. When fullback Marcel Reece left late last week against the Packers, no one thought anything of it, but unfortunately, after the game, Reece was diagnosed with a torn shoulder labrum that will keep him sidelined for at least two games. On short notice, the Vikings have braught in free agent Brit Miller, who played for the Rams last season, to take over fullback duties for the next two games.

It looks like the Vikings backfield remains a dangerous place for the time being...

-Even with their sophomore QB struggling and with further injuries, the Vikings offense is as close a unit as you can imagine, with no one speaking up about the other, everyone seems intent to show that this is a true team.

"If she doesn't get the ball there, then it's my job to do it, simple as that." Running back Noel Devine, leading the NFL in rushing yards and looking like a sure Pro Bowl candidate in his second year in the league, told reporters this week. "And if we're down late in the game and I can do it, I know she'll be there to make it happen, that's how it works. Sure, she didn't do it this year, basically because she didn't have to, but that's a good thing. That way, she can save up her late-game heroics for the playoffs when we really need them."

The interview is noteworthy because it was the first time anyone in the Vikings organisation has actually dared to use the 'p' word, but with 10 weeks in the books and the Vikings owning a league leading 8-1 record, that was pretty much unavoidable.

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Around the League

-On the topic of playoff prospects, teams that are looking very strong in this regard are the Steelers, with a 7-2 record and a 3 game lead in the AFC North, while the Texans and Raiders have a 2 game lead in their divisions.

In the NFC, only the Cardinals and Panthers have a 2 game lead, all the other races in the league remain close, especially in the East, where the Jets and Bills share a 6-3 record in the AFC, as do the Eagles and Redskins in the NFC.

The Detroit Lions meanwhile seem to suffer from one of the worst Super Bowl hangovers in recent history, sitting dead last in their division at 3-6.

-The Denver Broncos suffered a big loss last week, when 1st overall pick QB Cole Prater went down injured and had to be placed on season-ending IR. Prater, who led to team to a 5-4 record and looked to be a sure lock for offensive rookie of the year, now will be replaced by Tim Tebow, another first round pick trying to prove his worth in the league.

Other than Prater, two notable players whose season has been cut short are the Saints LB Jonathan Vilma (ACL tear) and the Seahawks LB Leroy Hill (tricep)

The 49ers are thin at LB as well, with rookie Dominique Odom and sophomore Aldon Smith being out as well as ILB Navorro Bowman, they are joined on the bench by safety Donte Whitner, so it looks like the 49ers may have a tough time stopping the league leading rushing attack of the Vikings this Sunday.

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers
Nov 18, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (9-1)	7	10	14	21	52
San Francisco 49ers (4-6)	7	7	7	14	35

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	SFO
Total Offense	541	496
Rushing Yards	434	172
Passing Yards	107	324
First Downs	19	18
Punt Return Yards	52	0
Kick Return Yards	113	0
Total Yards	706	496
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Converstion	8-11	4-10
4th Down Conversion	0-0	1-2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4/0-4	4/0-5
Penalties	2-30	3-10
Posession Time	27:23	16:37

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	SFO
6:23	(SFO) F. Gore, 1 Yd run (D. Akers)	0	7
0:00	(MIN) B. Miller, 2 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	SFO
8:24	(SFO) F. Gore, 1 Yd run (D. Akers)	7	14
4:19	(MIN) N. Devine, 14 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	14	14
0:59	(SFO) S. Janikowski, 50 Yd FG	17	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	SFO
6:21	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	24	14
4:52	(MIN) P. Harvin 69 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	31	14
1:08	(SFO) B. Edwards 11 Yd pass from A. Smith (D. Akers)	31	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	SFO
6:56	(MIN) T. Hightower, 6 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	38	21
5:33	(SFO) K. Hunter, 37 Yd run (D. Akers)	38	28
4:49	(MIN) N. Devine, 72 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	45	28
2:16	(SFO) D. Freeman 13 Yd pass from A. Smith (D. Akers)	45	35
1:04	(MIN) T. Hightower, 30 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	52	35

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 4/10 107 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 29 261 9.0 2 T. Hightower 14 141 10.0 2 B. Miller 4 16 4.0 1 H. Turner 4 16 4.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 2 77 38.5 1 K. Rudolph 2 30 15.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 1/1 7/7 10 50 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 5 113 22.6 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 52 26.0 0

San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT A. Smith 23/31 338 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD F. Gore 15 96 6.3 2 K. Hunter 6 65 10.7 1 A. Smith 2 11 5.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD V. Davis 6 64 10.6 0 T. Ginn 4 31 7.7 0 B. Edwards 3 41 13.6 1 B. Miller 3 29 9.6 0 M. Crabtree 2 79 39.5 0 G. Graham 2 29 14.5 0 D. Freeman 1 13 13.0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG D. Akers 0/0 5/5 5 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 A. Lee 3 147 49.0 0

It's rare that a QB has a 4/10 performance and still considers a game a success. "Well, our gameplan today was pretty much the same as always 'run the ball until they stop you', and when they can't do it for four quarters, that means it's gonna be a slow day for me, I'm really okay with that." A rather relaxed Hope Turner told reporters after the game.

Actually, both teams showed up with pretty much exactly this gameplan, and for pretty much all of the first half, there was no indication of which team would succeed in finally stopping this. After more than one and a half quarter, both teams had had two very long, succesful drives running the football, with both Noel Devine and Frank Gore tearing up big chunks of yardage.

It was only in the closing minutes of the first half that the Vikings managed to force the first punt of the game after an impressive open field tackle by veteran LB Chad Greenway on Gore, followed by a Jared Allen sack on third down. Ego Gilbert showed up his impressive moves returning the ensuing punt, setting up his team inside the 49ers half. They were stopped, too, but managed to go up by a field goal going into halftime.

