NFL Game Summary - Tennessee at Minnesota
(Sunday, October 7th)
Final Score: Minnesota 30, Tennessee 7
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Percy Harvin caught eight passes for 108
yards and a touchdown and also rushed for a score as the Minnesota Vikings
steamrolled the Tennessee Titans, 30-7, on Sunday.
Christian Ponder went 25-for-35 through the air for 258 yards and two
touchdowns and Adrian Peterson carried the ball 17 times for 88 yards for the
Vikings (4-1), who have already surpassed their win total from 2011.
"We're just trying to have fun and play football," Vikings linebacker Chad
Greenway said of his team's start. "It's just like the opposite of last year."
Minnesota has won its last three contests and is tied with the Chicago Bears
atop the NFC North standings. The last time the Vikings finished in first
place in the division was 2009.
Matt Hasselbeck, who started in place of an injured Jake Locker, was 26-for-43
passing for 200 yards and a touchdown. Chris Johnson had another poor
performance for the Titans (1-4), who are 1-7 all-time in Minnesota.
"You're a professional football team and you have to be ready no matter who is
behind center," Titans tight end Jared Cook said of Hasselbeck replacing
Locker. "You have to make those adjustments."
Johnson picked up just 24 yards on 15 carries and fumbled once.
Harvin's 4-yard touchdown run gave Minnesota a 7-0 lead with 2:31 left in the
first quarter. Earlier in the drive, Ponder connected with Harvin for 45 yards
down the left sideline to put the ball on the Titans' 16 and four plays later
Harvin took the handoff, broke a tackle, and lunged across the goal line for
the score.
A pair of Blair Walsh field goals in the second quarter, one from 42 yards and
one from 36 yards out, gave Minnesota a 13-0 advantage
The Vikings were forced to settle for yet another Walsh field goal, this one
from 26 yards away, after a 12-play march stalled at the Titans' 8 with 5:07
left in the third.
Ponder found Harvin on 3rd-and-5 for a 10-yard pass to put the Vikings up
23-0. Harvin caught the ball in the right flat and made a series of Titans'
defenders miss before waltzing into the end zone with five seconds left in the
third.
Tennessee countered with a 10-yard score of its own on the ensuing possession
as Hasselbeck found Cook in the end zone, capping a 12-play, 77-yard drive to
get the Titans on the board for a 23-7 game.
But the Vikings marched right down the field and Ponder connected with Kyle
Rudolph in the end zone for a spectacular 15-yard touchdown catch. Ponder
floated the ball toward the back boundary and Rudolph, who was draped by a
pair of Tennessee defenders, leaped and came down with the ball, putting the
game out of reach for the Titans.
Game Notes
Minnesota leads the all-time series with the Titans, 8-4 ... Minnesota
cornerback Antoine Winfield had an interception for the Vikings and has 24 for
his career ... Titans wide receiver Nate Washington has registered at least
one catch in 54 consecutive games. He had three receptions for 29 yards on
Sunday.
10/07 21:04:13 ET

|