After trading opening drive touchdowns, the Redskins and Vikings traded punts until halftime with the score tied 7-7.
The defenses made the necessary adjustments the as they held each others offense scoreless the rest of the half. The Vikings offense started to sputter the moment Adrian Peterson injured his ankle early in the second quarter. His replacement, Tony Gerhart, didn't fare as well as Peterson, as he ran for 13 yards on 5 carries.
As for Donovan McNabb and the Redskins offense, they have had a good half statistically, but they could not cash in promising drives into points. McNabb went 13/19 for 148 yards and a touchdown through the first half, but was the victim of multiple drops on key downs, including one by Chris Cooley and another by Santana Moss, both of which would have resulted in first downs.
The Redskins running game has also been non existent through the first half. The leading rusher for the Redskins is....McNabb. With 7 yards on 2 carries. The rest of the Redskins rushers have a combined 15 yards. As a result, the Vikings pass rush has been able to start expecting pass and get after McNabb more. If the Redskins aren't able to run the ball effectively, look for Minnesota to ramp up the pressure on number 5.