Adrian Peterson attempted to run by the San Diego Chargers
Week one for the Minnesota Vikings was a game of two halves. In the first half they hung with the superior Chargers by hard-nosed defense and strong running. They got after San Diego quarterback Phil Rivers forcing him into dump-off after dump-off. Rivers didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver until midway through the second quarter. They held strong against the run as well, especially in preventing Ryan Matthews from getting to the corner. Adrian Peterson, for his part, looked strong. He ran hard and looked quick, better by far then any of his brethren at the top of the draft board.
In the second half, the Chargers found their footing. Their defense tightened up on Peterson, allowing just 25 yards despite coming into the half behind on the scoreboard. Rivers found a way to hit his receivers, even though the Viking defense was still bringing heat. The clincher was how San Diego found a way to combat the Viking rush with quick screens to both Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews, who looked very impressive in the open field.
Against a very good defense, Adrian Peterson showed why he was projected first in many fantasy drafts and made a fool of owners who passed over him. He is deservedly number one on the big board. He won’t have the easiest slate of opponents, but aside from two games against Chicago, there won’t be many as tough as this one. On the other hand, Donovan McNabb looked awful. Granted, this was a tough defense to go up against on his Viking debut, but there was little to suggest he will ever be worth a start.
Although he put up 335 yards, it seemed as if Rivers had a bad game. By the end of the year, it may prove to be one of his worst. He will rarely face as much pressure as Jared Allen and the Viking D put on him. He will grow more accustomed to having deep targets, something he mostly lacked last year during Vincent Jackson’s holdout. As the year goes on, a greater percentage of his targets will go to wideouts Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd.
For the running backs, Mike Tolbert got all the touchdowns and all the talk, but Matthews was a far more impressive runner. He averaged 24 yards per reception on three screen passes, blowing past Vikings once he accelerated. Tolbert lumbered along decently enough, but as coach Norv Turner finds more trust in Matthews, his share of the carries, and goal line carries should increase.
Drop’em: Michael Jenkins caught the touchdown, but you won’t often want to start a Viking receiver that doesn’t also boast a chance of a return like Percy Harvin. There are guys on the waiver wire that bring more potential than the number two on a poor passing team.
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Tags: 2011 fantasy football, adrian peterson, ahmad bradshaw, antonio gates, donovan mcnabb, mark sanchez, mike tolbert, Minnesota Vikings, phil rivers, ryan matthews, san diego chargers
