simmytbone
11-16-2015, 05:12 AM
Hey guys,
3 teams in the NFC North WINS and one team loses
The Chicago Bears def. the St. Louis Rams @ home and they've won 3 road games this year thus far and they also kept their playoff hopes alive
Meanwhile, the BIGGEST story of all are as follows:
The Detroit Lions def. the Green Bay Packers after the Bye Week and in Lambeau of all places
Not only have the Packers lost 3 in a row, but their home streak have been snapped by their Longtime Division Rival Detroit Lions and it's the Lions 1st win in Detroit in almost 25 years
also, the Minnesota Vikings def. the Oakland Raiders in California for the 1st time in almost 20 years and they now take the lead in the NFC North
Here are the stories:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20151115_DET@GB
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/USATSI_8928815_1447628388456_26870951_ver1.0_640_480_zpskaatlfrx.jpg
Lions stop road skid against Packers with 18-16 win
By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer
Nov. 15, 2015
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Matthew Stafford couldn't bear to watch with his team on the verge of another heartbreaking moment.
Instead, the Detroit Lions held on for a signature win in the unlikeliest of places.
Stafford threw for two touchdowns, and Detroit stopped a 24-game road losing streak against the Green Bay Packers with an 18-16 victory Sunday despite a late blunder by Calvin Johnson.
''I bet nobody gave us a chance, but that's the way we like it,'' Stafford said.
Mason Crosby missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired after the Packers recovered an onside kick that was mishandled by Johnson with about 31 seconds left.
Detroit (2-7) had stopped Green Bay on a 2-point conversion attempt after Aaron Rodgers hit Justin Perillo for an 11-yard touchdown pass on the previous drive. Backup cornerback Crezdon Butler, signed from the practice squad on Friday, stuck a hand in front of Davante Adams to break up the conversion try.
A nervous Stafford said he couldn't watch that play. He threw for 242 yards for the league-worst Lions, an organization that had been reeling following the midseason firings of the team president and general manager.
''We don't really care who gives us a chance, because we feel good about ourselves in that locker room and we know what we're about,'' Stafford said.
The Packers (6-3) lost their third straight game, but this was a new low after their two previous defeats came on the road to Super Bowl contenders Denver and Carolina.
''We dropped one today that we felt we had a very good opportunity to win,'' coach Mike McCarthy said.
A sluggish game filled with three-and-outs turned into a thriller in the fourth quarter.
The Lions barely held on for their first road win against Green Bay since 1991. Matt Prater missed two extra points, but also hit field goals from 49 and 51 yards.
''To be able to come in here and get a win is pretty special,'' coach Jim Caldwell said.
Rodgers was 35 of 61 for 333 yards, but wasn't at his best. Receivers including Randall Cobb and Adams had a few drops.
Green Bay finally got into the end zone when Rodgers found tight end Richard Rodgers for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 5:55 left.
Lance Moore's 4-yard touchdown reception increased Detroit's lead to 18-10, and the Lions held off the Packers following Perillo's score.
It has been a precipitous decline for a quick-strike offense that was once the envy of the NFL. The Packers' running game stalled, with James Starks gaining just 42 yards on 15 carries against the league's 26th-ranked defense.
''This isn't easy,'' McCarthy said. ''And frankly, if we spoiled you in the past, that's great. We're looking forward to spoiling you again in the future.''
Even Crosby's 44-yard field goal in the first quarter needed a little luck after glancing off the left upright but over the crossbar.
Otherwise, a Detroit defense without linebacker DeAndre Levy and cornerback Rashean Mathis for the year frustrated Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for much of the afternoon.
''We played physical,'' Butler said. ''We wanted to control (Rodgers) so we brought pressure and we were in their faces.''
The win could ease the pressure, at least for the time being, on Caldwell. Besides the turnover at the top of the organization, the Lions also fired their offensive coordinator and two line coaches a few weeks ago.
The Lions didn't accomplish much against the Packers' rejuvenated defense until the fourth quarter.
But the Packers were just as bad until the final few minutes. Protection was spotty. Rodgers made some uncharacteristically shaky throws.
''We had some opportunities, I missed some throws and we missed some opportunities to convert and put some more points on the board,'' Rodgers said. ''We needed 19 points to win today. You would expect us at home to score 19.''
