The two backs, along with second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, looked great in the early going, not so great later, as the Vikings scored two defensive touchdowns in the second half to win, 25-16.
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The defense looked in the second half like they should have the whole game, but they won’t have the luxury of spotting the opposition a 10-point halftime lead next week against the Packers. But asking it to turn in this kind of performance every week is just not reasonable.
The defending NFC North champs needed the help from their defence in scoring 25 straight points after being shut out in the first half with the NFL’s 2015 rushing leader smothered.
So when the Vikings win the Super Bowl, Hill can wear his ring proud knowing that he got the team to 1-0 before turning the auto keys over the Sam Bradford.
For all the controversy about the quarterback situation in this one, Shaun Hill didn’t play a bad game. Paraphrased, Hill said that his ability to provide solid play while being thrown into the fire at inopportune times was the reason he still has a life in the NFL. That came after he had rushed for minus-5 yards last season and had a total of just 1 yard on the ground in the past five years combined. The Titans’ running game didn’t do much, as Henry and Mariota combined for just 45 yards on 18 carries.
Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) dives over Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Ne … Mariota made his first real mistake of the game late in the third quarter, when he threw late to Harry Douglas, and watched as Eric Kendricks returned a 77-yard pick six to give the Vikings a 12-10 lead.
“It’s a tale of two halves for our team, ” said Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey. Walsh shanked a 27-yarder in their 10-9 playoff loss to Seattle when the laces weren’t out.
The 2014 NFL Offensive Player of the Year flashed that form on 2nd-and-goal at the 6 with 41 seconds remaining before halftime, taking Mariota’s swing pass and flipping over a tackler into the end zone to cap a 13-play, 73-yard drive. But the Vikings kicker started this season in a similar fashion to how last season ended in hooking a field goal wide left.
Mariota had a ideal passer rating in his National Football League debut as a rookie, and his second season couldn’t have started much differently.
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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. He also lost a fumble and had another turnover wiped out by a roughing the passer call. Even Trae Waynes – forced into more duty than the Vikings may have liked, due to an injury that kept Xavier Rhodes on the sideline – showed flashes of the talent that made him a first-round draft pick previous year. Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan went down grabbing the back of his left leg, and he did not return with an injured left hamstring. He racked up 7 receptions for 103 yards and was Hill’s go-to-guy. He found Diggs and Rudolph twice on third down, and Thielen made a diving catch to keep a drive alive.
