Vikings open stadium with win over Chargers
Teddy Bridgewater was sharp in his return from a sore arm, completing 12 of 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown in the first half for Minnesota in a 23-10 exhibition victory Sunday over the San Diego Chargers in the Vikings’ unveiling of their new stadium.
After sitting out last week, Bridgewater found Kyle Rudolph for a 27-yard score to cap a crisp 2-minute drill and led the Vikings to points on three of five possessions. Bridgewater even juked strong safety Adrian Phillips to further a 22-yard run that set up one of three field goals by Blair Walsh.
“The shoulder’s feeling great,” Bridgewater said. “I had some fun out there playing with the guys, and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Running back Melvin Gordon, aiming to rebound from a rough rookie season, cruised through the middle of Minnesota’s starting defense for a 39-yard touchdown after Philip Rivers audibled to a run upon sensing a blitz. San Diego lost running back Branden Oliver, though, to an Achilles tendon injury on his right leg that required a cart to take him off.
With sunlight streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling glass on the west side and through the translucent, space-age roof, the Vikings enjoyed a gleaming debut for U.S. Bank Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of 66,143.
“It’s a beautiful place,” coach Mike Zimmer said, as purpleclad fans watched his postgame news conference from a lounge area the team walks through to reach the field. “It’s just getting used to everything.”
The Chargers undoubtedly felt some envy, with their decade-and-a-half quest to replace 49-year-old Qualcomm Stadium unfulfilled and a move to Los Angeles a possibility. Texans 34, Cardinals 24: Brock Osweiler threw for 146 yards and a touchdown and host Houston intercepted two of Carson Palmer’s passes.
Osweiler led the Texans to scores on three of his four drives. He connected with first-rounder Will Fuller on a 26-yard touchdown pass that extended Houston’s lead to 24-10 before sitting with three minutes left in the first half. Jaguars 26, Bengals 21: Despite losing, visiting Cincinnati (1-2) was so sharp against Jacksonville that Andy Dalton and several teammates were done long before halftime.
Dalton led the Bengals to two touchdowns in three possessions, earning him extra rest in the loss.
Jacksonville (1-2) rallied in the fourth quarter with a Chad Henne touchdown pass to Neal Sterling and an interception return for a touchdown from Hayes Pullard III. Briefly: Chiefs safety Eric Berry signed his franchise tender and reported to camp. The deal will pay him just over $10.8 million this season, making him the league’s highestpaid safety . ... The Falcons signed former 49ers Pro Bowl safety safety Dashon Goldson, who had 110 tackles in 15 starts with Washington in 2015 . ... Colts left guard Jack Mewhort is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury . ... Rams rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper probably will miss the regular-season opener after injuring his shoulder in an exhibition Saturday.