They came out without any changes in the second half, fullback Brit Miller did a great job substituting for the injured Marcel Reece and even got some short yardage carries that seemed to surprise the depleted 49ers defense that was missing no less than 3 of their 4 starting LBs. "If I wasn't comfortable having him carry the ball, he wouldn't be on the field." Coach Frazier said about Miller afterwards. Tim Hightower finally looked like a true part of this offense as well, spelling Devine often in the second half as the total number of carries continued to rack up.

After yet another rushing touchdown, this time scored on a sneak by Hope Turner, the 49ers were down by two scores and had to abandon the run somewhat, especially after Frank Gore had to leave the game injured in the third quarter. That brought up the vicious pass rush by Allen and So'oto as well as good downfield coverage to quickly force another punt, again with a great return by Gilbert that would've set up the Vikings all the way down at the 49ers 35, but because of a clipping penalty, it was all for nothing.

The 49ers by now were visibly wearing down by a massive rushing attack that would eventually run the ball a whopping 50 times on the 49ers and had to stack the line to have any chance of stopping the run, but Hope Turner proved the danger of that by hitting Percy Harvin on a quick slant that caught the secondary completely by surprise, and one quick juke later, Harvin was taking at all the way down the field for 6.

Afterwards, Alex Smith found an impressive rhythm, connecting with receivers downfield pretty much at will and tried to turn the game into a shootout, but it was too little, too late, since his defense was unable to force even a single punt on the red-hot Vikings all game, and both offenses continued to score on tired out defenses.

The only other event of note was Michael Crabtree's second catch of the day, which was the first pass of over 20 yard rookie CB Jackson Bell has given up in his career after being beat deep on the play. He still hasn't given up a touchdown, though, as CB Fabian Washington ran down Crabtree short of the goal line.

"It was brutal, it seems as soon as we had them off the field, our offense scored and we were right back out there." Bell said after the game. "I mean, I knew it was going to happen eventually, still you hate it when it happens, but what can you do?"

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Week 11 Results

Seahawks 20 @ Dolphins 23
Broncos 20 @ Titans 27
Lions 28 @ Texans 24
Redskins 23 @ Giants 17
Packers 16 @ Rams 10
Chiefs 30 @ Panthers 37
Browns 19 @ Cowboys 24
Jets 15 @ Colts 20
Eagles 34 @ Falcons 13
Vikings 52 @ 49ers 35
Bills 21 @ Patriots 24
Chargers 16 @ Buccaneers 23
Ravens 33 @ Raiders 44
Cardinals 27 @ Saints 16
Bengals 24 @ Steelers 17
Jaguars 36 @ Bears 33

NFC North Standings

Vikings (9-1)
Packers (8-2)
Bears (5-5)
Lions (4-6)

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 12: vs Chicago

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Vikings News

-The Vikings are back on track, after a record-setting 434 total rushing yards performance against the 49ers last week, it seems as if there's no one stopping this team from making a run into the playoffs. But some people still remain cautious.

"Are things looking good? I would look rather stupid trying to deny that right now." Coach Frazier told reporters. "But the Rams game showed us we always have to be careful, a lot of things can happen any given sunday, and the Packers are still only one game behind us."

Still, the Vikings can take another important step this week when the divisional rival Chicago Bears visit them at the Metrodome.

-This week, there seems to be some changes coming in at defense. After giving up a lot of yards and points in the second half to a red-hot Alex Smith and the 49ers receiving corps, it seems as if Fabian Washington will get to start at CB across from rookie Jackson Bell this week, and veteran Cedric Griffin will start in place of Husain Abdullah at safety. There are also reports that linebacker Mark Herzlich might be limited this week because of some minor injuries, he is officially questionable for Sunday but still expected to suit up.

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Around the League

-After 10 weeks, it is time to take another look at the league leaders in several categories. As he did last season, Peyton Manning is putting up impressive stats even if his team is struggling. In 10 games, he has thrown for 2844 yards, 19 TDs and 9 INTs, the most of any QB in the NFL this season.

There are two dominant running backs in the NFL this season, Noel Devine and Stephen Jackson. No one is even coming close to their yardage, with Devine racking up 1386 yards on 184 carries for a staggering 7.5 YPC and 13 TDs, with Jackson coming in second with 1259 yards on 196 carries and 9 TDs.

Considering receivers, Roddy White is leading the league in yards with 1004 on 67 receptions as well as 9 TDs, but his lead is only paper-thin with the Vikings Percy Harvin coming in right behind him with 1002 yards on 59 catches and 6 TDs. What makes it all the more impressive is that Harvin remains pretty much the exclusive target of his sophomore QB while White has Julio Jones drawing coverage away from him.

Considering team stats, the Vikings own the league leading offense with 3808 yards, thanks of course to their massive rushing attack accounting for 2261 of those yards as well as a staggering 28 rushing TDs. Unfortunately, the Vikings are also ranked second in sacks allowed, with only the Seahawks (40) giving up more than the 34 sacks Hope Turner had to endure so far.

The Rams actually lead the league in defense, something not many may have expected coming into the year, the Vikings are ranked 12th in total defense, but are the unquestionable #1 in two of the most important categories, sacks and forced turnovers.

-Concerning injury, there's only one of note from last week, concerning this matchup as well since Chicago's CB Tim Jennings as been put on IR with a compound fracture.