NOTES: Detroit hadn't defeated Green Bay on the road since a 21-17 victory on Dec. 15, 1991. ... Johnson, who was listed as questionable coming into the game with an ankle injury, finished with six catches for 81 yards. ... Ameer Abdullah's 104-yard kickoff return to open the second half set up Stafford's 2-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew with 13:33 left in the third quarter. ... Packers LT David Bakhtiari left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. ... The Packers' pass rush generated better pressure on Stafford, but still went a third straight game without recording a sack.
Meanwhile....
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20151115_CHI@STL
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/chicago-bears-st-louis-rams-jeremy-langford_zpsm7dxjiky.jpg
Long plays by Miller, Langford help Bears past Rams 37-13
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
Nov. 15, 2015
ST. LOUIS (AP) Zach Miller used the video board in the north end zone to chart a path through the St. Louis Rams defense. It was especially helpful when he had just one more man to beat.
The Chicago Bears tight end with the 11.6-yard career average per reception got a rare chance to show off his speed and elusive qualities on an 87-yard score that was one of two plays St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher called ''backbreakers'' in a 37-13 victory on Sunday.
''I did not want to get caught,'' Miller said. ''I'd be getting clowned by everybody if I got caught.''
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson was bearing down on Miller just past midfield. But Miller noticed and swerved at the St. Louis 45, leaving Johnson grabbing nothing but air.
Miller caught a second touchdown pass, and Jeremy Langford also had two TDs for Chicago.
Jay Cutler added a 26-yard scramble, the quarterback's longest since 2009, for Chicago. He could have had had more had he not made a safety-first slide in the third quarter, but said it wasn't because he'd spotted defenders bearing down on him, joking, ''I'm not that talented.''
The 87-yarder was the longest receiving TD by a Bears tight end since Willard Dewveall had a 91-yarder in 1960 against the 49ers, according to STATS. It was the longest receiving TD by any tight end since Heath Miller's 87-yarder in 2006 for Pittsburgh against the Dolphins.
The Bears (4-5) improved to 3-1 on the road. They brought thousands of fans to the Edward Jones Dome, which had a season-best 58,663 tickets distributed, about 8,000 shy of capacity.
''We knew going in they wanted to be the bullies,'' said backup running back Ka'Deem Carey, who had 56 yards on 14 carries. ''I like being the bully.''
Langford was untouched on an 83-yard TD on a screen caught behind the line of scrimmage, and also had a 6-yard scoring run. The running back, filling in for the injured Matt Forte, had seven catches for 109 yards and 73 yards on 20 carries.
Todd Gurley had a 6-yard scoring run on the opening drive for the Rams (4-5), who have lost two straight since entering November with a winning record for the first time since 2006. Their defense entered ranked fifth overall.
Nick Foles, acquired from the Eagles for Sam Bradford in the winter, has just one TD pass the last four games. He was 17 for 36 for 200 yards with an interception.
Backup Case Keenum got mop-up duty, seeing his first action of the year, but Fisher said he's sticking with Foles.
''That's my choice, but I'm just going to look at it,'' Fisher said. ''We've got to play better around him.''
Foles added: ''There's no pointing fingers in situations like this. It's easy to point fingers. It's all of us.''
Gurley was bottled up, rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries with a long of 9 yards, and led St. Louis with three catches for 44 yards.
Wes Welker had three catches for 32 yards, one for a first down, in his 2015 debut six days after signing with St. Louis. The Rams were 4 for 14 on third down, slightly improved from 4 for 37 the previous three games.
The Rams had blitzed and linebacker Akeem Ayers slipped in coverage, opening things up for Miller's long touchdown. He split two defenders before outrunning Johnson.
Langford, a fourth-round pick, made his second straight start and had 73 yards on 20 carries and 109 yards on seven receptions.
The Rams clicked on their opening 80-yard drive, which featured passes of 29 yards to Jared Cook and 31 yards to Gurley and set up Gurley's 6-yard scoring run. They mustered 205 yards the rest of the way.
NOTES: The Edward Jones Dome installed a thick rubberized surface near the stands on both sides of the field after two players slipped on bare concrete the previous two home games. San Francisco 49ers running back Reggie Bush injured his left knee when he slipped at the end of a punt return last week and is out for the season. ... Rams rookie G Jamon Brown (broken right foot) was carted off after Willie Young's' interception late in the fourth and is likely out for the season. Fellow rookie OL Rob Havenstein (calf) was sidelined in the third quarter. Havenstein, the right tackle, was out last week with an Achilles injury. ... Rams LT Greg Robinson was whistled for holding three times. Robinson was the second overall pick in 2014. ...... An extremely risky fake punt by the Rams fizzled in the fourth, turning it over to the Bears and setting up Robbie Gould's third field goal.
and finally....
