FanHouse

The Washington Redskins' defense clamped down on the Minnesota Vikings' offense Sunday night, holding Adrian Peterson to nine carries for 27 yards and Chester Taylor to six carries for 14 yards. So how did they do it?

Vikings fullback Tony Richardson explained to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the Redskins often used four defensive linemen, four linebackers and a safety near the line of scrimmage. That would be nine in the box, and that's a defense that's just begging the opposing quarterback to try to beat it deep.

The Vikings' quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson, isn't up to the task. Jackson's final numbers (25 of 41, 220 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions) don't look so bad, but almost all of Jackson's production came after his multiple-turnover effort put the Vikings in a 25-0 hole.

The Vikings looked like a playoff team until last night. Now they look like they'll spend New Year's at home. In 2008, they need to find themselves a new quarterback, one who doesn't let the opposing defense play nine in the box.