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Game Recap

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Nov 25, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago Bears (5-6)	7	7	0	0	14
Minnesota Vikings (10-1)	7	14	7	16	44

Team Stats Comparison
	CHI	MIN
Total Offense	175	366
Rushing Yards	144	289
Passing Yards	31	77
First Downs	7	21
Punt Return Yards	17	19
Kick Return Yards	0	49
Total Yards	192	434
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	1-8	9-13
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0-0	4/1-5
Penalties	1-5	1-15
Posession Time	7:57	36:03

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
7:56	(MIN) K. Rudolph 4 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	0	7
3:42	(CHI) D. Hester 40 Yd pass from J. Cutler (R. Gould)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
8:38	(MIN) P. Harvin 9 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	7	14
7:54	(CHI) M. Forte, 75 Yd run (R. Gould)	14	14
1:56	(MIN) P. Harvin 8 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	14	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
4:51	(MIN) T. Hightower, 6 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	14	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CHI	MIN
6:11	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 44 Yd FG	14	31
3:31	(MIN) T. Elliott, returned interception 76 Yds (S. Janikowski)	14	38
1:11	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 47 Yd FG	14	41
0:00	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 40 Yd FG	14	44

Chicago Bears PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Cutler 5/13 88 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD M. Forte 12 132 11.0 1 J. Cutler 2 12 6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Hester 2 55 27.5 1 E. Bennett 2 22 11.0 0 J. Knox 1 11 11.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Gould 0/0 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Robinson 5 226 45.2 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Hester 2 17 8.5 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 8/13 79 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 26 187 7.1 0 T. Hightower 18 84 4.6 1 B. Miller 5 7 1.4 0 H. Turner 3 11 3.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 70 11.6 2 K. Rudolph 1 4 4.0 1 T. Hightower 1 5 5.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 3/3 5/5 14 48 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 91 45.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 2 49 24.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 4 19 4.7 0

If you have as many punts as you have pass completions, chances are it wasn't exactly a good game, and that's what happened to the Chicago Bears as they were thrown under the bus that is the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.

Things didn't start out well for the Bears, as Jay Cutler went deep to Devin Hester on the very first play, in general, that may not be a bad idea, but if he's covered by the one CB in the NFL who can actually outrun Hester deep, Cutler may have to rethink that approach. Rookie Jackson Bell brought in his third interception of the season that set up a drive dominated by the usual power running attack out of the I formation. Only that there was a twist this time as the OC actually decided to give the ball into Hope Turner's hands on the goal line, who remained calm in the pocket and waited until tight end Kyle Rudolph escaped coverage on the outside for an easy pitch and catch for the TD.

Still, it looked as if the Bears might hang along, after Turner threw an interception on their next drive and only one play later, Hester got his revenge for the earlier pick, beating Bell on an underneath route and shedding the tackle for the TD, the first TD Bell has given up in the NFL, not too bad for a rookie cornerback.

The Vikings yet again struck back, again ran all over the Bears (Noel Devine had 112 rushing yards in the first half alone) and again it was Turner who delivered the killing blow, as Rudolph drew away LB Brian Urlacher streaking into the endzone leaving Percy Harvin open underneath.

But another time, the Bears were not going away easily, as Matt Forte broke off a huge 75 yard run for the TD only two plays later to even the score.

But the Bears defense again did not succeed in containing Devine, who had several big runs on outside pitches and off tackle runs as he simply outran the Bears linebackers trying to set the edge. And again, the connection Turner to Harvin was good for yet another touchdown that gave the Vikings the lead at halftime, 21-14. Turner would finish the game with only 8 completions, but 3 of them for TDs. "I think this should settle the issue whether I trust Hope to throw the ball." Coach Frazier said after the game. "I do trust her, and you saw it today. If I need her to throw it, I know she will, but if we don't need her to, why rush her when we can just rush the ball? If you want to see Hope Turner air it out, find me a defense to slow down Noel and Tim, and we'll see what happens."

The second half saw what we have seen often this year, soon down by two possessions after Tim Hightower, who seems to have found his place in this offense, punched it in after another long drive, the Bears had to abandon the run somewhat and air it out more, and with the Vikings pass rush just waiting for that to happen, it was Jay Cutler's never-ending story again, he was pressured or sacked on nearly every dropback, unable to make anything happen.

After holding the Vikings to only a field goal, what few hopes the Bears may have gotten up were quickly squashed when they saw Cutler air it out deep with defensive end Jared Allen breathing down on him, the deep lob without much zip was an easy prey for rookie safety Tiger Elliott and the Vikings defense did a great job setting up the blocks for an amazing return for over 70 yards and Tiger's 4th career touchdown, again, not too bad for a defensive rookie in only his 11th start.

The game was pretty much over after that, Janikowski scored another two easy field goals out of favorable field position as the Bears were unable to make anything happen, Jay Cutler actually left the game for the last series after taking another two sacks, and sophomore Nathan Enderle had to take the final snaps for the Bears.

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Week 12 Results

Jaguars 24 @ Lions 22
Steelers 24 @ Cowboys 20
Ravens 17 @ Chiefs 20
Texans 24 @ Dolphins 9
Bears 14 @ Vikings 44
Giants 35 @ Panthers 41
Bengals 16 @ Browns 34
Patriots 23 @ Jets 17
Cardinals 13 @ Packers 16
Titans 16 @ Colts 21
Saints 17 @ Broncos 30
Falcons 23 @ Raiders 20
49ers 34 @ Seahawks 10
Bills 20 @ Chargers
Redskins 12 @ Eagles 17
Rams 31 @ Buccaneers 21

NFC North Standings

Vikings (10-1)
Packers (9-2)
Bears (5-6)
Lions (4-7)

[Cre8]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

Gerhart's injury has invigorated this team. I'd never hope for a guy to get hurt, but this might have been just what the doctor ordered... All puns intended. lol

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 13: vs Carolina

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Vikings News

-With another win streak up and running, the Vikings again face the Panthers late in the season, and it's hardly a surprise many players feel extremely motivated for a very specific reason.

"They are the team that kept us out of the playoffs last season." Hope Turner said about the Panthers, who put a dent in the Vikings otherwise excellent late-season record last year and got into the playoffs on tie-breakers over the Vikings. "We're not gonna let that happen again, that's for sure."

The situation this time around is a bit different, though, with both Carolina and Minnesota leading their divisions, the Panthers even close to locking up the division early due to owning a 3 game lead over the Buccaneers at this point, with Cam Newton up high in the discussion for league MVP in his sophomore season, it is highly unlikely that these teams will be competing over a wildcard this season.

