Minnesota Vikings head football coach Mike Zimmer. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI |
License Photo
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer probably endeared himself a little more to his young standout defenders Monday when he tried to deflect all the attention he gets for how dominant his defense has been this season.
"Really, I know people say it's me against this guy or that guy," Zimmer said. "But we've got good players. These guys execute the things we try to get them to do. It's really a players' game. These guys have been executing and doing a nice job. I can't go out there and cover a guy or rush a guy or anything like that so it really has nothing to do with me."
Why did Cam Newton get sacked a career-high eight times? According to Zimmer, because the Vikings stopped Carolina's league-leading running game.
"I think a big key to it was being pretty good against the run,' Zimmer said. "Once we settled down (and stopped the run), we were able to be more varied defensively."
The Vikings gave up a 12-yard run on the first play of the game. Newton had an 11-yard run with the Vikings up by 12 with three minutes left. Throw out those two runs, and the Panthers had 82 yards on 26 carries (3.2). Even with those two runs, the Panthers averaged 3.8 yards, a full yard below their season average.
--Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, a former Panther, isn't impressed at all with Carolina's second-year receiver Devin Funchess.
Asked how the Vikings were able to hold Carolina's leading receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, to zero catches on only one targeted throw, Munnerlyn said, "The focus was on Kelvin Benjamin. I don't think No. 17 (Funchess) is that good."
Funchess didn't catch a pass, either, and was targeted only twice.
MEDICAL WATCH: LG Alex Boone left midway through the second quarter of Sunday's game and didn't return. He had an MRI done on Monday morning and, according to Zimmer, should be able to play Monday night when the Vikings face the Giants at home. ... TE David Morgan suffered a knee injury and wasn't able to return to the game on Sunday. Zimmer didn't give a timetable for his return, but it doesn't look good at this point. ... CB Xavier Rhodes, who missed the first two games of the season because of a knee injury, started Sunday. He rotated along with Trae Waynes and Terence Newman. The Vikings also used all three of their backup slot corners, including punt returner Marcus Sherels, because of the Carolina heat.
NOTES: P Jeff Locke said the past two games have been his best in back-to-back weeks as a pro, as he has downed eight of 14 punts inside the 20. His 62-yarder that was downed at the 7 and moved to the 4 because of a Carolina penalty on Sunday is what led to a safety at a point when the Vikings had fallen behind 10-0. Locke also had a 58-yarder downed at the 2, and a 50-yarder that had a minus-1-yard return. ... WR Cordarrelle Patterson, the NFL's leading kick returner, became one heck of a gunner on punt coverage on Sunday. In his first game as a gunner, Patterson downed a 58-yarder at the 2 and tackled returner Ted Ginn Jr. for a 1-yard loss after a 50-yard punt. ... DE Everson Griffen tied a career high with 3.0 sacks of Cam Newton. Five other players had one sack, including NT Linval Joseph, who now has three in three games. His career high for a season is 4.0.
