Minnesota Vikings: Under New Management

[Bobby Barrows]

Post-Season, Championship, 2010 NFL Season
​

SUPER BOWL BOUND! Vikings Win Late Against Seahawks 28-24 The Minnesota Vikings are returning to their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history and second consecutive after shocking the world by defeating the Eli Manning-led Seattle Seahawks 28-24. Down 24-34 late in the third quarter, the Vikings began their comeback drive by scoring a touchdown off a huge 75-yard touchdown from Alex Smith to Nate Burleson. Smith scored the two-point conversion to put it within 2 points for Minnesota. A complete shut-down by the Seahawks offense courtesy of the Minnesota defense allowed the Vikings to drive down the field and allow Josh Brown to kick the deciding field goals in the fourth quarter. Alex Smith threw 17/33 for 224 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Alex Smith also ran for a two-point conversion on a QB Sneak. The running-back corps had themselves an excellent day between Maurice Hicks and Kolby Smith, who each went over 100 yards. Hicks ran 13 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while Kolby Smith carried the ball most (26 times) for 100 yards. Chester Taylor also returned to play for Minnesota, rushing 14 times for 58 yards and a touchdown before coming out to a major injury. Thomas Tapeh was also taken out with a major injury. Nate Burleson garnered big-time plays against his former team hauling in 7 passes for 157 yards and Alex Smith's lone passing touchdown. Defensively, Eli Manning took care of the ball and threw no interceptions to the vaunted Vikings defense, but Kevin Williams hunted Manning with a voracious appetite, sacking him four times. Jared Allen and Chad Greenway each had two sacks as well on Manning. Terence Newman also surprised everyone by forcing 2 fumbles; EJ Henderson forced and recovered a fumble as well. Josh Brown was again perfect when called upon, going 3/3 on field goals and kicking his longest from 43 yards. With this, the Minnesota Vikings return to the Super Bowl to attempt to garner a repeat Super Bowl victory. Vikings head coach Brian Billick is also undefeated at the Super Bowl (2-0), winning in 2000 with the Baltimore Ravens previously. The Vikings will face fierce competition in the Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots, who in the last decade have won three Super Bowls in four appearances. The Vikings are 1-4 at the Super Bowl, while the Patriots are 3-3.

Passing:
Alex Smith - 17/33, 224 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:
Maurice Hicks - 13, 123 Yards, 2 TDs
Kolby Smith - 26, 100 Yards
Chester Taylor - 14, 58 Yards, 1 TD

Receiving:
Nate Burleson - 7, 157 Yards, 1 TD
Jamie Renick* - 4, 27 Yards
Bernard Berrian - 3, 21 Yards
Sidney Rice - 3, 19 Yards

Defense:
Kevin Williams - 4 Sacks
Jared Allen - 2 Sacks
Chad Greenway - 2 Sacks
Terence Newman - 2 FF
EJ Henderson - 1 FF, 1 FR

Kicking:
Josh Brown - 3/3 FGA, 43 Long, 3/3 XPA
​

	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	FINAL
[BGCOLOR=rgb(79, 38, 131)]MINNESOTA[/BGCOLOR]	7	17	8	6	38
[BGCOLOR=rgb(0, 48, 135)]SEATTLE[/BGCOLOR]	10	7	17	0	34

Patriots Shock Chiefs 24-17​

	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	FINAL
[BGCOLOR=rgb(0, 34, 68)]NEW ENGLAND[/BGCOLOR]	3	8	10	3	24
[BGCOLOR=rgb(227, 24, 55)]KANSAS CITY[/BGCOLOR]	14	3	0	0	17

ROAD TO

WILD CARD	DIVISIONAL	CHAMPIONSHIP	SUPER BOWL​	CHAMPIONSHIP​	DIVISIONAL​	WILD CARD​
MINNESOTA (3)						NEW ENGLAND (3)​
ST. LOUIS (6)						MIAMI (6)​
	SEATTLE (1)				KANSAS CITY (1)​
	NEW YORK (4)				CLEVELAND (4)​
		SEATTLE (1)	MINNESOTA (3)​	KANSAS CITY (1)​
		MINNESOTA (3)	NEW ENGLAND (3)​	NEW ENGLAND (3)​
	NEW ORLEANS (2)				TENNESSEE (2)​
	MINNESOTA (3)				NEW ENGLAND (3)​
NEW YORK (4)						CLEVELAND (4)​
DALLAS (5)						SAN DIEGO (5)​

