Vikes beat Panthers to avoid 0-3 hole

Whew. I don't know about you, but I was really nervous that the Vikings would go 0-3. But their defense came through, dominating the Panthers, and Gus Frerotte had a decent second half as the team won 20-10.

Frerotte, the replacement for the woeful Tarvaris Jackson, went 16 for 28 for 204 yards. Those are better figures than Jackson had, and it was Frerotte's first game.

Adrian Peterson played hurt, and his rushing numbers show it. He ran 17 times for 77 yards, and his long run was only 14 yards. Chester Taylor rushed 11 times for 44 yards.

The real story was the defense. The Vikes allowed only 204 yards against a previously unbeaten Panthers team that should have been better with the addition of star receiver Steve Smith.

The D also got two sacks -- yes, one by Jared Allen -- and forced two fumbles, one of which Antoine Winfield returned for a TD. He also had a sack. (It was in the same play he forced the fumble.

This year's defense might remind some of the old Purple People Eaters. I think this version might be better. Remember that good teams ran right over the Vikings' quick linemen. You can't run against this Vikings team -- the Panthers rushed 20 times for 47 yards. That's domination.

Frerotte started sluggishly, and the Vikings committed nine penalties for 100 yards.

Here's the stat that jumps out at me -- long passes completed. As we know, Jackson couldn't do that. Well, Frerotte did, with a 48-yard completion to Bernard Berrian and a 34-yard hookup with Visanthe Shiancoe. You just can't ask Adrian Peterson to be the whole offense.

I have a feeling that Peterson wouldn't have even played except for the Vikes' desperate situation. Let's hope he didn't aggravate his hamstring.

The Vikings play Tennessee, then the Saints and the inept Lions. All three are winnable games. The Titans have little offense and Saints little defense. The 0-3 Lions have a lot of nothing.

This Vikings team still has a ways to go, but they're alive. You had to figure they would lose at least one of the two opening games. Now they've righted the Long Ship.

There's more good news. The Bears lost and the Packers have a tough game coming up against the Cowboys. (This will be one of the few times I'll root for Dallas. I hate them even more than I hate the Yankees.

This was a good all around for Minnesota sports teams. The Twins, behind a strong outing from Francisco Liriano, beat the Rays and are two and a half games behind the White Sox.

The Vikes' next opponent, the Titans, are 3-0. Curiously, it will be a battle of veteran backups -- Kerry Collins won the game against Houston.

The Titans' record is a bit deceiving. The teams they beat are not very good. The Bengals are winless, and the Jags won only today. The Texans are 0-2.

So the Titans are an unknown quantity. Look for the Vikings rush to get to Collins. Maybe that's wishful thinking.