Undefeated Vikings confound Giants
Defense shuts down Beckham, Manning, forces big turnovers
Minnesota’s defense denied Odell Beckham Jr. all night and forced two turnovers that led to 10 points, and the Vikings mystified Eli Manning yet again during a 24-10 victory Monday over the New York Giants.
Sam Bradford threw a touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph for the third straight game and kept his turnover-free streak intact, helping the Vikings (4-0) lead from start to finish after falling behind in each of their first three wins.
Beckham, who has yet to score this season, was smothered by cornerback Xavier Rhodes and had 23 yards on three catches. Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard were quiet, too, and Manning was erratic as ever while finishing 25 for 45 for just 261 yards. Rhodes picked him off in the third quarter, the 15th interception for Manning in eight career starts against the Vikings. He’s 2-6 with only five touchdown passes.
Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon each ran for a touchdown as the Vikings rushed for a season-high 104 yards. Bradford went 26 for 36 for 262 yards.
The Vikings have an NFL-best turnover margin of plus-10.
Panthers: Carolina is 1-3, its MVP quarterback, Cam Newton, has a concussion and its young secondary just allowed Matt Ryan to throw for 503 yards and four touchdowns. Yep, the NFC’s best team last season is reeling. The Panthers are 1-3 for the fourth time in six seasons under coach Ron Rivera, but the twotime NFL Coach of the Year said this one feels different. “I think we should be better than we are,” Rivera said.
Patriots: With his fourgame “Deflategate” suspension completed, Tom Brady was eligible to step back into the New England team facility for the first time in a month. But if he was there, no one was willing to say. Only a handful of Brady’s teammates appeared in the locker room after attending position group meetings and none of them acknowledged laying eyes on their quarterback.
It’s possible Brady may have not been the building. Though both he and defensive end Rob Ninkovich — whose four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substance ended Monday — were allowed to be back, it’s unclear when the team must make room on its 53-man roster to accommodate their returns.
Eagles: The Eagles offense received a boost when tight end Zach Ertz was cleared to return after suffering a rib displacement near his left shoulder in Week 1. Ertz will play Sunday against Detroit.
Philadelphia linebacker n Nigel Bradham was arrested at Miami International Airport on Sunday after authorities say TSA workers found a loaded gun in his backpack.
Falcons: Atlanta linebacker Sean Weatherspoon suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Sunday’s win over Carolina, likely ending his season.
Titans: Tennessee fired special teams coordinator Bobby April a day after allowing a 67-yard punt return for the winning touchdown in a 27-20 loss to the Houston Texans. Titans coach Mike Mularkey announced the firing a day after special teams were responsible for giving up 10 points to Houston. Special teams assistant Steve Hoffman will take over April’s duties.
Chargers: Mayor Kevin Faulconer has endorsed a controversial ballot measure that would give the San Diego Chargers a $1.1 billion public handout to help pay for a new downtown stadium. Faulconer says he gave his endorsement only after the team agreed to concessions that protect the city. However, those concessions aren’t legally binding.
Miscellany: A Maryland man is in critical condition after suffering a head injury during a fight with two Oakland Raiders fans from New York during a Baltimore Ravens game. Susan Bauer tells The Baltimore Sun that her 55-year-old brother, Joseph Bauer, was attending the game with his wife Sunday when he got into an argument with a group of Raiders fans at M&T Bank Stadium.
She says her brother is on life support and doctors have told the family he had a 30 percent chance of survival. Court records show 28-year-old Scott Smith and 31-year-old Andrew Nappi, have been charged with assault.