Vikings turn Adrian Peterson loose, establish blueprint to contend in NFC North

“You can’t let (the loss) linger”. “He’s got to have the ball 20 times”. Bridgewater made significant strides between the two games and played well at the end of last season. “One hit is one too many in my book”. “Like I said, he’s very, very sore, there’s no question about that”.

“The weather was lovely , and it was just a great day for football”, Peterson said.

It felt good for a lot of Vikings. These are the Vikings most expected to see in 2015 – a heavy dose of Peterson and an efficient Teddy Bridgewater, who completed 14 of 18 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.

For the Lions to win, they’ll have to remain stout against the run after allowing just 3.2 yards per carry against the Chargers last week.

He admitted after the game he was still somewhat uncomfortable getting the ball in the shotgun, where the Vikings spent roughly two-thirds of their snaps after Bridgewater took over as the starter last season.

But a two-point conversion failed, effectively ending the game. Following the game he had X-rays on his chest and ribs and he already had a battered shoulder. He was only targeted three times against the 49ers, catching two passes for 27 yards.

Like past year , Johnson and Golden Tate (six catches, 80 yards) weren’t enough to balance out an offense that couldn’t run the ball. The Lions showed they were undisciplined in Week 1 and the Vikings should take advantage.

The Lions got the last scoring drive of the game with a 12-yard touchdown from Stafford to Ebron.

NOTES: Peterson (12,577) passed Cris Carter (12,410) for the most combined receiving, returning and rushing yards in Vikings history…. “We have time, but not much time”.

“We’re going to be all right. A couple of them I wouldn’t be surprised if we turn them in (to the NFL)”. After the ugly loss, one of Zimmer’s mentors, Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, called him.

“We kind of make it pretty cut-and-dried”, Caldwell said, via ESPN.com.

Detroit’s run game was disgusting , to say the least.

“Everyone in this building – hopefully everyone in this state – supports Stafford and this team“, he said.

“That’s what I love, tough coaching”, Bridgewater said. “I said, ‘Man, these guys are ready to go.’ So much for that”.

With Denver and Seattle coming up in the next two weeks, both on national television, things aren’t going to get any easier for the Lions, and with Dan Orlovsky as Stafford’s backup, it could get a lot worse. PFF grades each player in the National Football League each week, based off their performances, then those grades are normalized based off individual game situations to be more comprehensive.

Defensive end Jason Jones was lined up in the neutral zone, a penalty that nullified the turnover, and Zach Line followed with a 1-yard plunge to put the Vikings up 23-10.

Frank covers sports and political issues for Stabley Times.