Who is this team??? Vikings move to 4-1.

     So, week 5 is coming to a close. Only Monday night to play. And the surprise thus far... The NFC North. The Vikings are tied up top with the Bears at 4-1. The Packers, who look nothing like the team of last year, are 2-3 and the Lions who just had a bye are at 1-3. I will admit, I never thought I'd be typing that! But it's great to see.
     However, the Vikings are still improving. Week one looked dismal, despite winning against the Jaguars. The 2nd game was hard knocks for the Vikings, losing to the Colts in OT. This was a humbling experience that proved pivotal for the Vikings. Then comes week 3. The 49ers enter, and the Vikings prove they can beat a Super Bowl caliber team. Then we travel to Detroit where we didn't score an offensive touchdown and still managed a win thanks to special teams. And the 5th game was played just like it should have been. A 3-1 team manhandling a weaker team at home. The 30-7 victory pushed the Vikings to 4-1, remaining tied for top dog of the NFC North.
    Now the Titans game. Ponder entered this game having not thrown an interception yet. That changed today. Two interceptions. As I mentioned on Twitter (@VikingsLowDown), Ponder did not seem as poised in the pocket and the good decision maker we have seen in previous games. But those two picks were a humbling experience for Ponder, who came back throwing TD passes to Rudolph and Harvin. Ponder ended up finishing the game 25 of 35 for 258 yards. Peterson looked good as always, breaking a couple of very nice runs. 17 rushes for 88 yards. No TDs for AP, though. Only rushing TD came from Harvin on a 4 yard run where his "bowling ball" like running and 2nd effort got the 6. Harvin also had 8 catches for 108 yards and another TD. And that receiving TD was also "bowling ball"  esque as he bounced/juked off/around defenders for 10 yards. I was disappointed we didn't see more of Simpson, but an apparent leg injury kept him sidelined. One of those interceptions was a poorly under thrown pass to him. One more thing to note about Ponder was he did a great job of spreading the ball around. Here are the passes: 8 to Harvin, 4 to Rudolph, 3 to Jenkins, Aromadshodu and Peterson each, 2 to Ellison and 1 to Burton and Carlson each.
    The offensive and defensive lines continue to dominate. They are playing in near top form and one can only hope this continues throughout the season. And moving Allen around... looking good. I feel if they continue to move him around, this could raise his production. But don't get me wrong, there is still room for improvement on both sides of the trenches.
    As I mentioned previously, Rudolph caught a TD pass. No huge performance for him though, but that TD catch was worth a highlight, pulling it out of double coverage! Ellison even caught two passes from Ponder. And Carlson got his 1st pass!! What a worthless signing in my opinion. He is not living up to expectations and I feel we would have been better spending that money on a still improving O-line or secondary. More on that to come. But someone, please explain to me why we have Carlson?!?!?!?!
     And the secondary. I am loving #22 more and more each week!! To bad he had to be ejected this game. I'll save my opinion on this one but will say he touched a ref. A big no-no. This team has needed a player like him in the safety position for some time!! Robinson appears to be improving each week, holding his own this game. Winfield had an easy interception. Even Cook didn't do so bad. And Blanton appeared to fill in just fine with Smith being gone. Was good to give him a little bit of action. A much, much improved secondary that continues to improve each week but still has glaring holes, such as a shut down corner, allowing more man coverage, getting out of all these predictable Cover 2 and Prevent defenses that a good QB will pick apart. **Cough, cough. Next years draft. Cough, cough**
     I for one keep saying that I am nervous about upcoming games. Next week we're at Washington, then Arizona, Tampa Bay, then at Seattle, then Detroit. Not exactly an easy stretch, especially with the defenses of Arizona and Seattle. But the Vikings have done well these first 5 weeks to prove they are the real deal. Especially after following up beating the 49ers with beating the Lions on the road and walking all over the Titans. I am hoping we can continue to say the Vikings are at the top of the NFC North. With the effort this team is putting forward, they deserve it.