St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson had more rushing yards than Adrian Peterson in the Minnesota Vikings' 34-6 season- opening win over the St. Louis Rams.
Patterson carried the ball three times for 102 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown, and caught three passes for 26 yards for the Vikings (1-0), who started the Mike Zimmer era on Sunday.
"I like how this team works, I've said it numerous, numerous times," Zimmer said.
Peterson rushed for 75 yards on 21 carries for Minnesota, which went 5-10-1 under Leslie Frazier last season. Greg Jennings hauled in six passes for 58 yards and a score.
Veteran Shaun Hill completed 8-of-13 passes for 81 yards and an interception for St. Louis before exiting at the half with a quad injury. Austin Davis connected on 16-of-23 passes for 192 yards and an interception in relief.
The Rams, of course, lost quarterback Sam Bradford in the preseason to another ACL injury.
"Shaun was uncomfortable the second-to-last drive [of the first half]," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "At halftime, we decided it would not be a good idea for him to return. He has a quad strain. I'll know more information on it tomorrow."
Brian Quick caught seven passes for 99 yards for St. Louis (0-1), which went 7-9 in 2013. Zac Stacy carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards.
The Vikings got the ball to start the game and Blair Walsh capped an 11-play drive with a 52-yard field goal.
Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein just missed a 50-yard field goal try late in the first quarter. Patterson followed with a 23-yard run that led to a 46-yard Walsh field goal.
Minnesota had great field position after Josh Robinson picked off Hill late in the first half. Just four plays later, Jennings caught an 8-yard TD pass to make it 13-0 with 21 seconds left before the break.
Davis connected on 3-of-4 passes to start the second half, but the Rams had to settle for a 56-yard Zuerlein field goal.
Patterson's electric 67-yard TD run made it 20-3 with 1:54 left in the third stanza.
The Vikings had a drive extended early in the fourth when the Rams were called for a roughing the kicker penalty. Kyle Rudolph made St. Louis pay with a 7- yard touchdown grab for a 27-3 lead.
Things continued to fall apart for the Rams, as Harrison Smith intercepted Davis and went 81 yards the other way for a score with 2:57 left.
Zuerlein made a 46-yard field goal to account for the final margin.
Game Notes
Rams defensive end Chris Long left the game with an ankle injury ... Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes exited with a groin injury ... Hill made his first start since the 2010 season, when he was in Detroit.
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