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Super Bowl 45​

Vikings Win Second Super Bowl Defeat Patriots 27-34 Brian Billick (Center), Bernard Berrian, Jamie Renick, and Alex Smith (16) Celebrate Their Super Bowl Victory ​ The Minnesota Vikings have repeated as National Football League world champions at Super Bowl XLV, defeating Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots with a score of 27-34. The Patriots came back to score 21 points in the third quarter to peel ahead, but the Vikings mounted a 9-point comeback thanks in part to a 103-yard Bobby Sylvester kickoff return for a touchdown to put the lead to 3 points, and Charles Woodson getting a pick-6 on Tom Brady to put the Vikings ahead for good. Another problem for New England was Martin Gramatica missing three key kicks that could have given the Patriots the victory. Offensively, the Vikings gave up three turnovers but could have been worse with Kolby Smith and Maurice Hicks combining for 5 fumbles. Alex Smith threw 19/40 for 192 Yards, 1 TD, and 3 INTs. Kolby Smith broke the official NFL Record for most rushing yards in a single Super Bowl, nabbing 59 carries for 260 yards. Bernard Berrian caught 9 passes for 116 yards, and Nate Burleson hauled in the lone Alex Smith touchdown. Defensively, the Minnesota Vikings' defense came to fruition by forcing four turnovers on the Patriots, as well as intercepting Brady once while sacking him five times. Jared Allen forced a safety on the New England Patriots, becoming the 6th player in Super Bowl history to net a safety (ironically, the Minnesota Vikings were the first team to be victims of a Super Bowl safety in Super Bowl IX). Charles Woodson also made history, becoming the 10th player in Super Bowl history to make an interception return for a touchdown. Bobby Sylvester's 103 kickoff return for a touchdown marks the fifth time in Super Bowl history a rookie had made a kick return for a touchdown. Josh Brown went 4/6 on field goals from 55 yards out, as well as 2/2 on extra points. Minnesota had attempted a two-point conversion following Sylvester's return touchdown but failed to secure it. Brian Billick is now officially 3-0 at the Super Bowl and in all likelihood has now proven himself to be a Hall of Fame coach. Kolby Smith, for breaking the Super Bowl rushing yards and attempts record, was given Super Bowl MVP honors. For the Patriots, this is the second time in the Bill Belichick era that they have lost at the Super Bowl. Belichick expressed that they simply did not do enough to get the win, but mentions that the team will do better next year. For the Minnesota Vikings, they now look to become the first team in NFL history to three-peat as world champions. Many journalists are declaring this the beginning of a new Vikings dynasty that could dominate the 2010's.​

(* Denotes Rookie)

Passing:
Alex Smith - 19/40, 192 Yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs

Rushing:
Kolby Smith - 59, 260 Yards, 4 FUM
Maurice Hicks - 12, 23 Yards, 1 FUM

Receiving:
Bernard Berrian - 9, 116 Yards
Sidney Rice - 3, 32 Yards
Nate Burleson - 2, 22 Yards 1 TD

Defense:
Jared Allen - 2 Sacks, 1 Safety
Ethan Kelley - 1 Sack
Kevin Williams - 1 Sack
Dana Russell - 1 Sack, 1 FF
Tyrell Johnson - 1 FF, 1 FR
Chad Greenway - 1 FF, 1 FR
Jermaine King* - 1 FF, 1 FR
Charles Woodson - 1 INT, 63 Yards, 1 TD

Kicking:
Josh Brown - 4/6, 55 Long, 2/2 XPA

Kick Return:
Bobby Sylvester* - 5, 181 Yards, 1 TD, 103 Long
​

	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	FINAL
[BGCOLOR=rgb(0, 34, 68)]NEW ENGLAND[/BGCOLOR]	3	0	21	3	27
[BGCOLOR=rgb(79, 38, 131)]MINNESOTA[/BGCOLOR]	6	9	3	16	34