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20151115_MIN@OAK
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/gettyimages-497297978_zpsdo3og5ni.jpg
Peterson helps Vikings run past Raiders 30-14
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
Nov. 15, 2015
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Two months after leaving the Bay Area stung by a lopsided season-opening loss, the Minnesota Vikings head home from their second trip to the West Coast in a much happier spot.
Adrian Peterson ran for 203 yards and a touchdown in his record-tying sixth career 200-yard game, Cordarrelle Patterson returned a kick 93 yards for a score and the Vikings beat the Oakland Raiders 30-14 on Sunday to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
''Everything hasn't been smooth sailing but this group, we continue to fight,'' Peterson said. ''It's not one game we've been in where I see guys hanging their heads or you feel the vibe that guys have quit. With that, anything is possible so now here we are and we're in a pretty good position.''
Teddy Bridgewater threw a touchdown pass, and the Vikings (7-2) held the Raiders' potent offense in check. Minnesota has won five straight games heading into next week's division showdown at home with Green Bay (6-3).
Few outside the Vikings saw that coming following a 20-3 season-opening loss in San Francisco. But with Peterson regaining his form after sitting out almost all of last year, a stout defense and big plays on special teams, Minnesota is in prime position.
''It doesn't matter where we are right now,'' Bridgewater said. ''The only thing that matters is where we finish the season at. So, we can't just be satisfied with being where we are today. We have to continue to work hard, continue to just ride the wave that we have now.''
Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes for Oakland, but also was intercepted twice. The Raiders (4-5) lost their second straight game to fall further behind in the AFC playoff race.
''We lost a game. We're not about to go crazy,'' left tackle Donald Penn said. ''There's no panic at all, none of that at all. We're positive and upbeat. We're a little sad because we know we left a lot out on the field today.''
Minnesota squandered chances to build a two-score lead when Blair Walsh missed a 53-yard field goal at the end of the first half to snap a streak of 17 straight makes and then had a 39-yarder blocked by Keith McGill early in the fourth to keep the score at 20-14.
But after the Raiders went three-and-out following the second miss, Bridgewater hit Stefon Diggs on a 37-yard pass that helped set up a 34-yarder for Walsh that made it 23-14 with 3:50 to play.
Minnesota sealed the win when Terence Newman intercepted Carr in the end zone with 2:03 left for his second pick of the game. Peterson scored on an 80-yard run on the next play for the exclamation point.
''I was wired up,'' Peterson said. ''Even after that play, I could have gone longer. That's a good thing. It makes me feel good to know in a tough-fought game, even after making the big play I still was ready and wired to go more if we needed it.''
Peterson has four straight games with at least 100 yards and leads the NFL with 961 yards on the ground this season. Peterson also tied O.J. Simpson with his sixth 200-yard game.
After scoring at least 30 points in three straight games, the Raiders struggled for most of the day against a Vikings defense that hasn't allowed more than 23 in a game all season.
With nose tackle Linval Joseph dominating the middle against backup center Tony Bergstrom, the Raiders struggled to get a consistent running game going and Carr was often under pressure and sacked twice.
The Vikings started fast, getting an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bridgewater to Rhett Ellison on the opening drive, intercepting Carr later in the first quarter and breaking out to a 13-0 lead.
The Raiders quickly erased that hole. Carr threw TD passes to Clive Walford and Andre Holmes that put Oakland up 14-13 with under two minutes left in the half.
That was short-lived as Patterson bobbled a squib kick from Sebastian Janikowski before taking it back all the way untouched for his third career kick return touchdown, making it 20-14 at the break.
''It was certainly a momentum breaker,'' Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. ''We had really captured the momentum and were playing well at that time so it was definitely a blow.''
NOTES: Vikings S Antone Exum Jr. tackled a fan who ran onto the field before a kickoff in the fourth quarter. ... The kick return for a score was the first against Oakland since Michael Spurlock did it in the 2012 finale for San Diego.
