Hear that? U.S. Bank Stadium presents Vikings with a familiar advantage

[purplefaithful]

A raucous home atmosphere that surprisingly mirrors the Metrodome in decibel level should make the Vikings a tough out in the playoffs.With two games remaining, the Vikings have a shot to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That carries added significance with the NFC race being more wide open than Montana prairie.
The NFC won’t feature a prohibitive favorite when the playoffs start. Five teams already have double-digit win totals, so no postseason result will feel like an out-of-the-blue upset. Seeding matters only as it relates to location of games.
“[Having home playoff games] is a big deal,” Zimmer said, “but I don’t know it’s like everything.”
That’s true. The Vikings are good enough to win anywhere largely because of their defense. Being at home improves their chances because their defense shows extra bite.
The Vikings allow a league-low 12.9 points per game at home this season. They also rank first in third-down defense at home (25.3 percent), though they are historically stout in that category, home or road.
Their third-down defense overall (26.1 percent) represents the lowest mark in the NFL since the 1991 New Orleans Saints posted that exact figure.
The Bengals looked helpless on third down, converting only one of 13 chances as the Vikings corkscrewed them into a heaping mess.

“That’s a great feeling,” nose tackle Linval Joseph said.
http://www.startribune.com/u-s-bank-stad...465084623/

[Guest]

Opponents have committed 11 pre-snap penalties at U.S. Bank Stadium this season, including eight false starts.
“It’s very difficult because physically we’re getting after them,” defensive end Brian Robison said. “And then mentally it’s rough on those quarterbacks because they’re trying to make checks, trying to make calls and get the right protection against our defense that we’re showing.”
For all its warts, the Metrodome provided an undeniable advantage with its noisy atmosphere. Vikings officials initially were curious about how crowd noise inside U.S. Bank Stadium would compare to the Dome because the new stadium is far more spacious. If anything, it’s been on par, or slightly louder.
Decibel levels reached 119.8 for the Los Angeles Rams game Nov. 19. That’s roughly the same decibel reading measured in the Dome for the Vikings playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2009 season.
Robison has played in both stadiums and gives his new home a slight edge in noise.
“It’s unbelievable how loud that stadium gets,” he said. “When you’re on the sidelines, sometimes it doesn’t sound as loud. But when you get out on the field — I don’t know if it’s the way those tiles are aiming or what — but when you go out on the field, you can actually hear the decibels go up. It’s crazy.”
Intense noise not only creates communication issues but it also slows reaction time at the snap. Imagine giving Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter a split-second head start with their pass rush.
“It is definitely to our advantage,” cornerback Terence Newman said. “They can’t communicate. Half the time we can’t communicate.”

[Guest]

I've been a season tix holder since Warren Moon days (yah, stay the F off my lawn too) and I can tell you with conviction, USB is at least as loud as the Metrodome, if not louder. And a hell of a lot nicer venue on top of it. Win/Win. 

[Guest]

Thanks for posting this. I thought the Rams game was the loudest of the season so its interesting to see some data. I actually thought it was louder than the Bengals game but I could be wrong. Perhaps it was just my section. 

In any case, we take a little bit of pride in those false start penalties.

[Guest]

The Bengals game had it's moments but it was a laugher and yawner by 1/2 time. The Rams game was crazy. We're going to have at least one playoff game at home and that place will be off the charts nuts. 

[Guest]

Its a beautiful and loud stadium, big time home field advantage. 

[Guest]

@Nichelle said:
Thanks for posting this. I thought the Rams game was the loudest of the season so its interesting to see some data. I actually thought it was louder than the Bengals game but I could be wrong. Perhaps it was just my section. 

In any case, we take a little bit of pride in those false start penalties.

My favorite is forcing opponents to burn timeouts because they can't get their adjustments made due to the noise.  Especially on the road,  now that's a fans badge of honor.