Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos: Second Quarter Open Thread

To begin their Week 4 contest against the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings got the ball first, following the Broncos winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half. Brandon McManus booted the ball through the end zone, giving Minnesota the ball at their own 20-yard line. Minnesota picked up a quick first down on a pass to Adam Thielen, but then Teddy Bridgewater was the victim of a pair of huge sacks courtesy of safety T.J. Ward and linebacker DeMarcus Ware that helped cause the drive to stall out. Jeff Locke punted the ball away to the Broncos, who started their first drive at their own 37-yard line.

The Broncos had little trouble moving the ball against the Vikings on their first drive, as Peyton Manning completed his first three passes for 45 yards and quickly put Denver into the Minnesota red zone. However, the Vikings' defense stiffened after the Broncos got to the Minnesota 15 on a penalty, and Denver had to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Brandon McManus to take an early 3-0 lead.

Another touchback gave the Vikings another start at their own 20-yard line to start their second possession. They did much better at moving the football on this drive, with Bridgewater finding Mike Wallace on a 10-yard pass and rookie Stefon Diggs getting his first two NFL receptions for a total of nine yards. The second of those receptions gave the Vikings fourth-and-inches at their own 44-yard line, and Mike Zimmer chose to roll the dice and go for it, with the Vikings converting on a run by Bridgewater. Bridgewater then found Wallace to convert another big third down, hitting an 18-yard pitch-and-catch to push the ball to the Denver 33. However, the third sack of the day on Bridgewater pushed the Vikings out of field goal range, and the Vikings were forced to punt again, with Locke pinning the Broncos down at their 11-yard line.

As we move to the second quarter of play, the Broncos are looking at a 3rd-and-14 from their own 8-yard line with the Vikings needing a stop. After the first quarter of play, the Minnesota Vikings trail the Denver Broncos by a score of 3-0. Can the Vikings get themselves on the comeback trail?