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS:

[BGCOLOR=rgb(79, 38, 131)]MINNESOTA VIKINGS[/BGCOLOR]
​

Pro Bowl Teams:

Spoiler

AFC

QB - Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Matt Schaub, Kansas City Chiefs

HB - Ladanian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins

FB - Mike Bell, New England Patriots
Carey Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers

WR - Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
Wes Welker, New England Patriots
Torry Holt, San Diego Chargers
Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Randy Moss, New England Patriots

TE - Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts

T - Jon Jansen, Kansas City Chiefs
Davis Stewart, Tennesee Titans
Kevin Shaffer, Cleveland Browns
Mark Tauscher, Cincinnati Bengals

G - Jake Scott, Tennessee Titans
Arian Singleton, Houston Texans
Ben Grubbs, Baltimore Ravens
Alan Faneca, New York Jets

C - Justin Hartwig, Pittsburgh Steelers
LeCharles Bentley, Tennessee Titans

DE - Matt Roth, Miami Dolphins
Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills
Mario Williams, Houston Texans
Brent Hawkins, Buffalo Bills

DT - Shaun Rogers, Cleveland Browns
Ron Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
Marcus Stroud, Buffalo Bills

OLB - Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
David Thornton, Tennessee Titans
DJ Williams, Denver Broncos
Vernon Gholston, New York Jets

MLB - Kirk Morrison, Oakland Raiders
Stephen Cooper, San Diego Chargers

CB - Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers
Anthony Henry, Miami Dolphins
Ray Krause, Kansas City Chiefs
Rashean Mathis, Buffalo Bills

FS - Ko Simpson, Buffalo Bills
Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis Colts

SS - Bob Sanders, Indianapolis Colts
Donte Whitner, Buffalo Bills

K - Sebastian Janikowski, Kansas City Chiefs

P - Brian Moorman, Buffalo Bills

KR - Chris Johnson, Tennesee Titans
Antonio Cromartie, San Diego Chargers

NFC:

QB - Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Eli Manning, Seattle Seahawks
Shaun Hill, New York Giants

HB - Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints

FB - Justin Griffith, Dallas Cowboys
Greg Jones, New York Giants

WR - Roy Williams, Detroit Lions
Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
Deion Branch, Seattle Seahawks
Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers
Marques Coltson, New Orleans Saints
Santana Moss, Washington Redskins

TE - Owen Daniels, St. Louis Rams
Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins
Jerramy Stevens, Philadelphia Eagles

T - Kareem McKenzie, New York Giants
Ryan Cook, New Orleans Saints
Chris Samuels, Washington Redskins
Jeremy Trueblood, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

G- Leonard Davis, Dallas Cowboys
Cooper Carlisle, Washington Redskins
Anthony Herrera, Minnesota Vikings
Shawn Andrews, Philadelphia Eagles

C - Eric Heitmann, New Orleans Saints
John Wade, Arizona Cardinals

DE - Ray Edwards, Minnesota Vikings
Patrick Kerney, Seattle Seahawks
Jabril Peppers, Chicago Bears
Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings

DT - Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings
Pat Williams, Minnesota Vikings
Chartric Darby, Detroit Lions

OLB - Chad Greenway, Minnesota Vikings
Scott Shanle, New Orleans Saints
Leroy Hill, Seattle Seahawks
DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys

MLB - Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
Will Witherspoon, St. Louis Rams

CB - Charles Woodson, Minnesota Vikings
Terence Newman, Minnesota Vikings
Cedric Griffin, Minnesota Vikings
Fakhir Brown, St. Louis Rams

FS - Tyrell Johnson, Minnesota Vikings
Danieal Manning, Chicago Bears

SS - Dwight Smith, Minnesota Vikings
Michael Lewis, Chicago Bears

K - Josh Brown, Minnesota Vikings

P - Nate McDaniel (Rookie), Minnesota Vikings

KR - Antonio Pittman, San Francisco 49ers
Aaron Ross, New York Giants

Minnesota Vikings Break Single-Season Pro-Bowl Record with 13 Players In One Year.

 

[Chris]

Bet you were PANICKING during that 3rd quarter huh