-Someone who wasn't around last season, but still is beginning to feel quite at home in a purple jersey is Tim Hightower. The former Redskin and Cardinal who was signed as a free agent after the most unfortunate career ending injury to Toby Gerhart has rushed for over 200 yards and 3 TDs in the last 2 games and has become an integral part of the Vikings offense in only a few weeks.

"I'm not here to replace Toby, I wouldn't use that word" He told reporters after practice. "Toby's been with this team for years, I can't replace him. I'm here to help carry the load, that's all. And if I can do that well, I'm glad." Of course, Hightower is also playing for a new contract, as the Vikings have only signed him until the end of the season.

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Around the League

-A huge blow to the Green Bay Packers, who are still in the division race only one game behind the Minnesota Vikings, but in their game against the Cardinals last week, Aaron Rodgers went down early in the first quarter and did not get up, the team has confirmed that Rodgers has suffered a partial ACL tear and will definitely miss the rest of the regular season, although the team has not put him on IR yet as there seems to be a slim chance he might be back for the playoffs, if his team gets there. Backup Matt Flynn, who performed well in the win against the Cardinals, is expected to lead the team as the Packers have not shown interest so far to sign a free agent.

-The Panthers, meanwhile, are missing starting CB Chris Gamble as well as offensive linemen Travelle Wharton, Byron Bell and Jeff Otah for this contest, so offensive line depth may become an issue against the most aggressive pass rush in the NFL.

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Game Recap

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings
Dec 3, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carolina Panthers (9-3)	3	0	3	7	13
Minnesota Vikings (11-1)	0	14	14	28	56

Team Stats Comparison
	CAR	MIN
Total Offense	300	432
Rushing Yards	176	179
Passing Yards	124	253
First Downs	13	24
Punt Return Yards	0	10
Kick Return Yards	0	40
Total Yards	300	482
Turnovers	3	0
3rd Down Converstion	2-9	4-7
4th Down Conversion	1-2	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/1-2	6/0-6
Penalties	1-2	1-10
Posession Time	16:53	27:07

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CAR	MIN
4:59	(CAR) O. Mare, 42 Yd FG	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CAR	MIN
9:50	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	3	7
0:08	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	3	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CAR	MIN
9:26	(MIN) C. Vaughn, returned fumble 32 Yds (S. Janikowski)	3	21
5:20	(CAR) O. Mare, 24 Yd FG	6	21
1:19	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	6	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CAR	MIN
6:52	(MIN) P. Harvin 78 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	6	35
1:57	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	6	42
1:08	(MIN) N. Devine, 5 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	6	49
0:59	(CAR) D. Williams 66 Yd pass from C. Newton (O. Mare)	13	49
0:05	(MIN) N. Devine, 7 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	13	56

Carolina Panthers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Newton 10/17 152 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Williams 19 159 8.3 0 C. Newton 4 19 4.7 0 J. Stewart 2 -2 -1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD S. Smith 3 33 11.0 0 D. Gettis 2 11 5.5 0 D. Williams 1 66 66.0 1 J. Shockey 1 16 16.0 0 B. LaFell 1 3 3.0 0 G. Olsen 1 28 28.0 0 J. Stewart 1 -5 -5.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG O. Mare 2/2 1/1 7 43 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 D. Zastudil 2 92 46.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 15/20 256 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 21 126 6.0 2 H. Turner 7 4 0.5 4 T. Hightower 6 23 3.8 0 M. Reece 5 26 5.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 9 186 20.6 1 K. Rudolph 4 54 13.5 0 M. Jenkins 1 19 19.0 0 N. Devine 1 -3 -3.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 0/0 8/8 8 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 77 38.5 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sherels 2 40 20.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 1 10 10.0 0

This one was never a contest. Even if the Vikings started out slow, as they are prone to do this year, they never looked worried about giving this game away even when the Panthers led by a field goal in the first quarter.

Hope Turner called a flawless game, with the Panthers stacking the box almost all game forcing her to throw 20 passes (and a handful more to Noel Devine that were counted as laterals) and still she remained perfect, going 15/20 with no interceptions, her one TD being a beautiful deep bomb to Percy Harvin in the 4th quarter that again had some people accusing the team of running up the score.

"Listen up, folks." Turner said afterwards. "If you don't want us to score on you, play some defense. They played to score late, so we played to score late, that's all there was to this."

Turner finished the game with a whopping 5 touchdowns, 4 of which came on sneaks, even though the Panthers were the first team to actually stop her on some of those short-yardage plays, they just tried again and finally found their way into the endzone as Hope Turner seems to have an almost uncanny knack for using her small frame to find a hole somewhere on the line to get it in.

There was quite some help by the Panthers on special teams, as both punts by Chris Kluwe were caught and then fumbled away by Panthers punt returner Captain Munnerlyn, we can only expect he'll have some extra sessions practicing the fair catch sign this week.

DeAngelo Williams had a beautiful game, yardage-wise, but was kept out of the endzone, which was really all the Vikings cared about on defense, shutting down the downfield passing and force them to run down the clock and stopping them when the field got smaller. One player of note was Vikings backup defensive end Jaqwaylin Banks, an undrafted rookie out of Beth Cookman who played on the practice squad for much of the year but had to play for 2 quarters as Vic So'oto was banged up a bit. Banks was impressive, coming up with 2 sacks and 7 total tackles in only one half of football, it is expected that he becomes a regular part of the DE rotation at this point.

