5 EXTRA POINTS

1. Why not let 'em score?

One minute, 12 seconds ticked off the clock from the time the Denver Broncos got their last first down at the Vikings 4-yard line and the time Denver called timeout to line up for a game-winning 23-yard field goal. The likelihood of Matt Prater missing a field goal once the Broncos reached the 4 was so minuscule, why didn't the Vikings just concede a touchdown so they could get the ball back with at least a chance to tie the score? Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said he was thinking that as soon as Andre Goodman's interception return gave Denver the ball at the Vikings 20-yard line with 1:33 left. "Why not?" Allen said. "As a competitor, it's hard to let someone score. But on the other side, you try to be strategic about it. Like maybe the only chance we have is to let them score. But, luckily for me, I don't get paid to make that call. It's Coach's decision." Said coach Leslie Frazier: "We talked about it, but we have been in that situation where we blocked a kick. We tried to block it."

2. Challenge rule should be red-flagged A week ago, the Vikings failed to challenge what should have been ruled a touchdown run by Percy Harvin late in a 24-14 loss in Atlanta. Frazier bounced back Sunday by going 2-for-2 on challenges within the game's first 21 minutes. Teams start each game with two coach's challenges. If they win their first challenge, they get another one. That's what happened when Frazier successfully turned an 8-yard run by Willis McGahee into a first-quarter fumble that was recovered by Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford. That led to a Ryan Longwell field goal. Then, with 9:46 left in the second quarter, Frazier threw his red flag again. This time, he changed an 11-yard pass on third-and-9 into an incompletion because Demaryius Thomas failed to get two feet in bounds. The officials had badly blown their second call in 21 minutes, yet the Vikings were now down to only one coach's challenge for the final 39 minutes of the game. The challenge rules allow for only one extra challenge, which makes no sense. As long as the coach is right, he shouldn't lose an opportunity to continue challenging.

3. You call that red-zone personnel?

It's first-and-goal from the 6 and there are 8 seconds left in the half. Percy Harvin and Rudolph AREN'T on the field? Jim Kleinsasser, Stephen Burton and Joe Webb (as a receiver) ARE on the field? Huh? Sometimes, coaches make valid points about a lack of execution. And sometimes coaches just don't put the right players on the field.

4. Rudolph's big mitts

The size of Kyle Rudolph's mitts makes those white gloves he wears look like the oversized foam fingers that were popular among fans years ago. With 3:33 left in the second quarter, Rudolph used those big hands and his 6-6, 258-pound frame to create a mismatch and a connection the Vikings hope to see for years to come. The receivers ran routes that cleared the way for Rudolph to get one-on-one with 6-1 safety Quinton Carter. Quarterback Christian Ponder saw the mismatch and delivered a nice ball that Rudolph was able to catch by reaching over Carter. "It's no secret the relationship Christian and I have," Rudolph, this year's second-round draft pick, said about this year's first-round draft pick. "Once you have that trust in one another, I knew I didn't have to look around for the ball. I could focus on the safety and as soon as I turned, the ball was right there. And Christian knows he doesn't have to worry about the defender going up and getting the ball."

5. Sage digests another dose of Tebowmania I wouldn't want to be John Elway, Broncos vice president of football operations, when it comes time to decide if Tim Tebow really is Denver's quarterback of the future. Just when you think there's no way Tebow could win a stuffed animal throwing a football at the county fair, he makes enough throws and big plays to keep winning NFL games. It's a fascinating situation to watch unfold. Unless, of course, you're on the wrong end of Tebowmania. Just ask new Vikings quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who was on the sidelines with the Dolphins when Tebow made his first start this season. The Broncos were down 15-0 when Tebow brought them back to win 18-15 in overtime. "That's twice now that I've lost to him on the last play of the game," Rosenfels said. "It's so frustrating. He doesn't make the mistakes. Sometimes, in the NFL, it's not winning. Sometimes, it's not losing. He was making plays. Don't get me wrong. But through their streak they've had here, he's done a good job not losing."