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 But minutes after his Minnesota Vikings started the season with a
34-6 rout of the St. Louis Rams, Mike Zimmer had already moved on to
next week's assignment.
"I like how this team works, and it was good to get on the road and
get a win," he said. "But we've got a lot of things to clean up."
Zimmer's disclaimer aside, Minnesota clearly was the sharper team in
the Edward Jones Dome, holding punchless St. Louis to a pair of
second-half field goals and notching five sacks while playing a
turnover-free game on offense.
Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson delivered the game-breaking
play, a 67-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left in the third quarter,
and quarterback Matt Cassel was an efficient 17 of 25 for 170 yards
and two touchdowns in the air.
"We're not surprised, because we know that this is the way we can
play," Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson said.
Meanwhile, the Rams delivered a real clunker in which nothing good
happened, aside from wide receiver Brian Quick's career-high seven
catches for 99 yards. They managed just 72 yards on the ground,
quarterback Shaun Hill left at halftime with a thigh injury and the
defense gave up 186 yards on the ground.
"We came out and worked real hard in the offseason and training
camp," linebacker Alec Ogletree said. "We didn't come out (today)
and have the game we were capable of having. We have to put this
behind us."
Minnesota never trailed, but led only 13-3 when Patterson put things
away. Lining up at running back on a first down play, Patterson
burst around right tackle, cut back to his left and broke three
tackles, finally diving across the goal line. It was his second
consecutive regular-season game with a touchdown run of 50-plus
yards.
"When you get a one-play drive like that, that's big," Zimmer said.
"We always want to get our playmakers the ball, no matter whether
it's throwing it or catching it. I thought we had a good plan."
The Vikings turned it into a laugher with two more touchdowns in the
fourth quarter. Tight end Kyle Rudolph caught a seven-yard scoring
strike with 6:27 left and free safety Harrison Smith lugged an
interception 81 yards to the end zone at the 2:57 mark.
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Smith victimized backup quarterback Austin Davis, who relieved Hill to
start the second half. Davis went 16 of 23 for 192 yards and led the
offense to 56 and 46-yard field goals by place-kicker Greg Zuerlein, but
was sacked four times.
Hill, who replaced Sam Bradford after the four-year starter tore his ACL
in the third preseason game Aug. 23, was 8 of 13 for 81 yards but threw
an interception to Robinson that set up Cassel's eight-yard touchdown
pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings with 21 seconds left in the first
half.
Hill said that he intends to play next week at Tampa Bay.
Place-kicker Blair Walsh drilled 52 and 46-yard field goals for
Minnesota, which also got 75 yards on 21 carries from running back
Adrian Peterson.
It all added up to a debut Zimmer probably won't forget for a while.
"To come out and play like that and win coach's first game," Robinson
said, "will only help our confidence."
NOTES: St. Louis CB Trumaine Johnson (knee) was inactive for the game
and was replaced in the starting lineup by rookie E.J. Gaines. ...
Inactives for Minnesota included FB Zach Line (ankle), LB Michael Mauti
(foot) and LB Brandon Watts (knee). ... This marks the 12th time the
Rams have opened a season at home since moving to St. Louis in 1995.
They are 7-4 in the prior 11 instances.
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