Dropped Passes Pile Up For Vikings In Defeat
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have been in prime position to grab a playoff spot with a strong finish down this closing stretch of daunting games.
In their first test, they dropped the ball.
A lot.
The Vikings (6-5) emerged from an ugly 28-10 loss at Chicago still tied with Seattle and Tampa Bay for the second NFC wild card spot, but they've lost to both of those teams and thus must finish ahead of them. The loss to the Bears (8-3) on Sunday put a big dent in Minnesota's goal of becoming the surprise winner of the NFC North, too, leaving the Vikings in third place with little margin for error remaining.
They play at Green Bay (7-4) this Sunday and Chicago again the week after that, with top-level performances required to win. And if they can't catch Christian Ponder's passes, well, the production by the rest of the team might not even matter.
Drops aren't an official NFL statistic, but anyone who watched the Bears game could've conservatively credited their receivers with at least six, including three for Jerome Simpson.
"The number of dropped passes we had yesterday was really unacceptable in our league," said coach Leslie Frazier, whose criticism of his players is usually limited and muted. "It's hard to continue drives when you don't catch the football, and that's a part of what you have to be able to do as a wide receiver in our league.
"The drops were not good. They hurt our continuity, our ability to move the football. So we have a lot of work to do. A lot to get done. I have a lot to do to get our team back, refocused on the task at hand for this next ball game."
Ponder had his share of erratic throws, including one that sailed past Stephen Burton for an interception that Chicago followed with a touchdown on the next play. He finished 22 for 43 and again had little success with the deep ball. But his receivers did him no favors, with star Percy Harvin back in Minnesota still healing from a sprained left ankle.
"It's tough. You want to see everybody making plays and contributing," wide receiver Michael Jenkins said. "Nobody wants to drop a ball or have a bad play. Guys just have to bounce back and make the next one."
Frazier said he couldn't recall a game with so many drops by his team.
"We'll go back and do some drills and do some different things to try to help our guys to hold on to the football," he said, adding: "When your teammates see those opportunities disappear, it affects the entire team. It affects the guys on the field, affects the guys on the sideline."
Adrian Peterson lost a fumble, too, that directly led to a Chicago touchdown, and the defense can't escape blame, either. The first half was a collective failure, with a nonexistent pass rush and too many productive runs by the Bears on third-and-short. For the afternoon, they converted 11 of 19 third downs.
Chicago was coming off a 32-7 loss at San Francisco last Monday, allowing six weeks. But with a short week of preparation, the sting of that nationally televised shellacking and a slew of injuries on their offense despite the return of quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears weren't deterred.
The Vikings will face a Packers team this Sunday under similar circumstances. Aaron Rodgers has taken more sacks than any other quarterback in the NFL, and they're coming off a 38-10 loss to the New York Giants.
"It's pretty simple. The Bears played better than we did. The things that went wrong are totally correctable. The Bears game is behind us now. The tape's done," center John Sullivan said. "We're focused on going out and beating the Packers."
NOTES: Frazier said he spoke with Peterson about his absence from the team bus from the hotel to the stadium, forcing him to take a cab and arrive late. The coach declined to be specific about their conversation or any punishment planned, but he said he "can't see why it would" happen again. "Any time one of your leaders is not where he's supposed to be, it's not good. I mean, I talk to our team all the time about being where you're supposed to be and being where you're supposed to be on time. So it's a big deal," Frazier said. ... Geoff Schwartz took more snaps (36) at RG for the first time this season than Brandon Fusco (30), who has started every game. Frazier said Fusco has struggled with his footwork and blocking mechanics. "When he's on, he's a very good player. But there are moments where he's just little bit off from a fundamental standpoint," Frazier said.
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