Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers: First quarter recap and second quarter discussion

The first quarter has come and gone at Bank of America Stadium, and the Minnesota Vikings trail the Carolina Panthers by a score of 7-6 after an eventful first quarter of action.

The Vikings won the coin toss and, as they do so often, deferred to the second half, giving the home team the football first. It didn’t take long for the Vikings’ defense to make an impact, as Sam Darnold’s first pass of the day on the Panthers’ first play was intercepted by Bashaud Breeland for a turnover and a short field for the Vikings.

Unfortunately, the Vikings could only turn the turnover into a field goal, with Greg Joseph connecting from 25 yards out to make it 3-0 for the good guys early on.

The Vikings forced a Carolina punt on the next possession and set up shop at their own 35 to start their next possession. On the second play of the next drive, Kirk Cousins flipped a quick screen to Justin Jefferson, and the Panthers knocked the ball loose with Hasson Reddick recovering for a big turnover for the Panthers.

Unlike the Vikings, the Panthers turned a big turnover into a touchdown, as Chuba Hubbard went in from two yards out for a touchdown, with the extra point giving Carolina a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

Ameer Abdullah tried to spark the Vikings on the ensuing kickoff, as he got a big 47-yard return to set the Vikings up near midfield. Minnesota put together another nice drive, but once again stalled in close and Joseph connected on another 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-6.

As we move to the second quarter of play, the Vikings are looking at a 2nd-and-1 from their own 24-yard line.

We’ve made it through the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium with the Carolina Panthers leading the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 7-6. Come on in and join us for the second quarter of play!