It's been ugly so far, to be sure. . .but it somehow feels like it could be a lot worse, doesn't it?
The Minnesota Vikings trail the Atlanta Falcons at halftime at the Georgia Dome by a score of 17-0, because the Falcons have dominated the time of possession battle, having held the football for nearly 20 minutes of the first half compared to a shade over ten minutes for Minnesota. The already injury-plagued Vikings have gotten even more battered in the first half, too, with Asher Allen, Tyrell Johnson, and even long snapper Cullen Loeffler having to leave the game with various injuries. The last one pressed Jared Allen into long snapping duties, something he hasn't done since his days at Idaho State.
On the positive side, despite spending most of the game running for his life. . .again. . .Christian Ponder has played decently, throwing only two incomplete passes in twelve attempts for 81 yards in the first half. Toby Gerhart has eight carries for 23 yards in the first half, and has been stopped for no gain on half of his attempts.
If we're looking at the race for the second overall pick in the draft, your Minnesota Vikings currently find themselves tied with the St. Louis Rams and the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are getting all they can handle from the winless Indianapolis Colts, as they're tied at 10 at halftime in Indy. The Rams are leading the Arizona Cardinals at home, 10-3, with that game also at the halftime break.
This is your third quarter thread, ladies and gentlemen. Come on in and enjoy!