Vikings Flashback: Minnesota cruises past Carolina in 2014
By Ali Siddiqui
During their last meeting in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Vikings got a win over the Carolina Panthers.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers. will face off inside U.S. Bank Stadium. At 4-6, the Vikings are coming off a disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys, while the 4-7 Panthers are coming off a 20-0 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Against Carolina, Minnesota leads the all-time series 8-6. The last time these two teams faced each other in the Twin Cities came in 2014 when the Vikings were playing their home games at TCF Bank Stadium.
Under center for Minnesota during that game was rookie first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater. That same quarterback will now be facing his former team for the first time as a starter on Sunday.
Minnesota Vikings easily defeated the Carolina Panthers in 2014
Bridgewater is still very beloved by many Vikings fans and you can bet he would have received a nice ovation from the fans if they were allowed to be in attendance this year. Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer and others in the organization still think very highly of their former quarterback.
Back in their meeting in 2014, the Vikings defeated the Panthers 31-13 to improve to 5-7 on the season. Minnesota went on to finish with a 7-9 record during their first season under Zimmer.
Bridgewater completed 15 of his 21 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Vikings running back Matt Asiata rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries and Greg Jennings caught five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph also caught a touchdown pass in the matchup.
On the defensive side of the ball, Everson Griffen recorded two of the Vikings’ four sacks and he also returned a blocked punt 43 yards for a touchdown. Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen also returned a blocked punt 30 yards for a score. Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway finished with a game-high 10 tackles.
For Carolina, Cam Newton completed 18 of his 35 pass attempts for 194 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart rushed for 85 yards on 12 carries, tight end Greg Olsen caught five passes for 59 yards, and receiver Kelvin Benjamin ended with five catches for 56 yards. Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly recorded two of the team’s three sacks and he also had a team-high nine tackles.
Last week’s loss really hurt Minnesota’s playoff chances this season. Even though the Vikings’ chances of making it back to the postseason are now pretty slim, you just never know what can happen between now and their final game.