St. Louis - In Mike Zimmer's debut as the Vikings' head coach, he delivered.

His defense overwhelmed the St. Louis Rams.

His offensive coordinator found ways to use Cordarrelle Patterson, perhaps the most-underused player of the 2013 NFL season.

He won his debut, 34-6, and while the opponent was underwhelming, the victory remains impressive.

A year after the Vikings finished 5-10-1 largely because of defensive blunders, they earned this one the way Vikings fans had to hope it would be earned - with Zimmer getting the most out of his defensive players, and with the Vikings proving it is possible to hold a lead.

There were too many penalties for any coach's taste, but while the game was ugly, you could see signs of intelligent design in Zimmer's defense.

A guy recovering from a gunshot - Linval Joseph - had a sack.

A guy recovering from a season that threatened to make him the team's next cornerback bust - Josh Robinson - made a spectacular interception.

The pass rush was effective, with top draft pick Anthony Barr hitting Rams quarterback Austin Davis to cause an interception that Harrison Smith returned 81 yards for a touchdown.

Most of all, Zimmer's defense never looked confused, never broke coverage, never made it easy on the Rams.

It was an auspicious debut that was consistent with Zimmer's reputation around the league as a coach who can make his players better.

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I'll be on 1500ESPN-AM at noon on Monday to recap the game with Mackey&Judd.