Eric Kendricks returned an interception 77 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter and Danielle Hunter scored a 24-yard TD off a fumble return and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 25-16 in their season opener Sunday.
The Vikings wound up forcing three turnovers in the span of just under seven minutes and also had two sacks.
The defending NFC North champs needed the help from their defense in scoring 25 straight points after being shut out in the first half and Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s 2015 rushing leader, being smothered.
Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer did his best to hide his starter at quarterback after the Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater to a major knee injury August 30th, and after they traded their 2017 first-round draft pick to Philadelphia for Sam Bradford .
The mystery finally ended when the 36-year-old Shaun Hill took the field for the Vikings’ first series for his first start since 2014 when he was with the St. Louis Rams.
Tennessee focused on stopping Peterson, who had 1,485 yards rushing last season, and the Titans did just that. Peterson finished with 31 yards on 19 carries.
