Week 11 Game Recap: Minnesota Vikings 20, Miami Dolphins 24

What you need to know

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings came in with the number one ranked rush defense in the NFL and despite setting a team record by holding Miami to minus three rushing yards, the offense struggled once again and gave up two defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter which led to a fourth consecutive loss.

In what has been a reoccurring theme for QB Brad Johnson and the offense, the Vikings marched down and scored a touchdown on their first possession of the game on an impressive drive, but then the offense stalled out for the remainder of the game. The Vikings’ offense struggled to keep drives going or make big plays once again in this game. Almost all of Minnesota’s passes were within ten yards of the line of scrimmage and they were simply unable to stretch the Dolphins’ defense with any plays down the field. To make things worse, the Vikings’ offense wasn’t able to protect the ball either. Late in the forth quarter, Johnson threw an interception to DE Jason Taylor and he returned it 51 yards for what turned out to be the game winning touchdown.

RB Chester Taylor had a nice game as he got into the end zone twice and had 80 yards rushing. But he had two critical fumbles in the forth quarter, including one that was brought back for a touchdown. Taylor’s rushing yards didn’t come easy against a good, physical Miami rush defense. He had 28 carries in the game and he managed just under three yards a carry. Miami made him earn every yard and it didn’t help that they had little respect for the Vikings’ passing game. Taylor’s second touchdown came at the end of the game as time expired in the game.

Miami Dolphins

Two defensive touchdowns, one a fumble recovery and one an interception, by the Dolphins’ defense in the fourth quarter were the difference in the game as the Dolphins won their third straight game 24-20.

QB Joey Harrington got his first win against Minnesota in seven tries and had a pretty good game with 254 yards passing and one touchdown. Harrington had one big mistake in the game when he threw an interception deep in Miami territory in the second half. But he played well considering the Vikings made the Dolphins’ offense one dimensional by completing shutting down the running game. Harrington could have had an even bigger day when he connected on 58 yard touchdown to WR Chris Chambers in the third quarter but the play was called back due to a penalty.

This is a game that RB Ronnie Brown would probably like to forget as he was held to only two yards rushing in the game. Miami’s offensive line has not done a very good job run blocking this year and they were without one of there best lineman, Jeno James, because of injury. Brown came into this contest with a groin injury, but it did not appear to hamper him and wasn’t the reason for such a poor performance. The Vikings’ run defense dominated the line of scrimmage, and did an excellent job of smothering Brown and giving him no where to run.

DE Jason Taylor had a monster day recording five tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, two passes defended and the interception return for the game clinching touchdown.

What you ought to know

QB Brad Johnson, Pass: 26 - 44 - 262 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 19 - 0

Johnson started the game strong by going five for six for 47 yards on the first Vikings’ drive of the game and leading Minnesota to a touchdown. But the offense struggled again after that first drive and Johnson had only 39 more yards of passing in the first half. Clearly the Vikings had trouble spreading the field with there passing game and didn’t even attempt once to go deep in the first half.

Johnson moved the ball more effectively in the second half as he had 176 yards passing, but could not get a touchdown pass. Mistakes in the fourth quarter were costly for the Vikings, and Johnson threw a game ending interception with four minutes left in the game after Miami had just scored on fumble recovery to take the lead in the game. Johnson tried to throw a dump off pass to his running back, but Dolphin defensive end Jason Taylor stepped into the passing lane and intercepted the ball. Taylor returned the ball 51 yards for a touchdown. Johnson led the Vikings back down the field with less then two minutes left in which they had to convert several fourth downs to keep the drive alive. He almost had a touchdown pass with one second left, but Jeff Dugan was unable to gain possession of the ball in the end zone before stepping out of bounds. Johnson received good pass protection through most of the game with the exception to a couple of breakdowns on a few plays. The Vikings were never able to spread the field out and go deep on the Dolphins defense, instead they relied on short to medium range passes all game to move the ball through the passing game.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 28 - 80 - 2 (1 targets)

Taylor had a very good first half as he had 59 yards on 15 carries, including a one yard touchdown run. Taylor got off to a solid start in the game by getting seven carries for 39 yards in the first quarter. He scored a touchdown on the Vikings’ first possession of the game by diving over the pile of defenders with the ball on the Miami one yard line. But the Dolphins’ run defense seemed to get better as the first half went along, and Taylor had only twenty more yards in the half off of eight carries.

Taylor had another scoring opportunity in the second half with the ball on the three yard line, he attempted to dive over the pile for his second touchdown but he came up just short of the goal line. He tried a second time from the one yard line but was denied by the Miami rush defense. Taylor had a disastrous fourth quarter as he fumbled twice and one was returned for a touchdown. Taylor’s first lost fumble in the fourth quarter came when defensive end Jason Taylor stripped the ball from him. But Taylor had a second fumble in the fourth quarter that turned out to be even more costly as the Dolphins Renaldo Hill returned the ball 48 yards for a touchdown. Taylor got a garbage touchdown with one second left in the game as he plunged into the end zone on a one yard run.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 1 - 14 - 0, Rec: 5 - 32 - 0 (6 targets)

Moore had three receptions for 17 yards in the first half. Moore made a nice effort to gain a first down on a fourth down play on a ten yard reception late in the game. The play set up a Chester Taylor touchdown on the last play of the game. Moore finished the game with five catches and appears to be the Vikings’ running back of choice when the team is forced into passing situations.

RB Tony Richardson

Richardson did not play in the game because of a broken forearm he sustained in week ten against the Packers.

WR Travis Taylor, Rec: 8 - 67 - 0 (8 targets)

Taylor had a good game as he had a career high eight receptions in the game. Taylor was worked into the offense early in the game as he had four catches for 46 yards in the first half. His longest reception in the game was an 18 yard reception where he was tackled on the Miami one yard line just short of the end zone. Taylor also had a nice 13 yard catch on crossing route for a first down where the defender draped all over him. All of Taylor’s other catches were short possession passes of five to ten yards. Taylor led the Vikings with 67 yards receiving in the game.

WR Bethel Johnson, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 25 - 0 (1 targets)

Johnson’s only catch came on a 25 yard reception on a crossing route in the third quarter. The Vikings didn’t attempt to go deep or use Johnson’s speed in the game.

WR Troy Williamson, Rec: 2 - 35 - 0 (3 targets)

Williamson was invisible in the Vikings’ offense in the first half as he had zero catches and targets. He dropped an easy ball thrown to him on a third down and long play that forced a punt. He has had trouble hanging onto the ball. He caught his first pass in the third quarter when he caught a 13 yard pass on a crossing pattern. He also caught 22 yard pass with two minutes left in the game as the Vikings were trying to come back from a 11 point deficit. Williamson was only targeted three times in the game and was pretty much a non-factor once again in the game.

WR Marcus Robinson, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (5 targets)

Robinson returned to the field after being out with a back injury the last three games. He had one good scoring opportunity in the game when a ball was thrown to him in the back of the end zone, but he and defender got there legs tangled and the ball fell incomplete. His first and only catch came in the fourth quarter on 17 yard reception for a first down.

TE Jermaine Wiggins, Rec: 6 - 66 - 0 (12 targets)

Most of Wiggins' catches and yardage came in the second half as quarterback Brad Johnson made an effort to get the ball to him. Wiggins did finish with a game high 12 targets. Wiggins’ two biggest catches, a 21 yard reception and 14 yard catch were both over the middle for first downs, and came toward the end of the game as the Vikings attempted to comeback from 11 points down with three minutes left.

TE Jeff Dugan, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (4 targets)

Dugan who usually plays tight end, filled in at full back for the injured Tony Richardson this week. He had a career high three receptions for 20 yards coming out of the back field in the game. He had a scoring opportunity with seconds left in the game, but he juggled the ball in the end zone before stepping out of bounds and the pass was ruled incomplete.

PK Ryan Longwell 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points

Longwell was two for two for field goals in this game. His first field goal attempt came in the third quarter when he made a 35 yard kick to tie the game at 10-10. He second was a 19 yard field in the fourth quarter to give the Vikings a three point led.

MIN Rush Defense

The Vikings’ rush defense showed why they were ranked number one in the league coming into this game by holding the Dolphins to -15 yards rushing in the first half. The Dolphins finished the game with a franchise low total of minus three yards rushing the ball. The Vikings’ defensive unit overpowered the Dolphins’ offensive line in the run the game and made running back Ronnie Brown a non-factor. Minnesota safety Dwight Smith recovered a big fumble on their own one yard line on the first drive of the game.

MIN Pass Defense

Cornerback Antonio Winfield made a big interception in the third quarter and returned it to the Miami three yard line. The Vikings did give up 254 yards of passing in the game but Miami pretty much gave up trying to run the ball in the second quarter and tried to attack the pass defense by going to four wide receiver set and no-huddle offense several times in the game. The Vikings had no sacks in this game.

