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Despite getting 182 yards from the feet of star running back Adrian Peterson, the Mnnesota Vikings couldn't capitalize and lost to the Seahawks 30-20 at CentruyLink Field yesterday. Quarterback Christian Ponder couldn't seem to find an open receiver against a stifling Seahawks pass defense, completing just 11-of-22 passes for 63 yards and an interception.
The loss dropped the Vikings out of the final NFC Wild Card spot now occupied by the Seahawks. After the game, Vikings' players and coaches stepped to the podium to address the media. Head coach Leslie Frazier said despite Ponder's horrific day, he doesn't think there's a change coming at that position anytime soon:
"We’re doing a great job of running the football, we need some balance. We as coaches need to figure out what we need to do to create that balance. I don’t think that Christian (Ponder) is the problem. We also have to look at what people are doing against us."
Ponder himself admitted after the game he must continue to work on getting better:
"I know that I have to get better. I have to play better. I’m always going to put pressure on myself. In the past couple of years, I’ve learned to not put too much pressure on myself; I can’t do it all. But, I do know that there are things that I can get better at, and those are things that I’m going to work on."
As usual, defensive end Jared Allen was outspoken, especially after such a frustrating result for the Vikings:
"It is too late in the season to be getting drummed like this. Especially when you rush for 200 plus yards, you expect to be blowing a team out. Adrian (Peterson) is a beast. Adrian (Peterson) was amazing today. He should get tomorrow off and we should all go to work. It is just embarrassing, two weeks in a row and it is absolutely embarrassing. I apologize to our fans; we have to get this thing fixed."
The schedule gets a lot harder for the 5-4 Vikings from here on out. After a home game with the Detroit Lions next week, they'll get a week off before a brutal three-game stretch begins. They'll travel to Chicago and Green Bay in consecutive weeks before coming back home to again face the Bears.