credit: cbssports.com
The Vikings now take 1st place with a record of 7-2 while the Packers go to 6-3, the Bears go to 4-5 and the Lions now go to 2-7
Next Week, the Vikings and Packers will do battle in Minnesota as part of FOX's America's Game of the Week in a Division Rival Match-Up while the Bears host the Broncos and the Lions will host the Raiders
also, the Packers chances of clinching a Playoff Spot could be in some serious jeopardy
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015111501/2015/REG10/lions@packers
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015111504/2015/REG10/bears@rams
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015111508/2015/REG10/vikings@raiders
3 teams in the NFC North WINS and one team loses
The Chicago Bears def. the St. Louis Rams @ home and they've won 3 road games this year thus far and they also kept their playoff hopes alive
Meanwhile, the BIGGEST story of all are as follows:
The Detroit Lions def. the Green Bay Packers after the Bye Week and in Lambeau of all places
Not only have the Packers lost 3 in a row, but their home streak have been snapped by their Longtime Division Rival Detroit Lions and it's the Lions 1st win in Detroit in almost 25 years
also, the Minnesota Vikings def. the Oakland Raiders in California for the 1st time in almost 20 years and they now take the lead in the NFC North
Here are the stories:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20151115_DET@GB
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/USATSI_8928815_1447628388456_26870951_ver1.0_640_480_zpskaatlfrx.jpg
Lions stop road skid against Packers with 18-16 win
By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer
Nov. 15, 2015
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Matthew Stafford couldn't bear to watch with his team on the verge of another heartbreaking moment.
Instead, the Detroit Lions held on for a signature win in the unlikeliest of places.
Stafford threw for two touchdowns, and Detroit stopped a 24-game road losing streak against the Green Bay Packers with an 18-16 victory Sunday despite a late blunder by Calvin Johnson.
''I bet nobody gave us a chance, but that's the way we like it,'' Stafford said.
Mason Crosby missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired after the Packers recovered an onside kick that was mishandled by Johnson with about 31 seconds left.
Detroit (2-7) had stopped Green Bay on a 2-point conversion attempt after Aaron Rodgers hit Justin Perillo for an 11-yard touchdown pass on the previous drive. Backup cornerback Crezdon Butler, signed from the practice squad on Friday, stuck a hand in front of Davante Adams to break up the conversion try.
A nervous Stafford said he couldn't watch that play. He threw for 242 yards for the league-worst Lions, an organization that had been reeling following the midseason firings of the team president and general manager.
''We don't really care who gives us a chance, because we feel good about ourselves in that locker room and we know what we're about,'' Stafford said.
The Packers (6-3) lost their third straight game, but this was a new low after their two previous defeats came on the road to Super Bowl contenders Denver and Carolina.
''We dropped one today that we felt we had a very good opportunity to win,'' coach Mike McCarthy said.
A sluggish game filled with three-and-outs turned into a thriller in the fourth quarter.
The Lions barely held on for their first road win against Green Bay since 1991. Matt Prater missed two extra points, but also hit field goals from 49 and 51 yards.
''To be able to come in here and get a win is pretty special,'' coach Jim Caldwell said.
Rodgers was 35 of 61 for 333 yards, but wasn't at his best. Receivers including Randall Cobb and Adams had a few drops.
Green Bay finally got into the end zone when Rodgers found tight end Richard Rodgers for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 5:55 left.
Lance Moore's 4-yard touchdown reception increased Detroit's lead to 18-10, and the Lions held off the Packers following Perillo's score.
It has been a precipitous decline for a quick-strike offense that was once the envy of the NFL. The Packers' running game stalled, with James Starks gaining just 42 yards on 15 carries against the league's 26th-ranked defense.
''This isn't easy,'' McCarthy said. ''And frankly, if we spoiled you in the past, that's great. We're looking forward to spoiling you again in the future.''
Even Crosby's 44-yard field goal in the first quarter needed a little luck after glancing off the left upright but over the crossbar.
Otherwise, a Detroit defense without linebacker DeAndre Levy and cornerback Rashean Mathis for the year frustrated Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for much of the afternoon.
''We played physical,'' Butler said. ''We wanted to control (Rodgers) so we brought pressure and we were in their faces.''
The win could ease the pressure, at least for the time being, on Caldwell. Besides the turnover at the top of the organization, the Lions also fired their offensive coordinator and two line coaches a few weeks ago.
The Lions didn't accomplish much against the Packers' rejuvenated defense until the fourth quarter.
But the Packers were just as bad until the final few minutes. Protection was spotty. Rodgers made some uncharacteristically shaky throws.
''We had some opportunities, I missed some throws and we missed some opportunities to convert and put some more points on the board,'' Rodgers said. ''We needed 19 points to win today. You would expect us at home to score 19.''
NOTES: Detroit hadn't defeated Green Bay on the road since a 21-17 victory on Dec. 15, 1991. ... Johnson, who was listed as questionable coming into the game with an ankle injury, finished with six catches for 81 yards. ... Ameer Abdullah's 104-yard kickoff return to open the second half set up Stafford's 2-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew with 13:33 left in the third quarter. ... Packers LT David Bakhtiari left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. ... The Packers' pass rush generated better pressure on Stafford, but still went a third straight game without recording a sack.
