The return of Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield didn’t hurt the Purple and Gold’s cause Sunday, as he helped the Vikings defense return to suffocating form, surrendering just 210 total yards to the potent Bengals offense.

“It felt great,” said Winfield of his long-awaited return. “I haven’t played football in like two months, so I’ve missed it and it was good for me to get out there and make some plays and come out with a win.” 

When asked if he was concerned Viking’s management would re-up a veteran player of his stature to a five-year, $36 million deal last summer, Winfield didn’t sweat it.

“That’s a tricky situation,” said Winfield of ownership’s decision. “A 32 year-old cornerback, playing that position is tough. You lose some speed here doing all that, but I wasn’t worried about it. We have a great owner, great coaching staff, great organization and trust me they made the right decision.” 

He sure made owner Ziggy Wilf look good Sunday, recording a team-leading nine tackles, including a couple of tremendous open-field plays in key situations. His teammates are taking notice as well, a good omen for a defense that lost middle linebacker E.J. Henderson for the season last week after fracturing his femur. 

“I enjoyed it, man,” said Adrian Peterson of watching Winfield play again. “He’s just back to his old ways. It’s like he never missed a game, the way he played today. I’m sure he played through some pain but you couldn’t tell, so I’m happy for him, happy to have him back to continue this run.” 

Added Brett Favre: “It goes without saying how much having Antoine back was. I consider him a top-5 run defender in all of football, not just this year but I’ve played against him. Not only is he good against the pass, he’s as valuable to our run defense as Kevin and Pat (Williams).”

-- PATRICK STUMPF