The Minnesota Vikings were at the brink of a disastrous season and had to take care of business on the road Monday night in New Orleans. The Saints, one of the League's best offenses was stalled for three quarters and left Minny sitting pretty with a 20-10 lead late in the third. A blocked field goal, being returned for a touchdown got Minnesota on the board as Antoine Winfield took it to the house and turned the tides quickly in the first quarter. A few key fumbles by Reggie Bush and a costly interception near the red zone gave the Vikings the lead at the half even though they put up less than 75 yards of total offense. However, Reggie Bush redeemed himself after halftime by returning two punts for touchdowns and nearly a third that would have sealed the deal for the Saints. With the game on the line, kicker Martin Gramatica had to make a 46 yard field goal to send Minnesota to a 1-4 record. The Vikings responded to Bush's heroics by fighting back with a key touchdown drive of their own off a Gus Ferotte bomb to Bernard Berrian. The field goal went wide left and opened up new life for the Vikings. After a series of great plays that marched Minnesota down the field, Ryan Longwell buried a game winning kick with less than 20 seconds to go. The critics will say what happened to Minnesota's great special teams play? Well, Reggie Bush shredded the men in Purple with over 150 return yards in the second half. And how can we cover a Vikings game without mentioning Adrian Peterson, well he was shut down only rushing for a mere 30 yards on 17 carries. This game was what Minnesota needed, it ended with a WIN. Now sitting at 2-3 and having the Lions next week, the Vikings can get back to .500 and start focusing on winning some tough games that are coming up on the future. But as for Peterson, he should be back to his top form in the weeks to come and if the Defense keeps taking away the ball like it did against the Saints, the Vikings will have no problem righting their ship and making a playoff run.
Week 5 Offensive Grade: B- (Threw the ball well, no run game)
Defensive Grade: A+ (4 Takeaways and a Blocked FG for a TD)
Special Teams: F (Almost cost them the game)
Overall Grade: C+ (Got the Win)
Season Record: 2-3
Season Grade: C-
