WEEK NINE: Player Of The Game

After a few fairly obvious choices in recent weeks, the Vikings edged out a win over Washington with many contributors and few flawless performances, which will likely make this week’s poll a little more competitive.

Here are the winners from the first eight weeks of this season:

Past Winners:

WEEK ONE:  Cordarrelle Patterson

WEEK TWO: Harrison Smith

WEEK THREE:  Harrison Smith

WEEK FOUR: Teddy Bridgewater

WEEK FIVE:  Harrison Smith

WEEK SIX:  Linval Joseph

WEEK SEVEN: Everson Griffen

WEEK EIGHT:  Anthony Barr

Nominations for this week’s award, and the poll itself, can be found after the jump.

MATT ASIATA:  I’m plenty guilty of finding little to like about Asiata’s running game, I’ve called him a “one trick pony,” but if that trick is scoring touchdowns then I guess there are worse things to complain about.  Asaita only averaged 2.6 yards on his 10 carries (26 yards total), but his three touchdowns and two-point conversion accounted for a majority of Minnesota’s points.  On top of that, he added four catches for 31 yards.

CHASE FORD:  Greg Jennings led Minnesota in receiving yards, but it was Ford that appeared to be Teddy Bridgewater’s safety valve on Sunday, catching five passes for 66 yards and a score.  Ford’s wide open touchdown was a much needed stroke of good luck at exactly the right time.

EVERSON GRIFFEN:  The days of mobile quarterbacks shredding Minnesota’s defense appear to be nearing an end.  Griffen showed maturity that Jared Allen still doesn’t show when it came to staying home and containing RGIII’s running ability.  Griffen added another sack to his already impressive total and ended the day with six tackles, two for a loss, and three quarterback hits.

SHARRIF FLOYD:  While his stat line will not fully depict the impact he had on this game, Floyd stood out to anyone watching with a consistently high level of play coupled with a few moments of brilliance.  He was in on five tackles, was credited with half a sack, and hit RGIII on two occasions.

ANTHONY BARR:  Last week’s winner again put together an impressive performance and could use the second half of this season to draw serious consideration for defensive player of the year.  He ended the day with four solo tackles, two for a loss, and a sack that looked like it sucked the confidence right out of RGIII if even for just a moment.

OTHER:  Some will argue that Bridgewater’s performance deserves more credit.  Others will say this game is another loss without Captain Munnerlyn’s opportunistic interception right before halftime.  You might even look at this offensive line and find a guy you think is worthy.  Marcus Sherels had a couple of nice special teams tackles.  Even Rhett Ellison could be considered.  I think the guys listed above were the top contributors to this win, mostly due to the big plays they produced, but you don’t have to agree with me.  Click the “other” button and let us know which player your vote is for in the comments section below.

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