With Shaun Hill at quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings did just enough to win their opening contest of the 2016 NFL season, beating the Tennessee Titans 25-16 at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville

Hill threw for 236 yards, with Adrian Peterson adding only 31 on the ground during a quiet day for the Viking offence which had their defence to thank for the victory.

Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter each scored touchdowns on turnovers during the second-half as the Vikings fought back well from a 10-0 deficit at the half to move to 1-0 on the season.

Danielle Hunter celebrates his TD (image source: AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

Titans enjoy best of first-half, opening up ten-point lead

After gaining a lot of off-season hype after a change of GM and a promising Draft, the Titans welcomed a large crowd for their home opener. 

Bringing a new style to their offensive play, termed 'Exotic-Smashmouth' by head coach Mike Mularkey, the home team rolled out DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry as their new running-back duo, utilising them early and often out of the backfield.

Heisman Trophy winner Henry made early strides on his NFL debut with a pair of big pick-ups through the air, while Murray secured early control of the game with a number of good-looking runs. 

An eight-play, 53 yard drive on their second offensive possession of the game saw them open up a 3-0 lead thanks to the trusty boot of Ryan Succop who converted a 28 yard field goal. On the other side of the ball, Tennessee excelled in run defence, not allowing Peterson to break off a big run all day, keeping him under two yards a carry. 

With Minnesota struggling to move the ball, the home team ended the half perfectly, adding a touchdown following an impressive drive which chewed up more than four minutes of the clock. A couple of Tajae Sharpe catches moved Tennessee into opposition territory, then with 0:41 left in the half, Murray dived over a defender to reach the endzone and extend the lead to 10-0. 

Vikings defence scores two touchdowns to complete impressive comeback win

Minnesota's head coach Mike Zimmer has impressed during his first two seasons in charge, and despite losing Teddy Bridgewater to a season-ending knee injury he will still get the most out of his roster.

Following what must have been a strong half-time speech, the Vikings got on the board almost instantly through kicker Blair Walsh, who nailed a 50-yarder after Cordarrelle Patterson had put him in position with a 60+ yard return from the opening kickoff. 

Another Walsh field goal midway through the third quarter cut the deficit to four, with the home team struggling to move the ball as well as they had before half-time. 

With just over a minute remaining on the third-quarter clock, Minnesota took the lead for the first time following a huge game-changing play by their defence. With Marcus Mariota under pressure in the pocket, the Titan QB threw an errant pass straight into the gut of Kendricks who raced away untouched for the 77 yard pick-six. 

Walsh continued his topsy-turvy day with a 45-yard field goal at the start of the fourth-quarter before the Vikings defence took centre stage once more. This time, a fumble forced by Linval Joseph and Shamar Stephen was scooped up by second-year defensive-end Danielle Hunter who returned it to the house from 24 yards, handing Minnesota a 22-10 lead. 

The Titans suddenly looked even more disjointed and were being completely outplayed, with Walsh nailing another field goal just before the two-minute warning to move the lead out to 15. 

Mariota started to find his flow again in the final two minutes, but it was all too little too late, and despite Murray crossing for his second receiving touchdown, they were down more than a score and had to suffer the disappointing loss in their home opener. 

Tennessee will look to rebound next week on the road against another NFC North foe in Michigan against the Detroit Lions, while the Vikings open their new home stadium in a glamourous divisional tie against the Green Bay Packers during Sunday Night Football

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