There were some snickers earlier this year when Titans coach Mike Mularkey said the team would play what he called "exotic smashmouth" football this season.
That came after the Titans added former NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray in a trade, and drafted bruising back Derrick Henry in the second round. Sunday, Mularkey turned his new toys loose on the field.
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The two backs, along with second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, looked great in the early going, not so great later, as the Vikings scored two defensive touchdowns in the second half to win, 25-16.
On his very first NFL touch, Henry took a screen pass and ripped off a 29-yard gain.
Not to be outdone, Murray grabbed a short Mariota pass and somersaulted over Terence Newman into the end zone for a 6-yard score. Key play on the drive: A 14-yard reception by Murray on third-and-10. That gave the Titans a 10-0 lead they carried into the half.
But the wheels fell off Mularkey's offense in the second half. Mariota made his first real mistake of the game late in the third quarter, when he threw late to Harry Douglas, and watched as Eric Kendricks returned a 77-yard pick six to give the Vikings a 12-10 lead.
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It got worse. Mariota fumbled early in the fourth quarter, and Danielle Hunter returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.
A 4-yard touchdown pass to Murray in the closing seconds was not enough to help the Titans. Mariota finished the day 25 of 41 for 271 yards, with those two touchdowns and the interception and fumble. Murray didn't find much running room, with 13 carries for 42 yards, and Henry found even less daylight (five carries, three yards). The two backs did combine for seven catches for 76 yards.
The Vikings offense looked even worse, however. Adrian Peterson struggled all day, finishing with only 31 yards on 19 carries. And Shaun Hill, the apparent caretaker of the offense until recently acquired Sam Bradford is up to speed, could not put the Vikes in the end zone. He finished 18 of 33 on the day for 233 yards.