Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans: Week 1 review and grades

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Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) carries the ball against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports /

Adrian Peterson – Grade: C

In this opening act, AP became more of a decoy. He was pulling in the defense rather than being the beastly weapon we were all hoping for. 33 yards on 19 carries is very close in line to the opening performance in last years aforementioned debacle in San Francisco. With Teddy being out and the QB situation in flux, it’s not possible to answer if this is rust not shaken off from lack of preseason reps or if it was solely based on the Titans trying to see if Hill could sling the ball around. AP looked solid in his pass protections, held on to the football, and was the best decoy in the league for week 1.

The ball hawking defense – Grade: A+

With a smile on my face I can say that they earned this title, the hard way. They had to step up and carry the fans hopes on their shoulders and did so in a way that was dominating and intimidating. They were a penalty away from a second interception, and looked impenetrable in the second half, allowing DeMarco Murray a garbage time touchdown, his second of the game. The Vikings kept up with the crafty Titans offense and showed why they truly are the heart and soul of the Minnesota Vikings.

Next: Special teams, the crowd, and overall grade

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