Following yesterday's loss of the White Sox to the Rays and ending their post season dreams, I had no desire to continue watching baseball. So I flipped on the Saints/Vikings game on ESPN and swallowed my pain by enjoying one of the most fun football games I've seen in a long time.
And now that baseball season is over, at least for the team I have immediate interest in, it's time shift my focus to watching meaningless but exciting games of football.
If you watched last nights game, you'll know why I'm this excited. At no point was the game ever secure, and it had the most twists I've seen since a deformed Stretch Armstrong. OK, corny, but I was feeling it.
So especially since today's only sporting event was Troy vs. Fla Atl, I feel it's perfect timing to re-look the best football game of the year.
The Saints look unstoppable to start the game, as they scored a quick touchdown followed by another promising scoring drive.
Twist #1
A 46-yard field goal was blocked by Minnesota and returned to the house by Antoine Winfield 59 yards after the ball just fell into his hands. (photo from startribune.com).
Following the return, the Saints went down and scored a field goal rather easily.
Twist #2
On the ensuing kick off, New Orleans attempted an onside kick but was recovered by the Vikings.
The Vikings got almost no yards and escaped with a Ryan Longwell 53-yard field goal
End of 1st quarter 10-10.
The Saints still had the momentum but was quickly taken away following another huge play by Antoine Winfield.
Twist #3
Winfield sacked Drew Brees and recovered the fumble on the Saints 5 yard line which led to another Vikings touchdown.
The Saints lost any momentum they may have had in the first quarter and it turned into a 20-10 Vikings lead at halftime.
Twist #4
With the momentum gone, and the offense struggling, Reggie Bush returned a 71 yard punt return for a touchdown to bring the Saints within three.
The Vikings punted on their next possession to Reggie Bush who tripped over himself with seemingly a clear path into the end zone. The good field position led to a field goal and a tied game at 20-20 early in the fourth.
Twist #5
He did it again, Reggie Bush returned his second punt Return for a touchdown minutes after he helped set up the tying touchdown. Saints lead 27-20.
On the very next drive the Vikings answered with a touchdown drive of their own and tied the game at 27.
Twist #6
With less than two minutes remaining, the Saints put themselves in a position to take the lead with a field goal. But kicker Martin Gramatica hooked it right and gave the Vikings another chance. (photo from nola.com)
Twist #7
The Vikings capitalized on the Saints' missed opportunity and won the game on a 30 yard chip shot.
Final Score 30-27.
So I know this was quick, but I just really wanted to give props to the best game of the year.
4 comments:
It's also nice to know that the best game of the year to date is one that your favorite team wins :D
I think this is a big stepping stone for the Vikings to get back on track. They should get back to .500 next week against Detroit.
To be completely honest, I'm kind of rooting for the Vikings this year. The Packers are sucking up in our division, not like the Vikings are REALLY that much better, but I have a major crush on Adrian Peterson. The game was pretty intense, I had a lot of confidence in Reggie and thought the Vikings were going to fall to the Saints, buttt that's why it was ONE of the better games this season (not the best). :)
Dude, seriously, what do you think they put in stretch armstrong to make him so flexible?
What do you think about the Saints' chances. They're a pretty weak division (Atlanta is still weak - although Matty Ice looks as strong as the beverage that bears his name, and Tampa Bay is too schizophrenic at QB) and they looked like the 06 squad at times on Monday. But, they can't reasonably rely on Reggie to return two punts per game.
That division is Carolina's to lose. I actually think that the Panthers could sneak up on one of the overrated NFC East (yeah, that's not a typo) teams and make it to at least the NFC Championship Game.
Maybe the Super Bowl too.
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