Sacked! More Bad News in Charlotte...
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The last time Cam Newton, his offensive line and the Panthers' wide receivers looked like this, they were losing Super Bowl 50. This time, the reigning NFC champions were dominated by the new NFC favorites, 22-10.*Defense...defense! *clap, clap, clap-clap-clap*
Those would be the 3-0 Vikings, who actually two-upped what the Broncos did in that February game on Sunday, sacking Newton eight times, including a much-needed spark from an early safety. They also also forced Carolina blockers into bad penalties with their relentless pursuit and pressure. The Panthers hadn't been sacked that much since taking nine against the Eagles in 2014.
Minnesota did it mostly with its front four, but also was just as effective with linebacker, safety and cornerback blitzes. Big, rangy corner Xavier Rhodes took away Newton's go-to guy, Kelvin Benjamin, and the Vikings trusted the other 10 guys to swarm him. The result was three interceptions while Newton was pressing to get the ball to his other targets.
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Newton's final passing numbers (21-of-35, 262 yards, 3 INTs, zero TDs) were a lot worse than they looked. Mike Zimmer and his staff simply did with their 4-3 alignment what Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips had done with the 3-4 in the Super Bowl.
There are few teams capable of executing that way with Newton. With it, the Vikings, going with Sam Bradford, backed up what they did to befuddle Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last week.
That's no fluky 1-2 punch.
Minnesota’s defense is proving it needs to be mentioned in the same breath as that of Denver, which rode its defense all the way to a Super Bowl last season.
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ADDED:
Adrian Peterson
✔ @AdrianPeterson
No one gave us a chance today! Good thing predictions means nothing! All for 1🏆 #Vikings
3:03 PM - 25 Sep 2016
👏🏾 well done fellas
3:08 PM - 25 Sep 2016
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