EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings put up 30 points on the Arizona Cardinals to finally snap a four-game losing streak that had soured their season.On paper, that should be reason to celebrate for an offense that has struggled this season to sustain drives, open holes in the running game and put the ball in the end zone. But one of those touchdowns came on a 100-yard interception return by Xavier Rhodes, and another came on a 104-yard kickoff return by Cordarrelle Patterson.The Vikings followed a similar path to victory on Sunday as they did during their 5-0 start to the season, during which they got two TDs and a safety from their defense and two more TDs from special teams to inflate their scoring numbers. They know that they cant expect to sustain that kind of production over the final six games of the season, starting in Detroit on Thursday.Any time we get help from our defense or special teams, obviously, its a huge help, quarterback Sam Bradford said. And its great to have that, but as an offense, we cant rely on that. Weve got to go out there expecting for us to go out and play well and put up enough points to win.The Vikings offense did score twice in the first half against the Cardinals, but managed just three points in the second half and put up 217 yards in the game. New offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur pulled out several different trick plays to try to loosen up the defense, using some wildcat formations to get a little production out of the leagues worst running game and even going to a flea-flicker that drew a penalty and set up another touchdown.I still think theres a lot of room for improvement, Bradford said. Weve got to be better in the second half. But there were some positives, and obviously, just to get a win. I think that just does a lot for this team and does a lot for this group. Hopefully thats something we can build on going forward.Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata combined to rush for 64 yards on 21 carries. Thats not a number that jumps out, but considering they entered the game on pace to become the first team to average under 3.0 yards per carry since the Patriots in 1994, it was viewed as a step in the right direction.Coach Mike Zimmer was encouraged by the ability to convert a third-and-1 and for Asiata to pound into the end zone from two yards out after watching his team fail over and over in short yardage situations during that four-game skid.Were not going to be Eric Dickerson yet, Zimmer said. Were working on the little things.There remains a possibility that injured star Adrian Peterson could return to the field sometime in December, though he still has a long way to go in the rehab process following surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee. Peterson has been out since Week 2 against Green Bay, but he was only averaging 1.6 yards per carry before he went down.In Petersons absence, Patterson has emerged as a playmaker that the Vikings offense sorely needs. The 2013 first-round draft choice went through a 20-game stretch from 2015 into this season where he had just four catches for 24 yards. But in the last seven games, Patterson has caught 32 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Those arent numbers that will make Julio Jones jealous, but its a start.Nothing is good as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems, Zimmer said. Somewhere in the middle is where reality falls.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Cheap Vikings Jerseys Authentic . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. http://www.cheapvikingsjerseyselite.com/ . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Cheap Vikings Jerseys China .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Cheap Vikings Jerseys . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. DETROIT -- The Detroit Pistons added another necessary element to their rebuilding team, landing a player with an outside shooting touch. Luigi Datome and the Pistons agreed to a $3.5 million, two-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced. NBA rules prevent confirmation of moves until Wednesday, when Datome is expected to sign his contract. The Pistons wanted to add a player with Datomes skill set soon after adding former Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith. They found what they were looking for in the 25-year-old Datome, who is from Italy. The 6-foot-7 forward, who has made 40 per cent of his 3-point attempts over the last 10 years, averaged 16-plus points and nearly two 3-pointers per game last season. Detroit ddesperately needed to upgrade the talent on its roster this summer and took a big step Saturday, agreeing to a $54 million, four-year deal with Smith.dddddddddddd The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward scored a team-high 17.5 points last season for the Hawks and also averaged 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals. The Pistons hired coach Maurice Cheeks to replace Lawrence Frank, who was fired a day after they finished 29-53 this year. Detroit will likely start the 27-year-old Smith it its frontcourt with 23-year-old power forward Greg Monroe and centre Andre Drummond, who turns 20 next month. In the backcourt, the Pistons have Brandon Knight and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the No. 8 overall pick in last months draft. The franchise, mired in a four-year post-season drought, went into the off-season with $20-plus million in cap space. ' ' '
