This game got off to as good a start as the Minnesota Vikings could have hoped for against the Detroit Lions.
On the Vikings' first series of the game, Christian Ponder and the Vikings faced a 3rd-and-10 from their own 45-yard line. Ponder managed to avoid the rush and launch one down the middle of the field to rookie Jarius Wright (representing The Daily Norseman). The rookie, playing in his first NFL game, hauled in the pass and was ruled down at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, after a false start and a carry by Adrian Peterson, Wright hauled in his first NFL touchdown on a three-yard toss from Ponder.
Chad Greenway got an interception of Matthew Stafford on the next series, and the Vikings turned that into a 48-yard Blair Walsh field goal to make their lead 10-0. Walsh is now 20-for-21 on the season.
The Vikings' defense has gotten off the field quite well in the early going, with the Lions going 0-for-3 on third downs thus far. Those are the sorts of things that the Vikings are going to have to continue to do in order to be successful this afternoon.
The Vikings are holding a 10-0 lead after fifteen minutes of play at the Metrodome. Join us here for the second quarter, won't you?