Football, as the cliche goes, is a game of inches. True or not, it’s also a game of numbers. Here are three telling stats – aside from Christian Ponder’s bad QB line – that might have made the difference in the Viking loss to Detroit Sunday.
36:19
Did it seem like Detroit always had the ball? That’s because they did, dominating a key aspect of the game this early in the the season: Time of possession. Detroit chewed up the clock while the Vikings watched – Minnesota only had the ball for 23:41.
.882
Yards per carry for Adrian Peterson if you take out the 78-yard touchdown run he had on the Vikings’ first play.
0
Number of tackles, sacks, tackles for loss and QB hits for rookie first-round draft pick Sharrif Floyd, subbing for the injured Kevin Williams to much hype, but little action. He had one pass defended, which is not necessarily the most important stat you want from a defensive tackle.