Meanwhile....
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20151115_CHI@STL
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/chicago-bears-st-louis-rams-jeremy-langford_zpsm7dxjiky.jpg
Long plays by Miller, Langford help Bears past Rams 37-13
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
Nov. 15, 2015
ST. LOUIS (AP) Zach Miller used the video board in the north end zone to chart a path through the St. Louis Rams defense. It was especially helpful when he had just one more man to beat.
The Chicago Bears tight end with the 11.6-yard career average per reception got a rare chance to show off his speed and elusive qualities on an 87-yard score that was one of two plays St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher called ''backbreakers'' in a 37-13 victory on Sunday.
''I did not want to get caught,'' Miller said. ''I'd be getting clowned by everybody if I got caught.''
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson was bearing down on Miller just past midfield. But Miller noticed and swerved at the St. Louis 45, leaving Johnson grabbing nothing but air.
Miller caught a second touchdown pass, and Jeremy Langford also had two TDs for Chicago.
Jay Cutler added a 26-yard scramble, the quarterback's longest since 2009, for Chicago. He could have had had more had he not made a safety-first slide in the third quarter, but said it wasn't because he'd spotted defenders bearing down on him, joking, ''I'm not that talented.''
The 87-yarder was the longest receiving TD by a Bears tight end since Willard Dewveall had a 91-yarder in 1960 against the 49ers, according to STATS. It was the longest receiving TD by any tight end since Heath Miller's 87-yarder in 2006 for Pittsburgh against the Dolphins.
The Bears (4-5) improved to 3-1 on the road. They brought thousands of fans to the Edward Jones Dome, which had a season-best 58,663 tickets distributed, about 8,000 shy of capacity.
''We knew going in they wanted to be the bullies,'' said backup running back Ka'Deem Carey, who had 56 yards on 14 carries. ''I like being the bully.''
Langford was untouched on an 83-yard TD on a screen caught behind the line of scrimmage, and also had a 6-yard scoring run. The running back, filling in for the injured Matt Forte, had seven catches for 109 yards and 73 yards on 20 carries.
Todd Gurley had a 6-yard scoring run on the opening drive for the Rams (4-5), who have lost two straight since entering November with a winning record for the first time since 2006. Their defense entered ranked fifth overall.
Nick Foles, acquired from the Eagles for Sam Bradford in the winter, has just one TD pass the last four games. He was 17 for 36 for 200 yards with an interception.
Backup Case Keenum got mop-up duty, seeing his first action of the year, but Fisher said he's sticking with Foles.
''That's my choice, but I'm just going to look at it,'' Fisher said. ''We've got to play better around him.''
Foles added: ''There's no pointing fingers in situations like this. It's easy to point fingers. It's all of us.''
Gurley was bottled up, rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries with a long of 9 yards, and led St. Louis with three catches for 44 yards.
Wes Welker had three catches for 32 yards, one for a first down, in his 2015 debut six days after signing with St. Louis. The Rams were 4 for 14 on third down, slightly improved from 4 for 37 the previous three games.
The Rams had blitzed and linebacker Akeem Ayers slipped in coverage, opening things up for Miller's long touchdown. He split two defenders before outrunning Johnson.
Langford, a fourth-round pick, made his second straight start and had 73 yards on 20 carries and 109 yards on seven receptions.
The Rams clicked on their opening 80-yard drive, which featured passes of 29 yards to Jared Cook and 31 yards to Gurley and set up Gurley's 6-yard scoring run. They mustered 205 yards the rest of the way.
NOTES: The Edward Jones Dome installed a thick rubberized surface near the stands on both sides of the field after two players slipped on bare concrete the previous two home games. San Francisco 49ers running back Reggie Bush injured his left knee when he slipped at the end of a punt return last week and is out for the season. ... Rams rookie G Jamon Brown (broken right foot) was carted off after Willie Young's' interception late in the fourth and is likely out for the season. Fellow rookie OL Rob Havenstein (calf) was sidelined in the third quarter. Havenstein, the right tackle, was out last week with an Achilles injury. ... Rams LT Greg Robinson was whistled for holding three times. Robinson was the second overall pick in 2014. ...... An extremely risky fake punt by the Rams fizzled in the fourth, turning it over to the Bears and setting up Robbie Gould's third field goal.
and finally....
