Minnesota Vikings defeat Carolina Panthers 22-10 in week 3
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings walked out of Charlotte with a big win over last year’s NFC representatives in the Super Bowl and NFL MVP, the Carolina Panthers.
It was a strange day in Charlotte. Protesters were gathered outside Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, September 25, 2016. But for fans of the NFL, the real story was going on inside the facility, where the Minnesota Vikings took on the Carolina Panthers.
With a noon central time kickoff, the Panthers got the ball first and wanted to establish a ground game. Backup running back Cameron Artis-Payne started out running hard and opening things up for the passing game, allowing Ted Ginn Jr. to make a big 31 yard reception. Solid play from Harrison Smith and pressure from the defensive line held them to a field goal on the opening drive.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings couldn’t get anything going early on. Matt Asiata gained 3 yards on the opening drive and Sam Bradford finished the series with a bad decision that could have been intercepted before a disappointing punt from Jeff Locke.
Cam Newton continued to take advantage of zone coverage, making accurate throws to open spaces while the Vikings looked stunned. In the red zone, the defense was so worried about the pass that Newton was able to run in a score untouched, putting the score to 0-10 in favor of the Panthers.
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Minnesota got on the board thanks to a Danielle Hunter safety on Cam Newton where he threw the left tackle to the ground, jumped over him, and then brushed off a push that was hoping to steer him away from the Carolina quarterback.
Later, Marcus Sherels stepped up before the half to return a punt for 54 yards and a touchdown. that narrowed the Panthers lead to two points going into halftime following a Trae Waynes interception.
That’s when the Minnesota Vikings defense took over. The Vikings started making Cam Newton’s passing game miserable, bringing the quarterback down several times and giving him alternate looks to bait him into interceptions.
Kyle Rudolph added a touchdown from Sam Bradford, giving the Vikings a 16-10 lead. More defense from Minnesota got the Vikings back the ball, but the team settled for a field goal and a 19-10 lead.
Next: Full game-by-game 2016 Vikings season preview
After that, it was all defense and field goals for the Vikings. 8 sacks and 3 turnovers were the big part of the story, forcing the Panthers to watch as the Minnesota Vikings defense took away any hope Carolina had of a comeback.