It wasn’t easy, but nothing has come easy for the Vikings this season.
Minnesota, though, did get its first win of the season, rallying in the second half and then holding off the Panthers’ comeback attempt. The Vikings won 21-13.
The Vikings are 1-3 and the Panthers 0-4.
The Panthers reached the Minnesota 9 with 1:55 left, but Bryce Young threw two incompletions and took two sacks. The final sack came on fourth-and-18 when Harrison Smith got his third of the day.
Young finished 25-of-32 for 204 yards and lost a fumble on a sack by Smith that D.J. Wonnum scooped and scored on a 51-yard return. Adam Thielen had seven catches for 76 yards against his former team.
The Panthers also had a defensive touchdown with Sam Franklin returning a Kirk Cousins pass 99 yards to the house. It gave the Panthers an early 7-0 lead and they held a 13-7 advantage at halftime after a second Cousins interception.
Justin Jefferson scored touchdowns of 4 and 30 yards and had another negated by a holding penalty before Franklin’s pick-six. He caught six passes for 85 yards.
Cousins was 12-of-19 for 139 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Alexander Mattison rushed for 95 yards on 17 carries.
