Vikings deal 34-6 loss to Rams in season opener

ST. LOUIS -- When starting quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season with a knee injury for the second straight year, the St. Louis Rams still hung onto hopes of building success around a stout defense.

After a season-opening 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, questions are already starting to surface.

The Rams contained All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson but had no answer for receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who ran for 102 yards -- including a back-breaking 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter -- in the blowout.

"It's always concerning when you lose a game and you're not competitive in it. We were competitive for a while there, but things got out of hand and the wheels fell off," St. Louis defensive end Chris Long said.

Shaun Hill made his first start in four years in place of the injured Bradford and couldn't lead the Rams to any points before coming out at halftime with a left quad strain.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson runs with the ball during the fourth quarter an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Austin Davis, who spent much of the past two seasons on the Rams' practice squad but had never played in the NFL, took over and didn't fare much better against a Minnesota defense that gave up the most points in the league during a 5-10-1 season last year.

Hill's last pass was intercepted by Josh Robinson with 1 minute, 9 seconds to go in the first half, setting up Matt Cassel's 8-yard pass to Greg Jennings for a 13-0 lead.

Patterson broke at least four tackles on the 67-yarder that put the Vikings up 20-3 late in the third quarter. He had carries of 23 and 12 yards in the first half and added three receptions for 26 yards. Patterson had three touchdowns rushing on 12 carries as a rookie last season.

"It's like when all the breaks came, they went opposite of our way," said Rams offensive tackle Rodger Saffold, who left the game with a neck injury in the fourth quarter. "Some of the craziest things happened in the game. Some of the most unexpected things happened in the game. We've been dealing with that ever since the preseason. We keep trying to fight and fight, and the next thing you know -- Bam! -- something else happens. There's nothing else to say about this game today. We're disappointed."

"It's very frustrating," Long said. "Frustration is putting it lightly."

A St. Louis Rams fan closes his eyes in the stands during the fourth quarter an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Mike Zimmer won in his debut as the Vikings' coach after spending the previous 14 seasons as a defensive coordinator with Dallas, Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Minnesota got four of its five sacks in the second half against Davis, and Harrison Smith's 81-yard interception return made it 34-3 late in the fourth quarter.

Brian Quick had seven catches for 99 yards for St. Louis, which was penalized 13 times for 121 yards and managed only 72 yards rushing with a 3.3-yard average.

"It gets down to what you're depending on as the catalyst for the offense," offensive tackle Joe Barksdale said. "You can't light a powder keg with just a powder keg."

The 34-year-old Hill ended up 8 of 13 for 81 yards. He was guarded about his injury after the game, although he held out hope that he'd be able to play this Sunday at Tampa. Davis had 192 yards on 16 of 23 passing.

Rams quarterback Austin Davis is sacked by Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen during the fourth quarter Sunday in St. Louis. (TOM GANNAM ~ Associated Press)

"We didn't play very well today," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "I wasn't anticipating that out of us. Just disappointed. It seemed that throughout the game, players took turns making drive-killing mistakes or allowing drives to continue.

"There were things that just should not happen."

The margin of defeat matched the largest for the Rams at home in a season opener. St. Louis also lost its opener by 28 points at Seattle in 2009, when the team went on to finish 2-14.

"That's not the end all, be all of the season, but it's Week 1. We wanted to show ourselves better than that," Long said. "It's our job to prove that that's not indicative of who we are."

Noteworthy

* Rams defensive end Chris Long (left ankle) was sidelined after tackling Peterson in the third quarter.

* Offensive lineman Greg Robinson, the second overall pick of the draft, was limited to a handful of special teams snaps the first half, but came in at guard after Saffold [neck] left in the fourth quarter. After the game, Saffold said he was fine.

* Blair Walsh kicked three field goals of 50-plus yards at St. Louis as a rookie in 2012, and he drilled a 52-yarder to open the scoring. He was 26 of 30 last season, three of the misses from beyond midfield.

* Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein had been 7 of 13 in his career from 50-plus before hooking a 50-yarder in the first half, but later connected from 56 and 46 yards.