Believe it or not, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder had more to talk about than just his marriage Wednesday. In revisiting Sunday's 36-22 win in St. Louis, Ponder again noted the significance of the Vikings' opening drive, a 45-yard touchdown march that set the tone for the day.
On a series in which Adrian Peterson was stopped for minus-3 yards on five rushes, Ponder's playmaking proved key in sparking the Vikings to an early 7-0 lead.
Included on the march: an 11-yard completion for a first down to Jerome Simpson and a key 13-yard connection to Stephen Burton on third-and-14.
The latter put the Vikings in position to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Rams 7. Ponder converted that play with a frenetic 3-yard scramble.
"On fourth down, obviously we love coach going for it," he said. "As players we love that. He took the risk and we converted, which was big."
Moments later on third-and-goal from the 5, Ponder finished the drive with an improvised touchdown run. The designed play called for a pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph. But Rudolph was double-covered coming off the right side of the line. Ponder's second option would have been to Michael Jenkins, running an out route against Bradley Fletcher on the outside to the right.
But once Robert Quinn blew by Charlie Johnson, penetrated the backfield and slapped Ponder in the face, the quarterback instinctively took off and dove in for the score.
"We knew that winning on the road is hard," Ponder said. "And for us to do it, we have to start fast. And it was crucial to finish that first drive."