Marcus Sherels secures Vikings win, gets a much-needed bright spot

Lost in #BridgewaterGate was the game-winning, overtime-avoiding play made by veteran cornerback Marcus Sherels, the former Gopher.

After the Seahawks rallied to tie the score and kicker Blair Walsh missed a 47-yard field goal, Sherels stepped in front of a pass from Seahawks rookie QB Trevone Boykin and took the pick all the way to the house.

"He threw it right to me, I intercepted it and scored a touchdown," he said.

For Sherels, it was a temporary reprieve from the personal issues he is dealing with off the field. His brother, Mike, a coach for the Gophers, has been through multiple surgeries this month and as of a few days ago remained hospitalized because of an undisclosed medical condition.

As a result, Sherels did not travel to Cincinnati last week for the joint practices with the Bengals and the preseason opener. He was back with the team last weekend when they resumed practicing at Winter Park.

"It's fun coming out and competing with my teammates and being with the team again," he said. "The support has been great. Everyone's been good to me. It was fun being out here and coming away with a win."

Coach Mike Zimmer, who was not in a talkative mode when it came to his starting quarterback not starting, gushed about Sherels' importance.