Carlson’s kicks help Vikings get past Titans

NASHVILLE — The Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans did their best to protect their starters for the regular season, letting starting quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota lead the cheers from the sidelines.

Rookie Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 39 and 22 yards, and Kyle Sloter added a 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the Vikings beat the Titans 13-3 Thursday night as the teams wrapped up their preseason schedules.

Carlson rebounded from missing a pair of 42-yarders wide left a week ago after beating out Kai Forbath for the job. Carlson connected from 39 yards late in the first half, tying it 3-3. He added a 22-yarder midway through the third quarter, giving the Vikings a 6-3 lead.

The Titans finished firstyear coach Mike Vrabel’s first preseason winless, though he made clear protecting starters for the regular season mattered more than notching an exhibition victory.

The starters who did play were the kickers, and the Titans kept Pro Bowl punter Brett Kern very busy. He punted five times before his backup took over.

In the battle of the backups, the Titans dominated the first quarter, outgaining Minnesota 77-8 and holding the ball for more than 12 minutes. Rookie Luke Falk, a sixthround draft pick out of Washington State, played the whole game. Falk outplayed Cousins’ backup, Trevor Siemian — at least in the first quarter, when the Vikings went three-andout twice.