New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings: Third Quarter Open Thread

To begin the second quarter, the Minnesota Vikings found themselves with a 2nd-and-2 from the New York Jets' 36-yard line. A couple of runs, one from Matt Asiata and one from Cordarrelle Patterson, moved them down to the 23, and the Teddy Bridgewater to Charlie Johnson connection got it working again, as the pair hooked up for a 22-yard play down to the goal line. Johnson took a shot on the play and put it on the turf, and it appeared that Jerome Felton fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown! It was, from what I saw on the Twitter, the first touchdown for Felton in his seven-year career, so congratulations to him, too! Blair Walsh hit the extra point, and the Vikings extended their lead to 21-12.

The Jets started their next drive from their own 20-yard line, and pushed into Minnesota territory at the 48 after another play from Geno Smith to Percy Harvin. The Jets moved inside the Minnesota 40 after a crazy catch by Chris Owusu, and then inside the 30 after a couple of runs by Chris Johnson. The Jets' other main back, Chris Ivory, then got a 15-yard burst down to the Minnesota 12-yard line to put the Jets into the red zone. Ivory took the Jets down to the 5, but then coughed the ball up on the next play, and the fumble was recovered by Minnesota for a turnover. The fumble appeared to be forced by Andrew Sendejo, who was in for Harrison Smith on the play. The Vikings got a stop when they needed it, and took over deep in their own territory.

The Vikings got a first down on the Bridgewater-to-Johnson connection to get out of the shadow of their own goal posts, but could not get any more, as the Jets stopped Asiata on a 3rd-and-1 carry to force the punt. Jeff Locke came on to punt, and the return by Jeremy Kerley set the Jets up at their own 35-yard line to start their next drive with just under four minutes left in the half.

The Jets managed to push the ball to near midfield, and had a 3rd-and-5 from the Minnesota 48 after the two-minute warning. Geno Smith threw incomplete, but another pass interference penalty on Captain Munnerlyn kept the Jets alive again. (There was also a holding call on Xavier Rhodes on the same play.) That put the Jets at the Minnesota 34-yard line with a fresh set of downs. Ivory got the Jets inside of the Minnesota 20 with under a minute left in the half, and the Jets took a time out. The Jets eventually found themselves with 3rd-and-6 from the Minnesota 15, and Everson Griffen collected the first sack of the day on Geno Smith. Nick Folk came in and hit a 33-yard field goal to make the score 21-15.

The Jets kicked short again on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Vikings the ball at their own 41-yard line. Bridgewater hit Joe Banyard for 12 yards to the Jets' 48-yard line, and the Vikings attempted a hail mary that was intercepted in the end zone, taking us into the locker room at 21-15.

Teddy Bridgewater had a pretty great first half for the Vikings, completing 8-of-10 passes for 122 yards, a touchdown, and an interception (and should have been two touchdowns). The run game hasn't done much for Minnesota, as Asiata has led the way with 26 yards on eight carries. Charles Johnson has three catches for 86 yards and a touchdown to lead the Vikings in that department, with Greg Jennings chipping in with two catches for 14 yards.

For the Jets, Geno Smith went 9-for-13 for 147 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The New York run game has gotten it done so far, with Chris Ivory carrying the ball 11 times for 48 yards, and Chris Johnson picking up 31 yards on 8 carries. Harvin has done the majority of the damage for the Jets through the air, as he has three receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown in the first half of play.

The Minnesota Vikings lead the New York Jets by a score of 21-15 at halftime at TCF Bank Stadium. Come on and join us for the third quarter of play, folks!