1. Whose performance was more important to the Vikings offense on Sunday: Gus Frerotte’s 3 TD passes or Adrian Peterson’s 139 yards rushing?
The performance by Frerotte was critical for offensive success. When he struggles, Peterson becomes forced to gouge defenses for 150-plus-yard games or our defense must score for the Vikings to have a chance to win. Frerotte’s day yesterday was exactly what the Vikings need as they head down the stretch. If he throws the way he did Sunday, we will win most of our remaining games. If not, we will struggle and have an 8-8 type season. The only interception he threw bounced off Berrian’s hands and into the defender’s hands, which just happened to be taken back for a TD. Bottom line: if our passing attack gets airborne with regularity over the last eight weeks, we will make the playoffs; if not, a cold, long winter for Vikings fans.
— Joe Dolence
It is hard to decide whose performance was more important. Both Gus Frerotte with 11 of 18 completed passes and Adrian Peterson with three long runs of 40, 21 and 42 yards were important. In fact, the whole team did a good job, especially in the first half.They really played together as a team is supposed to. Because neither of our two back-up quarterbacks would have played nearly as well, I guess I would choose Gus as the most important. We do have another good running back in Taylor, and he made some important plays, too. I’ll even give our coach a pat on the back for looking beyond those few plays he always called. All in all, the team made most of the fans happy with the way they played. In fact some of them seemed as happy as a bunch of ticks on the old gray mare.
— Audrey Christison
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I believe both Adrian Peterson’s and Gus Frerotte’s performances were equally important. By stretching the field with Bernard Berrian early, Frerotte opened things up for Peterson in the second half. Only turning the ball over once, (which wasn’t his fault), helped matters as well. We’ve become accustomed to Adrian running for 100-plus yards on a weekly basis, as have opposing defenses, so establishing a passing game to balance out the offense is vital for a playoff run. It was nice to see Childress call a deep pass on the first play, too. All 11 Texans thought A.P. was getting the ball. And Berrian’s touchdown catch was almost Moss-like with his blazing speed.
— Nathan Zempel
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2. What did you think of Madieu Williams’ play, and how much will he help improve the Vikings secondary?
You can never have too many playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, which means, a healthy Madieu Williams is a very welcome sight. He came back with a bang, leading the Vikings with a spate of tackles and nabbing a critical takeaway in the end zone. Getting Madieu in the lineup at this stage is like pulling off a big-time, mid-season trade. It’s nothing but positive, positive, positive!
In addition to Madieu’s performance, there was clearly a heightened defensive intensity that we didn’t see in the Bears game. It would seem the Vikings defense is sending the message that they’re ready to pick it up in the event the Williams Wall takes an unpaid leave of absence.
— Tom O’Leary
