The Vikings weren’t supposed to do this to the Giants – not with Tarvaris Jackson under center and without Adrian Peterson to hand the ball to.
But Jackson, the second-year pro out of Alabama State, looked much better than Eli Manning in the Vikings’ 41-17 pounding of the Giants yesterday at the Meadowlands, despite standout rookie running back Peterson being out with a torn ligament in his right knee.
As it turned out, the Vikings hardly missed Peterson, who set an NFL single-game record by running for 296 yards against San Diego.
“When guys get hurt, you have to keep it going and someone else has to step in,” Jackson said of Peterson’s replacement, Chester Taylor. “People forget, he was a 1,200-yard rusher for us last year.”
His head coach didn’t want excuses.
“It’s a 53-man football team,” coach Brad Childress said. “They all eat, they all get paid, they all understand that.”
Though Taylor, who actually had 1,216 yards a year ago, was held to 77 yards on 31 carries, Jackson and Minnesota’s defense made sure it didn’t matter.
“I played pretty well today,” Jackson said after completing 10-of-12 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. He also ran five times for 38 yards, including an 11-yarder in which he broke free from Michael Strahan.
Jackson didn’t have to do much, since his high-profile counterpart tossed four picks. Still, the former second-round selection didn’t turn the ball over.
“I think that’s the way you want your quarterback to play in this offense,” Childress said. “You want him to be efficient.”
Jackson didn’t take long to make an impact, as his first pass went for a 60-yard touchdown to Sidney Rice.
“He threw the ball well,” Childress said.