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Week 13 Results

Eagles 27 @ Browns 28
Panthers 13 @ Vikings 56
Raiders 0 @ Steelers 12
Ravens 25 @ Bengals 16
Rams 16 @ Lions 15
Dolphins 20 @ Titans 23
Saints 27 @ Falcons 22
Buccaneers 34 @ Giants 21
Bears 20 @ Packers 10
Broncos 25 @ Chiefs 14
Bills 28 @ 49ers 15
Jets 16 @ Cardinals 27
Cowboys 37 @ Redskins 27
Patriots 24 @ Seahawks 14
Chargers 13 @ Jaguars 27
Colts 14 @ Texans 37

NFC North Standings

Vikings (11-1)
Packers (9-3)
Bears (6-6)
Lions (4-8)

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 14: at Detroit

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Vikings News

-With only 4 games to go, the Vikings owning a 2 game lead in the division and an even bigger one on any prospective wild cards, as well as their main divisional opponent missing their starting QB, it seems as it is inevitable that the team will go into the playoffs again this season, after a 2-year drought.

"I don't want to jinx anything, but yes, it definitely looks like we're as good as in." Coach Frazier admitted to the media this week. "That doesn't mean we can let up even one bit, though, there's a bye week to play for, as well as homefield advantage, so don't expect any different from us."

-When the Vikings go to the playoffs, they'll have to do so without Cedric Griffin. The defensive back left the field sometime late in the 4th quarter last week, at first it just looked as if he was a little banged up but it turned out Griffin had suffered a broken collarbone and has been put on season-ending IR. Backup Husain Abdullah is expected to start in his stead at free safety.

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Around the League

-Another tough week for some playoff contenders, as the Patriots had to put both DT Vince Wilfork and C Dan Koppen on IR, and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season as well as all-rounder Julian Edelman. There weren't many other important injuries suffered last week, though.

-The Vikings play the defending Super Bowl champions again this week, but rarely has this notion put less fear in the heart of a team than it has this season, with the Lions already out of contention with a poor 4-8 record. They are missing LG Jacques McClendon (arm), TE Brandon Pettigrew (foot), OLB Justin Durant (arm) and CB Nate Clements (back) for this contest.

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Dec 10, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (12-1)	14	13	7	7	41
Detroit Lions (4-9)	0	0	7	7	14

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	DET
Total Offense	354	347
Rushing Yards	110	226
Passing Yards	244	81
First Downs	15	11
Punt Return Yards	60	11
Kick Return Yards	44	0
Total Yards	458	358
Turnovers	3	2
3rd Down Converstion	7-12	1-10
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/1-5	0-0
Penalties	0-0	2-20
Posession Time	28:42	15:18

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
4:28	(MIN) N. Devine, 2 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	7	0
2:05	(MIN) J. Allen, returned fumble 52 Yds (S. Janikowski)	14	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
4:15	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 25 Yd FG	17	0
1:18	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 49 Yd FG	20	0
0:00	(MIN) P. Harvin 73 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	27	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
10:48	(DET) J. Best, 23 Yd run (R. Longwell)	27	7
4:59	(MIN) P. Harvin 14 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	34	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
10:57	(MIN) H. Turner, 2 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	41	7
3:55	(DET) J. Best, 99 Yd run (R. Longwell)	41	14

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 18/23 231 2 1 J. Webb 3/4 38 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 12 57 4.7 1 T. Hightower 8 30 3.7 0 J. Webb 3 7 2.3 0 M. Reece 2 7 3.5 0 H. Turner 2 9 4.5 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 9 167 18.5 2 N. Devine 4 8 2.0 0 K. Rudolph 3 62 20.6 0 M. Jenkins 2 29 14.5 0 T. Hightower 2 6 3.0 0 M. Reece 1 -3 -3.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 2/2 5/5 11 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 97 48.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 43 21.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 1 25 25.0 0 I. Parks 1 23 23.0 0 E. Gilbert 1 12 12.0 0

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Stafford 9/21 120 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Best 15 241 16.0 2 K. Smith 1 13 13.0 0 A. Jenkins 1 4 4.0 0 T. Young 1 3 3.0 0 M. Stafford 1 5 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Burleson 3 45 15.0 0 J. Best 3 43 14.3 0 J. Jackson 1 11 11.0 0 D. Crosby 1 3 3.0 0 C. Johnson Jr. 1 18 18.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Longwell 0/2 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B. Graham 6 280 46.6 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N. Burleson 1 11 11.0 0

The Vikings lock up their playoff berth in another no-contest game against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Detroit Lions.

It is a rare thing to see the Vikings getting out-run, but that's exactly what happened on Monday Night Football as Jahvid Best proved to be too much for the Minnesota front seven to contain, he was consistently breaking through into the secondary and had several huge runs to inflate his total yardage.

On the other side of the ball, the Lions did not try to hide what they were trying to do, they stacked the box massively and forced Hope Turner to beat them through the air. Unfortunately, that's just what she did, as Percy Harvin was red-hot and escaped even double and sometimes triple coverage on a consistent basis. On his first score, just as time expired before halftime, Turner underthrew him on a deep go route, but Harvin adjusted and outjumped two Detroit defenders in a move more often seen by the Lions own star wideout, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson.

But Megatron was nowhere to be seen that night, as rookie Jackson Bell continues his almost uncanny tradition of shutting down even the best receivers in the game.

Even though Best was impressive, it wasn't enough, as Matthew Stafford had constant pressure right in his face almost every time he dropped back, and when Vic So'oto strip-sacked him in the first quarter to set up a defensive fumble return of more than 50 yards by star end Jared Allen, this game was pretty much over before it had really begun. The only thing of note to happen in the second half was an injury to fullback Marcel Reece, who will most likely sit out the rest of the regular season to recover with Brit Miller backing him up.

