Nobody feels good after a tie game, and Sunday’s 26-26 Packers/Vikings score from Lambeau had pretty much everyone in a lousy mood.
Vikings defensive end Jared Allen put a new twist on an old football adage, telling the Associated Press, “I don’t have a sister, but I’m going to say it’s like going to prom with your sister.”
“It’s an empty feeling. You go out there and didn’t lose the game,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “But you feel like you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do.”
Greg Jennings, who was nearly invisible with two catches on his return to Lambeau since becoming a Viking, was a bit more sanguine: “It was great to come back here and play at Lambeau,” Jennings said. “It’s unfortunately not to get a win outright, I guess the next best thing is a tie.”
ESPN notes that Toby Gerhart got his chance and had a big day, running for 91 yards on eight carries.
Yahoo! Sports says Christian Ponder earned some job security: “For a while, Christian Ponder looked like the best quarterback on the field. He finished 21 of 30 for 233 yards and a touchdown, though the Packers’ defense got to him for six sacks.”
Vikings.com notes that Minnesota was less than stellar in putting the ball in the end zone up close: “Offensively, the Vikings were in the red zone five times and came away with just two touchdowns on those trips.”
Fox Sports North says maybe there’s a new star one the defense: “Making the start at middle linebacker for Erin Henderson, Audie Cole was one of the bright spots for Minnesota’s defense. Cole, a seventh-round draft pick last year, led the team with 13 tackles and added a sack, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.”
The Pioneer Press gets a good quote from Green Bay backup Matt Flynn who said “Obviously, it was good to get in there and have some fun.”
Hey, someone had some fun!
The Pioneer Press also notes Adrian Peterson’s performance, saying it was his “heaviest workload since rushing 34 times for 199 yards in the 2012 season finale against Green Bay — when he finished nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105.”
Cordarrelle Patterson wasn’t wowed by his first trip to Lambeau. “It’s really not that loud in there,” he said, according to the Duluth News Tribune. “When we’re back in the Metrodome, it’s always rocking. We’re louder, of course. Most definitely. We got the No. 1 fan base in the country.”
We’ll leave the final word to Sid Hartman, who seems as exasperated as anyone: “Yes, it is hard to figure out the Vikings.”
