1Another poor secondary » The Redskins are facing their third opponent in a row with a passing defense that ranks in the bottom four in the league. The Vikings are 30th and have allowed an NFL-worst 31 passing touchdowns this season. Cornerback Antoine Winfield, 34, is showing his age, and Minnesota lacks a playmaker in the secondary. The Vikings are last in the NFL with just six interceptions and have not had a pick in nine straight games.
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Rookie quarterback » Christian Ponder can’t match the stats of the Panthers’ Cam Newton or the record of the Bengals’ Andy Dalton, but the Vikings’ rookie passer has shown some flashes. In nine games, he has had a passer rating of more than 100 twice, and he threw for 381 yards against the Broncos. And Ponder is one of the more mobile quarterbacks in the league, rushing for 199 yards. Like most rookies, he still needs to work on his decision-making (13 TDs to 12 interceptions) and bring up his completion percentage (54.5), but he has been impressive at times.
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No quit in Jared Allen » No matter how poorly the Vikings have played, Allen never lets up. He is second in the NFL with 17.5 sacks and has played the run well. Among defensive linemen, he is tied for fourth with 57 tackles. He also has four forced fumbles and one interception this year. Allen has been the lone bright spot on a struggling unit.
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Playmakers on offense » Running back Adrian Peterson has been limited with injuries the last few games, but he should get more carries this week. When he’s been healthy, he’s been effective. He has averaged 4.8 yards per rush and has scored 11 touchdowns on the ground. Wide receiver Percy Harvin has struggled at times and is coming off one of his worst games — three catches for 8 yards — but he had a touchdown in each of the previous four games and had 393 yards receiving in that span.
