The Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North, and Teddy Bridgewater returned.
Not a bad day for the Purple at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Nearly one year ago — on Dec. 18, 2016 — the Vikings laid an egg when they played host to a fledgling AFC team, the Indianapolis Colts, at U.S. Bank Stadium that struck a severe blow to their playoff hopes.
They had no such letdown Sunday as the battered — and perhaps soon to be coach-less — Cincinnati Bengals showed little fight as the Vikings rolled to a 34-7 win that clinched their second division title in three years.
“We got that out of the way,” said cornerback Xavier Rhodes. “Now we have to go for that second thing: to win an NFC Championship.”
“We’re happy,” said linebacker Anthony Barr, “we’re proud of ourselves. We haven’t really done much yet except get to the playoffs. We have a long way ahead.”
It was the earliest the Vikings have clinched a playoff spot since they secured one in Week 14 of the 2009 season — also by beating the Bengals.
The Vikings’ nearly-perfect performance paved the way for Bridgewater to take snaps in the fourth quarter for the first time in a game since Aug. 28, 2016. With the score 34-0, Bridgewater entered to roars so loud they muffled the referee, who was trying to announce a penalty from the previous punt return. It was so noisy that Bridgewater had to cover his ears in order to discern the play call being relayed to his helmet.
The storybook moment took an anticlimactic turn as Bridgewater’s first pass tipped off Jerick McKinnon’s hands and was intercepted by Shawn Williams. On the next series, Bridgewater’s third-down pass was dropped by Michael Floyd.
Nonetheless, the fourth-year quarterback’s return to the field capped a gritty rehabilitation that some feared might be too rigorous for Bridgewater to overcome after dislocating his left knee.
“It was just a huge milestone to be able to go out there and call plays in the huddle, look the guys in the eye and sell hope to those guys,” said Bridgewater. “It was a great feeling.”
Tremendous ovation for @teddyb_h2o. Welcome back! ????#Skol pic.twitter.com/jLIM6HSc3y
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 17, 2017
So, how did the Vikings build such a comfortable cushion?
It started with an opening drive touchdown that set the tone in Minnesota’s first home game since Nov. 19. Latavius Murray dove into the end zone from one yard out against a Bengals defense that was missing all three of its starting linebackers and arguably its two best cornerbacks.
Reports also came out Sunday morning that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis planned to leave the team after the season, though he denied those reports when asked after the game.
Sometimes adversity can galvanize a team, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday.
Cincinnati has been reeling since blowing a 17-point lead on Monday Night Football two weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals lost 33-7 to the Chicago Bears at home last Sunday and weren’t remotely competitive against the Vikings. The Bengals were 0 for 7 on third downs in the first half, managing just one first down and 42 yards against the defense that Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer created in Cincinnati under Lewis from 2008-13.
“You know, a lot of those players over on defense were one time my guys,” Zimmer said. “There were some emotions there, and you always want to do good against your former team, but like I said during the week, I tried to see numbers this week and not faces.”
Andy Dalton threw an interception in the first quarter that Eric Kendricks returned for his second career touchdown to give Minnesota a 14-0 lead. The Vikings had defensive confusion before the snap, but their eventual decision to only rush three and drop their linebackers in coverage paid off. Kendricks used a block from Barr, his former UCLA teammate, to dive into the end zone.
“I [blocked] a couple guys,” said Barr. “We needed it. We needed to score on defense sometime. It’s been all year, and we were due.”
Take it to the house! #Skol pic.twitter.com/D9M4AVqjCV
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 17, 2017
The Vikings used Jerick McKinnon to create explosive plays in the passing game against Cincinnati’s backup linebackers. The running back had a 41-yard reception that set up Case Keenum’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to make it 24-0. He made a 29-yard reception that set up Kai Forbath’s 35-yard field goal to make it 27-0. Then he reeled in a 31-yard reception that preceded Kyle Rudolph’s one-yard touchdown catch to make it 34-0.
McKinnon went for seven receptions and 114 yards, blowing away his previous career-high of 76 receiving yards. It was just the third time since the turn of the century a Vikings running back recorded triple-digit yardage through the air.
“They had a couple linebackers out, so we were trying to isolate them a bit with the running backs,” Zimmer said.
Keenum was a precise 20 for 23 with 236 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the third time in four games he’s completed multiple touchdown passes without a pick. He was also one of the biggest instigators on the bench as players urged the crowd to roar as Bridgewater stepped onto the field.
“It was even better seeing Case leading the chant,” Bridgewater said. “Case is an awesome guy, and to see him standing behind me was just amazing.”
Considered an afterthought by many during training camp, Keenum is now 10-2 in 12 appearances this season. His only previous playoff experience came as a member of the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2012. Now he’ll be leading the Vikings into a home playoff game.
The team hopes it comes after a bye week. They are in the driver’s seat for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but they face a key matchup with the nearly-eliminated Green Bay Packers on Dec. 23.
“They’re going to come out guns blazing and trying to put up a lot of points,” said Barr, whose hit in Week 6 knocked out Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for eight games. “I expect it to be the Packers.”
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