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Week 14 Results

Titans 14 @ Jets 20
Patriots 11 @ Bills 35
Falcons 35 @ Cowboys 32
Browns 20 @ Steelers 43
Texans 31 @ Packers 10
Eagles 18 @ Buccaneers 10
Panthers 31 @ Saints 45
Colts 24 @ Jaguars 27
Bengals 7 @ Dolphins 19
Bears 24 @ Cardinals 21
Chiefs 13 @ Chargers 16
Seahawks 27 @ Rams 30
Giants 10 @ Ravens 26
Broncos 22 @ Raiders 3
Redskins 22 @ 49ers 41
Vikings 41 @ Lions 14

NFC North Standings

Vikings (12-1)
Packers (9-4)
Bears (7-6)
Lions (4-9)

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 15: vs Green Bay

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Vikings News

-The Minnesota Vikings are going to the playoffs. Last week's win against the Detroit Lions, combined with the Packers losing to the Texans, guaranteed them their playoff berth, and it would take the Vikings a massive implosion not to win the NFC North this season. But that doesn't mean they're about to slow down.

"There's a lot we want to prove." Quarterback Hope Turner, who has looked much improved after her mid-season slump in recent games, told the press this week. "If we can get our hands on a bye week and home field advantage, well, we'd be pretty stupid not to do what it takes to get there, right? So don't expect is to slow down or change anything."

Still, the Vikings are aware that this is not the time to rush things, and so Fullback Marcel Reece, who dislocated his elbow in the last game, is expected to sit out the final three games of the season.

"I guess I could be back next week or the week after if the team really needed me." He said in an interview. "But the coach told me to take it slow, be ready for the playoffs, and that's what I'm gonna do."

-Even more reasons to celebrate for Hope Turner, according to inside information, she has gotten enough vote to crack the NFC Pro Bowl roster at QB, a huge success for a girl that entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent only a season ago but has proven many of her critics wrong in that time.

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Around the League

-Of course, the playoff race is heating up across the board, with the Pittsburgh Steelers being the first team to lock up their division, owning a 4 game lead to the Ravens.

In the AFC South, the Texans are in the lead but with the Jaguards closely on their heels, and even the loser between those two will have good changes of getting in on a wild card.

Things are shaking up in the East, too, with the Bills actually leading the division with a 2 game lead in front of both Patriots and Jets, with both of them practically having to win out of they want to stay even in the wild card race

The AFC West has the Broncos and Raiders both tied at 8-5 going into the final 3 weeks of the season, the Raiders having slowed down a bit after their impressive start.

In the NFC, things are a bit more clear, with the Vikings being in control of the NFC North and the Packers being the front-runners for a wild card spot. The Bears aren't quite out of contention yet, either, as a 7-6 record would at this moment be enough for an NFC wild card.

In the NFC South, the Panthers are as good as safe as well, having a 2 game lead before both the Saints and Buccaneers at 7-6 as well.

In the East, it's the Eagles at 9-4, also with a 2 game lead before the Redskins, with both Cowboys and Giants pretty much out of the race already.

The NFC West is a bit closer, with the Arizona Cardinals leading the division at 8-5, but the St. Louis Rams are right there as yet another 7-6 team, so the race remains pretty tight across the board with a lot of teams that still got a shot at getting in.

-Concerning this week's matchup, Hope Turner will probably like to hear that Clay Matthews is out with a broken hand, and of couse the defense will not have to face Aaron Rodgers, but as Matt Flynn has proven to be a solid replacement, that does not mean that this team is to be taken lightly.

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Game Recap

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Dec 16, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Green Bay Packers (9-5)	0	9	3	0	12
Minnesota Vikings (13-1)	7	10	10	6	33

Team Stats Comparison
	GNB	MIN
Total Offense	297	368
Rushing Yards	103	149
Passing Yards	194	219
First Downs	15	14
Punt Return Yards	2	4
Kick Return Yards	7	151
Total Yards	306	523
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	2-11	8-14
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/2-2	2/3-5
Penalties	1-15	2-15
Posession Time	17:33	26:27

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		GNB	MIN
1:10	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		GNB	MIN
8:49	(GNB) M. Crosby, 39 Yd FG	3	7
4:45	(GNB) M. Crosby, 17 Yd FG	6	7
1:52	(MIN) P. Harvin, 47 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	6	14
0:37	(GNB) M. Crosby, 22 Yd FG	9	14
0:02	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 18 Yd FG	9	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		GNB	MIN
8:05	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 44 Yd FG	9	20
5:18	(GNB) M. Crosby, 52 Yd FG	12	20
0:18	(MIN) T. Hightower, 7 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	12	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		GNB	MIN
3:31	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 36 Yd FG	12	30
0:00	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 33 Yd FG	12	33

Green Bay Packers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Flynn 15/31 222 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Starks 12 72 6.0 0 M. Flynn 3 30 10.0 0 A. Green 2 1 0.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Nelson 5 44 8.8 0 J. Starks 3 74 24.6 0 R. Cobb 3 69 23.0 0 T. Gurley 2 13 6.5 0 A. Green 1 6 6.0 0 G. Jennings 1 16 16.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG M. Crosby 4/4 0/0 12 53 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 T. Masthay 2 88 44.0 1 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD R. Cobb 1 2 2.0 0

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 13/20 230 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 19 86 4.5 0 T. Hightower 8 50 6.5 1 H. Turner 4 7 1.7 1 B. Miller 2 6 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 4 148 37.0 1 K. Rudolph 3 51 17.0 0 N. Devine 3 6 2.0 0 M. Jenkins 2 21 10.5 0 T. Hightower 1 4 4.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 4/4 3/3 15 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 94 47.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 5 151 30.2 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 1 4 4.0 0

Who is going to stop these Vikings? The Packers tried and failed, like so many before them.

They tried to copy the tactics the Lions used to little success, stacking the box to contain the rushing attack of Noel Devine and Tim Hightower, but again it would break their back as Hope Turner is finding her rhythm more and more every week, and what should have their coming opponents worried, this girl seems to find her love for going deep. And with a receiver like Percy Harvin at her disposal, that is never something a secondary wants to hear.

The Vikings again gave up a lot of yards defensively, but not many points, putting immense pressure on backup quarterback Matt Flynn who was running for his life behind an outmatched offensive line all game long.