QB Joey Harrington, Pass: 26 - 42 - 254 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -5 - 0

Harrington had a big first half as he went 17 for 23 for 193 yards and one touchdown. The Dolphins’ offense and Harrington came out firing in the passing game by going to a no huddle offense and spreading out the Vikings defense with four wide receivers on the first drive of the game. Harrington picked apart the Vikings’ zone defense on the first drive going six for seven for 46 yards, but the drive ended with a Ronnie Brown fumble on the Vikings’ one yard line. Harrington came back and led the Dolphins on an 84 yard touchdown drive where he threw for 82 of the yards, including an 11 yard touchdown pass to tight end Justin Peelle. The Dolphins spread out the Vikings’ defense again and went to the no huddle on the touchdown drive. This strategy seemed to work quite well against the Minnesota defense in the first half; especially considering the Dolphins couldn’t run the ball at all.

Harrington didn’t play as well in the second half as he had only 61 yards of passing and one interception in the half. Harrington did have one big play in the half on a 58 yard touchdown pass to Chris Chambers, but it was reversed on a chop block penalty in the third quarter. Harrington did have one big mistake in the third quarter when he threw an interception deep in his own territory and the Vikings brought the ball back to the Miami three yard line. Harrington played pretty well considering he got no help from the running game and had to throw the ball 42 times. Aside from his one interception in the third quarter he did a good job of protecting the ball.

RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 12 - 2 - 0 (1 targets)

Brown was completely shut down in the first half as the Vikings held him to negative eight yards on eight carries in the first half. Defensive tackle Pat Williams and the Vikings’ defensive line dominated the Miami offensive line in the first half as Brown was met in the back field by multiple defenders on several carries in the first half. The Dolphins were missing one of there better offensive linemen in this game, Jeno James. Brown had a critical fumble on the Vikings’ one yard line on the opening drive of the game when it looked like the Dolphins would take an early lead.

The second half wasn’t much better for Brown as he only had five carries as the Dolphins completely abandoned the run game. Brown finished with a season low two yards and had no receiving yards in the passing game. Even though he came in nursing a groin injury in the game, his ineffectiveness in the game had more to do with the Vikings’ superb run defense and the Dolphins’ questionable run blocking, not because of the injury.

RB Sammy Morris, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (3 targets)

Brown was the only running back to get carries in the game and because the Vikings completely shut down the running game, the Dolphins only attempted 12 running plays in the game. Morris did have two catches for two yards in the game.

WR Marty Booker, Rec: 6 - 84 - 0 (9 targets)

Booker had a very nice first half as he had four catches for 63 yards. Booker had a 25 yard reception at the start of the second quarter that helped set up an Olindo Mare field goal. Booker only had 21 yards receiving in the second half. His longest reception in the second half was a 13 yard catch along the sideline for a first down in the third quarter that set up a field goal attempt. Booker finished the game as the Dolphins’ leading receiver in the game.

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 6 - 44 - 0 (12 targets)

Chambers only had 44 receiving yards on six catches in the game. He did have one big play in the third quarter when he caught a ball up the middle of the field and took it 58 yards for a touchdown, but the play was wiped out on a illegal block penalty.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 4 - 59 - 0 (9 targets)

Welker had a good first half as he had 59 yards receiving on four receptions. Welker had one the biggest plays for the Dolphins in the first half as he had a 36 yard reception in the second quarter that lead to Miami’s first touchdown. He did not catch a ball in the second half even though he was targeted four times in the half.

WR Derek Hagan, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets)

Hagan had one catch for seven yards in the game.

TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (4 targets)

McMichael got most of his yards in the first half as he caught three balls for 30 yards by halftime. The Vikings did a better job on McMichael and the other receivers in the second half as they held the Dolphins to only 61 yards in the half.

TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 3 - 21 - 1 (3 targets)

Peelle caught an 11 yard pass for a touchdown in the second quarter, it was only his eighth catch of the season and his first touchdown. He added two more catches in the game and finished with 21 yards receiving.

PK Olindo Mare 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points

Mare was one for two in field goals in the game. Mare made a 44 yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. But Mare has had an inconsistent season and he missed another 44 yard attempt in the third quarter.

MIA Rush Defense

The Dolphins’ run defense came up big in the second half when they stopped the Vikings near the goal line on two running plays and forced a field goal. Jason Taylor had a big forced fumble in the fourth quarter when he stripped the ball from running back Chester Taylor. Renaldo Hill had a big play for the Miami defense as he returned a second fumble by Chester Taylor 48 yards for touchdown. Linebacker Zach Thomas seemed to be in on every tackle as he had four solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles.

MIA Pass Defense

Jason Taylor had a huge game for Miami. He scored his second touchdown of the season when he picked off a intended screen pass and brought it 51 yards for a touchdown to seal a victory for the Dolphins. Taylor also had a sack and two forced fumbles in the game.