It’s not clear yet how good the Minnesota Vikings will play this season, but there’s no doubt the team’s scoring big with its new stadium. Walsh hit from 33, and made the score 6-0.
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(At) Houston 34, Arizona 24: Brock Osweiler threw for 146 yards and a touchdown and Houston intercepted two of Carson Palmer’s passes. Although there were some good plays, and some positives takeaways, the Chargers eventually fell short 23-10.
Following the game with Seattle, Bridgewater started throwing at practice. But U.S. Bank Stadium has a better sound system than the Metrodome did, and stadium operators showed Sunday how willing they’ll be to turn up the volume on everything from music during breaks to the pump-up video that played every 15 minutes during the countdown to kickoff. Of course, only time will tell if that’s how things pan out, but it’s definitely one more thing to keep an eye/ear on when the Vikings kick-off against the Chargers Sunday.
The Texans will have a valuable opportunity to test their passing game against one of the league’s best defenses, with new quarterback Brock Osweiler aiming to build off a solid performance last week against New Orleans when he led the first team to 13 points in the first half. But the ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson for a touchdown. They won their debuts at Metropolitan Stadium in 1961 and at the Metrodome in 1982 before losing their first one at the temporary digs of TCF. Jerick McKinnon led the team in rushing with 56 yards on 8 carries, including a big 35-yarder on the Vikings’ first drive. Stefon Diggs paced the team in the receiving department, bringing in five catches for 71 yards.
Joe Berger, battling John Sullivan for the starting center job, played the entire first half while Sullivan did not see action.
Bridgewater pointed downfield, showing a possession change when rookie cornerback Mackensie Alexander had a fourth-quarter interception. Justin Trattou, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, chipped in on the defensive effort with a pair of quarterback sacks.
The Chargers undoubtedly felt some envy, with their decade-and-a-half quest to replace 49-year-old Qualcomm Stadium still unfulfilled and a move to Los Angeles still a possibility.
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The goal of coach Mike Zimmer was to begin to condition the players, several of whom set foot in the $1.1 billion venue for the first time, to the so-far unfamiliar surroundings. “Sometimes you just got to trust me”.