The story of the game as quickly told, in the first half, the Packers were held to field goals while the Vikings scored touchdowns, and in the second half, when it just looked like they might catch up, after getting to within 8 points and forcing a punt soon thereafter, it was Flynn who crushed their hopes when he heaved a desperate ball downfield with Jared Allen right in his face, he didn't seem to notice safety Husain Abdullah sitting deep who easily picked him off, when Tim Hightower carried the ball into the endzone a couple of plays later, the deal was as good as done.

"Of course I'm learning, developing, every game there's something new to learn." Hope Turner said when asked after the game about whether she feels different about her game. "I'm basically a sophomore, I'd be pretty worried if I wasn't learning something new every week."

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Week 15 Results

Texans 30 @ Colts 40
49ers 29 @ Falcons 24
Steelers 6 @ Ravens 31
Bills 38 @ Titans 10
Packers 12 @ Vikings 33
Buccaneers 23 @ Panthers 27
Rams 24 @ Bears 34
Redskins 17 @ Cowboys 45
Bengals 23 @ Eagles 24
Patriots 17 @ Chiefs 20
Raiders 21 @ Saints 24 (OT)
Jaguars 15 @ Jets 3
Giants 17 @ Seahawks 24
Dolphins 20 @ Broncos 24
Lions 12 @ Cardinals 14
Browns 31 @ Chargers 34

NFC North Standings

Vikings (13-1)
Packers (9-5)
Bears (8-6)
Lions (4-10)

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 16: at Tennessee

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Vikings News

-With two games left to go, the Vikings can relax. At 13-1, they have locked up the #1 seed in the NFC, and with it both a first round bye as well as homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. While coach Frazier has announced that none of the starters will be rested, he hinted that some players who may be a little banged up may be given more of a rest than under normal circumstances, among them defensive end Jared Allen, and that some backups may see more playing time in the next two weeks.

-The mood in Minnesota couldn't be much better, of course, with quarterback phenomenon Hope Turner being carried off the field on the shoulders of her celebrating teammates after the win against the divisional rival Green Bay Packers that sealed the deal. "This is amazing." She told reporters after practice on Tuesday. "Honestly, I don't think I've yet fully realized what's happening, I mean, two year ago, I didn't think I'd ever play a snap of professional football, I hoped so, sure, but never really believed it would happen. And now I'm going to the playoffs as a starting QB that's... that's a lot. I think it's better if I don't think about it too much." She laughed.

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Around the League

-The Vikings of course aren't the only team with playoff aspirations, as the Bills and Eagles both lock up their divisions and can be a little bit more relaxed for the upcoming games.

The AFC South meanwhile remains highly contested, with both the Texans and Jaguars sharing a 9-5 record the division is wide open, but both team can rest assured in the knowledge that even one win will be enough to lock up an AFC wild card spot for them.

In the NFC, the Packers remain in the lead in the wild card race even after losing, they are practically assured of a playoff berth right now and the Bears remain a strong contender as well at 8-6.

The Panthers have all but locked up the NFC South, with the Saints being 2 games behind but still having a good shot at a wild card, while the Cardinals are in pretty much the same situation in the West. Rams, 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins and Buccaneers all share a 7-7 record which gives them an outside chance on a wild card should two of the three wild card hopefuls (Packers, Bears, Saints) stumble.

-There wasn't much news injury-wise for the playoff-bound teams, and this weeks opponent the Titans remain at full strength. But there is one other news item, as the Chargers released last years 2nd round pick Jonas Mouton last week, and the Vikings were quick to claim him off waivers as 6th round rookie Vidal Wells has been demoted to the practice squad.

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Game Recap

Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans
Dec 23, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (14-1)	7	14	7	19	47
Tennessee Titans (5-10)	3	14	6	7	30

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	TEN
Total Offense	501	401
Rushing Yards	365	106
Passing Yards	136	295
First Downs	25	16
Punt Return Yards	24	3
Kick Return Yards	101	0
Total Yards	626	404
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Converstion	7-10	2-7
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4/1-5	1/0-1
Penalties	1-10	2-15
Posession Time	28:30	15:30

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	TEN
9:31	(MIN) T. Hightower,77 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	7	0
2:49	(TEN) R. Bironas, 45 Yd FG	7	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	TEN
8:09	(MIN) N. Devine, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	14	3
5:31	(TEN) N. Washington 29 Yd pass from J. Locker (R. Bironas)	14	10
1:14	(MIN) H. Turner, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	21	10
0:50	(TEN) N. Washington 22 Yd pass from J. Locker (R. Bironas)	21	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	TEN
6:13	(MIN) N. Devine, 10 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	28	17
2:42	(TEN) C. Johnson, 2 Yd run (2-pt conversion failed, C. Johnson run)	28	23
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	TEN
9:11	(MIN) P. Harvin 11 Yd pass from H. Turner (S. Janikowski)	35	23
3:27	(MIN) Team Safety (K. Williams)	37	23
1:34	(MIN) E. Gilbert, 34 Yd run (S. Janikowski)	44	30
1:11	(TEN) K. Britt 71 Yd pass from J. Locker (R. Bironas)	44	30
0:00	(MIN) S. Janikowski, 18 Yd FG	47	30

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT H. Turner 12/16 121 1 0 J. Webb 3/6 35 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Devine 14 87 6.2 2 T. Hightower 13 158 12.1 1 E. Gilbert 5 56 11.2 1 H. Turner 4 28 7.0 1 B. Miller 3 18 6.0 0 J. Webb 1 18 18.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P. Harvin 6 89 14.8 1 N. Devine 5 23 4.6 0 M. Jenkins 2 23 11.5 0 K. Rudolph 2 21 10.5 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 1/1 6/6 9 19 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Kluwe 2 78 39.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 4 93 23.2 0 P. Harvin 1 7 7.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD E. Gilbert 2 24 12.0 0

Tennessee Titans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Locker 18/23 315 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD C. Johnson 17 101 5.9 1 J. Locker 1 5 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C. Johnson 4 35 8.7 0 J. Cook Jr. 4 64 16.0 0 N. Washington 4 76 19.0 2 K. Britt 3 90 30.0 1 D. Williams 2 39 19.5 0 M. Mariani 1 11 11.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R. Bironas 1/1 3/3 6 45 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Rogers 3 124 41.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Mariani 1 3 3.0 0

Another week, another win, although the Titans kept it close for a long time as second year QB Jake Locker scored the first perfect passer rating of his short career.

