INDIANAPOLIS — Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri hit a 53-yard field goal with eight seconds left in regulation to give Indianapolis a 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
To see complete video highlights of the game from Vikings.com, CLICK HERE.
His kick came just minutes after the Vikings had tied to score when Christian Ponder hit tight end Kyle Rudolph for a six-yard touchdown pass. Ponder also had another toss for a touchdown, a tipped ball that floated into the hands of Stephen Burton to make it 20-13 at the time.
Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck also threw two touchdown passes — a three-yard strike to Dwayne Allen, and a 30-yard bullet to Reggie Wayne. For the day, Luck was 20-31 with 224 yards passing.
(To hear from Luck, as well as the Vikings’ Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson, click here. The interviews were conducted by the crew from www.gamedaygold.com.)
Ponder’s passing numbers were similar, has completed 27 of 35 passes for 245 yards.
“I’m proud of the way we battled back,” Ponder said. “We’re never going to give up.”
To watch Ponder’s postgame comments in their entirety, CLICK HERE.
Vinatieri also chipped in two field goals for the Colts, one from 45-yards out, the other from 26-yards.
The Vikings were down 17-6 at the half, but committed a series of errors in the third quarter while trying to mount a comeback. By the time the fourth quarter started, Minnesota had 90 yards in penalties, but only 88 yards rushing.
“We didn’t play our best football,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. “We did some things today that really hurt us.”
To watch Frazier’s postgame comments in their entirety, CLICK HERE.
“It’s tough to beat yourself and the opponent at the same time,” Ponder added. “We just have to get better.”
Percy Harvin dealt with cramping in his right calf for much of the second half, and was sidelined during key moments in the closing drives. Despite that, he caught 12 passes for 104 yards. Adrian Peterson, playing in his second consecutive game since returning from knee surgery, carried the ball 16 times for 60 yards.
Vikings rookie Blair Walsh kicked a pair of field goals to account for all of Minnesota’s first half scoring. The first was a 51-yarder, the other boot was from and 29-yards out. As a result, Walsh tied a team record for kicking field goals of more than 50 yards in back-to-back games.
The Vikings, now 1-1 on the young NFL season, return home next Sunday to face the San Francisco 49ers.
