"I knew they were going to run right at me," said Evans, who started at defensive tackle in place of injured Pat Williams. "But I felt I held my own against them. I felt I played pretty good."

The numbers would support Evans, who finished with five tackles.

The Vikings' top-rated run defense held its top-rated counterparts to 98 yards, Atlanta's lowest output since Week 8, when Philadelphia limited it to 77 yards rushing, and the Falcons averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.

But the question remains: How much more effective would the Vikings' run defense have been with Pro Bowl nose tackle Williams?

Like Williams, Evans drew double teams. But the combination of Williams and Kevin Williams -- also known as the Williams Wall -- forces teams to trend toward outside runs.

That isn't the Falcons' style, especially with the bulbous yet explosive Michael Turner predominantly running the ball. Turner is fast, but he uses his 244 pounds well, running between the tackles.

Turner, who gained 70 yards on 19 carries, is still second to Adrian Peterson in the running for the NFL rushing title. But he set the tone early, running six times for 24 yards on the game's opening drive and scoring from a yard out.

"We definitely missed him," Kevin Williams said of Pat Williams. "But for the most part, we held it down inside. The guy hit a lot of runs outside. We missed a lot of tackles on the edge and that hurt us."

But according to the game's official play-by-play, the Falcons did most of their damage running at the heart of the Vikings' defense, running the ball up the middle on 18 of their 32 attempts. The Vikings stuffed the Falcons for no gains on their three middle runs in the fourth quarter. But the Falcons gained 67 yards on their 15 runs up the middle in the first three quarters, including 38 in the first quarter alone.

Only one of those plays was for a loss.

The Vikings rotated several players at the interior positions. Jimmy Kennedy made his Vikings debut but didn't register a tackle, and Ellis Wyms and Brian Robison also rotated into the lineup. But Wyms was shut out, except for an offside penalty, and Robison had just one tackle.

Pat Williams said his goal is to return for the Vikings' postseason, if they clinch a playoff berth. But Evans said he is confident he can hold down the middle, even with the New York Giants bringing their trio of talented running backs to the Metrodome next Sunday.

"It was a personal challenge, regardless, if Pat were a Pro Bowler or not," Evans said. "He's a great defensive tackle, so you expect a certain level of play. But I expect a certain level of play myself, so whether I was in for one snap or 10, you're out there trying to play your hardest."