It was a game more like we were used to seeing it from the Vikings, with a constant power rushing attack between the tackles, tiring out a Titans defense that simply gave way in the second half, with only sparing, but effective passes by Hope Turner when needed.

"It's pick your poison against this offense." Titans defensive tackle Karl Klug told reporters after the game. "You go after the run, they air it out on you, and believe me, that girl might not have a cannon for an arm, but she's gonna make you pay if you give her guys space, and as soon as you pull guys away from the line to blanket Harvin, they run it right over you."

The Vikings secondary struggled, though, especially the "Battle of the Washingtons" had a clear-cut winner as wide receiver Nate constantly escaped cornerback Fabian Washington, the Vikings also struggled containing tight end Jared Cook Jr. until Jovan Belcher came in for Mark Herzlich who simply couldn't hang on with Cook.

"Playing the Titans is a tough task for any defense." Coach Frazier said afterwards. "They got a good receiving corps, a running back that can line up anywhere on the field and kill you from every position and a fast tight end that's hard to match up against, and a quarterback that can take off and run on you every second. That's not to say we don't have to be better than what we showed today, because we do, but this was really a great day for a young quarterback and I don't want to take anything away from Jake Locker, I don't look forward to playing him again in a year or to."

Most of the Vikings starters hung around far longer than many expected, it was only when Hope Turner found Percy Harvin for a touchdown in the 4th quarter to give her team a 3 score lead when Joe Webb came in for her, Percy Harvin and Noel Devine left the game as well as some starters on defense. Webb made some plays, but again showed that he struggled in accuracy as well as decision-making, throwing an unneccessary interception late in the game.

The last touchdown pass by Locker was caught by Britt who then shook off both Jackson Bell and Husain Abdullah to score, only the second touchdown pass the rookie corner has given up all year. "Well, I guess giving up only two sounds pretty good, but giving up one, or none, would've been better, so I got my work cut out for me." An ambitious Bell said at the postgame press conference.

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Week 16 Results

Rams 27 @ 49ers 17
Jets 13 @ Texans 37
Vikings 47 @ Titans 30
Chiefs 24 @ Browns 27
Bears 30 @ Lions 13
Bengals 23 @ Redskins 16
Chargers 21 @ Falcons 38
Steelers 24 @ Patriots 22
Colts 13 @ Dolphins 19
Bills 30 @ Jaguars 24 (OT)
Saints 31 @ Packers 23
Panthers 45 @ Broncos 35
Ravens 14 @ Eagles 17
Buccaneers 16 @ Raiders 28
Cowboys 17 @ Giants 24
Cardinals 30 @ Seahawks 35

NFC North Standings

Vikings (14-1)
Packers (9-6)
Bears (9-6)
Lions (4-11)

[TheDelta]

Re: You gotta have Hope! - Minnesota Vikings Franchise (Madden 12)

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Week 17: vs Arizona

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Vikings News

-The Minnesota Vikings are the NFL's best team, and are so by a long shot, having a 3 game lead before the next best team with only one basically meaningless game (at least for the Vikings) left.

The game is still important to the Cardinals, though as they are in control of the NFC West and need a win to make absolutely sure the Rams don't catch up to them.

"We're not going to make it easy for them." Coach Frazier promised before the game. "If you ask me whether all starters play for 4 quarters, I can't tell you anything, we'll just see what happens and when we feel that someone deserves their rest, that's what we have some very solid backups for. But to any Cardinal who comes in here expecting a cake walk I have to say, think again."

One starter who is expected to get at least some extended playing time is running back Noel Devine, since he is less than 100 yards away from an impressive 2000 yards season, so he will most likely play to try and reach that milestone.

"2000, that's a lot of yards, man. But I can tell you, it feels a lot more than that when you're being chased by 300 pound guys trying to kill you every single step of the way." Devine joked during practices.

Quarterback Hope Turner completely supported her coach's decision not to rest the starters for this game. "We're hot, we're in a rhythm and we got a bye week coming up. I think it's good for us to play and keep our game rolling, if you just sit out now for two whole weeks, you risk cooling off. If it was up to me, hell, I'd play every single snap, but sometimes that's not the smart thing to do, and of course I understand that."

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Around the League

-The AFC playoff race has slowed down before week 17, by now it is clear which six teams will be going to the playoffs, it's only a matter of seeding to be decided.

Steelers and, who'd have thought?, the Buffalo Bills are both sitting atop the conference at 11-4 and both can win the #1 seed, with the Texans sitting on top of the AFC South but with only a 1 game lead to the Jaguars, who still have a shot at dethroning them. Broncos and Raiders share the lead in the AFC West, but even the loser between the two is a lock for a wild card at 9-6.

This means that both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will watch the playoffs at home on television.

Things are a bit more open in the NFC, but not by much. Behind the Vikings, the Eagles and Panthers are fighting for a bye week, leaving the NFC West as the only division not locked up already, with a Cardinals loss and a Rams win St. Louis would still have a chance at the division. In the wild card race, Saints, Packers and Bears all share a 9-6 record so they will have to play and see who's the odd man out.

-The most important injury last week was a compound fracture to Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, he's out for the rest of the season and the Eagles will surely miss their deep threat in the playoffs.

-In this week's matchup, the Cardinals will be missing prime free agent signing Osi Umenyiora (ankle), ILB Daryl Washington and DE Calais Campbell have both been put in IR earlier in the season.