But something happened at halftime (likely Mike Zimmer losing his voice and making up new ways to use certain four letter words) and the Vikings scored 25 unanswered points in the second half on their way to a Week 1 defeat of the Tennessee Titans (0-1) by a score of 25-16. The tilt is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (CT) on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
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Hill, the starter after Bridgewater was lost for season August 30 with a knee injury suffered in practice, was hardly spectacular, but was solid.
But Hill, who completed only 54.5 percent of his 33 throws, also didn’t put the Vikings in the end zone and missed some throws that needed more arm strength.
“I feel like our team thinks we have a chance to be good”, Zimmer said.
The 36-year-old Hill has one career start against Green Bay, which came in 2010 while with Detroit. In May they swapped fourth-round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for DeMarco Murray, a running back two years removed from a league-leading 1,845 yards on the ground. Hill strained his quadriceps in that game, a 34-6 Vikings win.
FILE – In this September 1, 2016, file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, right, talks with Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, left, after an NFL preseason football game, in Minneapolis. If the Minnesota Vikings play awful in the first half Aaron Rodgers will destroy us, it’s that simple.
With Teddy Bridgewater convalescing back in Minnesota, Adrian Peterson flailing for any running room against a Dick LeBeau defense keying on him, and Blair Walsh in desperate need of a sports psychologist, the Vikings weren’t winning unless their talented defense carried them across the finish line.
Backup center Nick Easton (ankle) and backup tight end MyCole Pruitt (left knee) have been ruled out.
Hill hit receiver Stefon Diggs seven times for 103 yards, but he mostly should thank his defense.
“The defense came through for us and made some big plays”, Peterson said.
Minnesota was stagnant in Week 1. Eric Kendricks intercepted a Marcus Mariota pass in the third quarter and ran it back 77 yards for a touchdown.
Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans throws a pass during the first half of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Nashville. Linebacker Joe Thomas had an interception in the win.
But it was a shaky afternoon for Walsh, playing in his first game that counts since missing a 27-yard field goal with 22 seconds in Minnesota’s 10-9 loss to Seattle last January in the playoffs.
Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby made a pair of field goals in Green Bay’s win.
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“They’ve been waiting all offseason for the opportunity to see the new-look Titans, and we can not disappoint”, Orakpo said.
