(Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE)
If you were a Minnesota Vikings fan hoping that the 2012 season would wash away the sorrows from last year, week one was almost a game you would have wanted to skip. After faltering on a game clinching drive that saw Michael Jenkins commit a costly penalty, Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars came from behind to nearly beat the Minnesota Vikings in the closing seconds, taking a late 23-20 lead with 0:14 left in the game.
A game the looked to be a stinker on paper, ended up being one of the most exciting of the early games on the opening Sunday of football.
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
OT |
F |
|
|
Vikings (1-0) |
0 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
3 |
26 |
|
Jaguars (0-1) |
3 |
6 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
23 |
All the Vikings needed to do was run out the clock, but Michael Jenkins was called for a blocking penalty which not only moved the Vikings back, but it stopped the clock for the Jaguars who were able to get the ball back and march down the field in under a minute to score and convert a two-point conversion to take a 23-20 lead over the Vikings.
The drama didn’t end there. The Vikings were able to march half the field in under 0:14 to set up a game tying Blair Walsh field goal to send the game to overtime.
All of this was set up way back in the first quarter when after a Mercedes Lewis touchdown, Vikings rookie Matt Kalil blocked a Josh Scobee extra point. Had Kalil not blocked that kick, the Jaguars likely would have won.
Instead, the Vikings won the coin toss in overtime and proceeded to march down the field and score on their first possession of overtime. Under the new overtime rules, the Vikings field goal on their opening drive of overtime meant that Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars offense had a chance to win at the end of the game. Not only did they win but they finally have posted a winning record for the first time since the end of the 2009 season.