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20151115_MIN@OAK
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/gettyimages-497297978_zpsdo3og5ni.jpg
Peterson helps Vikings run past Raiders 30-14
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
Nov. 15, 2015
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Two months after leaving the Bay Area stung by a lopsided season-opening loss, the Minnesota Vikings head home from their second trip to the West Coast in a much happier spot.
Adrian Peterson ran for 203 yards and a touchdown in his record-tying sixth career 200-yard game, Cordarrelle Patterson returned a kick 93 yards for a score and the Vikings beat the Oakland Raiders 30-14 on Sunday to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
''Everything hasn't been smooth sailing but this group, we continue to fight,'' Peterson said. ''It's not one game we've been in where I see guys hanging their heads or you feel the vibe that guys have quit. With that, anything is possible so now here we are and we're in a pretty good position.''
Teddy Bridgewater threw a touchdown pass, and the Vikings (7-2) held the Raiders' potent offense in check. Minnesota has won five straight games heading into next week's division showdown at home with Green Bay (6-3).
Few outside the Vikings saw that coming following a 20-3 season-opening loss in San Francisco. But with Peterson regaining his form after sitting out almost all of last year, a stout defense and big plays on special teams, Minnesota is in prime position.
''It doesn't matter where we are right now,'' Bridgewater said. ''The only thing that matters is where we finish the season at. So, we can't just be satisfied with being where we are today. We have to continue to work hard, continue to just ride the wave that we have now.''
Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes for Oakland, but also was intercepted twice. The Raiders (4-5) lost their second straight game to fall further behind in the AFC playoff race.
''We lost a game. We're not about to go crazy,'' left tackle Donald Penn said. ''There's no panic at all, none of that at all. We're positive and upbeat. We're a little sad because we know we left a lot out on the field today.''
Minnesota squandered chances to build a two-score lead when Blair Walsh missed a 53-yard field goal at the end of the first half to snap a streak of 17 straight makes and then had a 39-yarder blocked by Keith McGill early in the fourth to keep the score at 20-14.
But after the Raiders went three-and-out following the second miss, Bridgewater hit Stefon Diggs on a 37-yard pass that helped set up a 34-yarder for Walsh that made it 23-14 with 3:50 to play.
Minnesota sealed the win when Terence Newman intercepted Carr in the end zone with 2:03 left for his second pick of the game. Peterson scored on an 80-yard run on the next play for the exclamation point.
''I was wired up,'' Peterson said. ''Even after that play, I could have gone longer. That's a good thing. It makes me feel good to know in a tough-fought game, even after making the big play I still was ready and wired to go more if we needed it.''
Peterson has four straight games with at least 100 yards and leads the NFL with 961 yards on the ground this season. Peterson also tied O.J. Simpson with his sixth 200-yard game.
After scoring at least 30 points in three straight games, the Raiders struggled for most of the day against a Vikings defense that hasn't allowed more than 23 in a game all season.
With nose tackle Linval Joseph dominating the middle against backup center Tony Bergstrom, the Raiders struggled to get a consistent running game going and Carr was often under pressure and sacked twice.
The Vikings started fast, getting an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bridgewater to Rhett Ellison on the opening drive, intercepting Carr later in the first quarter and breaking out to a 13-0 lead.
The Raiders quickly erased that hole. Carr threw TD passes to Clive Walford and Andre Holmes that put Oakland up 14-13 with under two minutes left in the half.
That was short-lived as Patterson bobbled a squib kick from Sebastian Janikowski before taking it back all the way untouched for his third career kick return touchdown, making it 20-14 at the break.
''It was certainly a momentum breaker,'' Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. ''We had really captured the momentum and were playing well at that time so it was definitely a blow.''
NOTES: Vikings S Antone Exum Jr. tackled a fan who ran onto the field before a kickoff in the fourth quarter. ... The kick return for a score was the first against Oakland since Michael Spurlock did it in the 2012 finale for San Diego.
credit: cbssports.com
The Vikings now take 1st place with a record of 7-2 while the Packers go to 6-3, the Bears go to 4-5 and the Lions now go to 2-7
Next Week, the Vikings and Packers will do battle in Minnesota as part of FOX's America's Game of the Week in a Division Rival Match-Up while the Bears host the Broncos and the Lions will host the Raiders
also, the Packers chances of clinching a Playoff Spot could be in some serious jeopardy
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015111501/2015/REG10/lions@packers
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015111504/2015/REG10/bears@rams
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015111508/2015/REG10/vikings@raiders