Both QBs had surprisingly similar numbers. Ponder was 19/35 for 251 yards, a TD and an interception while Freeman was 19/36 for 262 yards.

The difference was that Freeman had 3 TDs and led an offense that didn’t turn the ball over the entire night. Minnesota had 2 lost fumbles including one from Adrian Peterson as he fought for yards at the end of a run. Wiley ole veteran Ronde Barber punched it out.

As for the running backs, both guys flew down the field it seemed like. Martin had 135 yards rushing with a TD while adding 79 receiving yards including a 64-yard TD catch and run in the third quarter. He had a nice 41-yard run in the first half that didn’t score.

Peterson answered with 123 yards rushing, including an electrifying 64-yard TD run to pull within two scores late in the third quarter, but the offense couldn’t get in good rhythm all night long.

Mike Mayock of NFL Network made an astute observation. He said Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman is starting to trust his receivers and throw that deep one-on-one pass to them to let them try to make a play this year whereas last season he wouldn’t make the attempt.

It wasn’t but a couple of plays later when Freeman did just that, throwing a perfectly placed jump ball for 6’5″ Vincent Jackson that the smaller cornerback couldn’t quite elevate to defend against for a big gain. Or maybe it was Mike Williams. They all kinda run together. The big plays were everywhere for the Tampa Bay offense. See exhibit A: Martin, Doug – 214 yards from scrimmage.

I guess exhibit B would have to be the beautiful catch and toe-tap on the end line Williams pulled off in the second quarter. C, D, and E? Any of those other catches I mentioned, plus some.

The Vikings’ offense moved the ball here and there but only scored ten points other than Peterson’s breakaway run. They had a few 20+ yard plays of their own but otherwise with the turnovers, Martin’s performance, and no momentum they struggled playing from behind all night.

For the Buccaneers, this could very well be their coming-of-age party. They’ve not been blown out in any contest despite their 2-4 record entering the game. It was the team’s first road win since the last time they visited Minnesota, which complicates the outlook a bit, but keep an eye out for them being on the rise in the weeks to come.

The Bucs have won only 2 games, lost 4 by a total of 22 points, and had the New York Giants on the ropes in New Jersey before Eli pulled yet another rabbit out of a hat. The Vikings started strong and have ridden Adrian Peterson and an improving Christian Ponder to a highly unlikely 5-2 start.

Don’t forget – one of those was a thorough thrashing of the San Francisco 49′ers.

Ordinarily, it would be simple to look at the records and see the fact that the Vikings are playing at home and assume they’ll win the game handily. Not so fast.

While Buccaneer rookie Doug Martin is certainly no Adrian Peterson, he’s been getting a lot of carries and is turning out to be more productive than any other rookie non-QB is even close to being. While Trent Richardson may have more talent, he’s apparently not nearly as durable as Martin is…and being on the field is everything in the NFL.

Tampa Bay isn’t as horrid as their record shows, nor are the Vikings much of a threat to go deep into the playoffs, it would seem, despite the big win over the ’9′ers. The Vikings are doing things on the backs of a handful of stars – Peterson, DE Jared Allen, CB Antoine Winfield, and Percy Harvin, who leads the NFL in catches right now. Top pick Matt Kalil would appear to have been the correct and highly unsexy choice, but is a large reason why Ponder has been able to raise his level of play in this, his second NFL season. Kalil literally has his back(side).

So how do the teams match up?

Despite a young and very fast defense, the Bucs will probably give up 100+ yards to AP. It’s not so much the D as it is AP. The guy is amazing, coming off a devestating knee injury in week 17 last season to be able to start the season. If not for him, the Vikings’ record could easily be flipped.

Both offenses have a “franchise” running back. Both have a true #1 receiver that is a threat to go the distance each time he gets the ball (Harvin, Vincent Jackson). Both have a relatively young quarterback that struggled last year.

The much-maligned Vikings defense from a year ago has reduced by over 20 points the opposing quarterback’s QB rating and they also have a better scoring defense than Tampa Bay, allowing 4 points per game less (18.7 to 22.7) in 2012. Add to that the fact they’re the home team, and the 3 points for home field advantage, and the Vikings win by seven points.

Looking at scoring offense, the two teams are quite close. The Bucs average 24.9 ppg; the Vikings 23.9….leaving the Vikings with a 6-point statistical advantage.

The Buccaneers have shown me no reason yet why I should pick them to upset the Vikings, and therefore will probably do exactly that with my luck. Until that breakout game arrives, however, I think Adrian Peterson is just too much of an advantage for the Bucs to overcome especially playing in Minnesota.

I’ll go right in lockstep with the statistics today and say that the Vikings should win this one, 26-20. Peterson gets 120 rushing yards, Martin gets 80-ish, and Vincent Jackson leads the game in receiving yards but Harvin gets more receptions.

But best of all, the fans win tonight. It’s a really good chance to see some established stars (Vikings) try and keep the youngest roster in the NFL “down” one more week.

When Schiano’s team finally pieces things together? Woe be to the rest of the NFL. The west coast of Florida houses some pretty big talent. Check out the game to see if tonight’s the night they actually do put it together or not.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye