Longwell’s missed FG marks scoreless 1st period for both Vikings, Panthers

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Vikings, Panthers have scoreless 1st

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Longwell missed a 39-yard field goal while the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers played to a scoreless first quarter Sunday night.

Neither team managed to do much offensively early on a chilly night, with Longwell’s miss being the biggest play of an otherwise quiet period. Darius Reynaud had a 34-yard punt return that put the Vikings at the Carolina 25-yard line to start a drive, but Longwell’s kick bounced off the right upright with 3:56 left in the period.

Brett Favre had completed just 3 of 4 passes for 21 yards and was sacked twice for Minnesota, while Adrian Peterson had just 6 yards on 4 carries.

The turf in Bank of America Stadium appeared a little slick after the region got plenty of rain this week, with Favre struggling with his footing before going down on a sack while Peterson slipped on a short third-down catch later on that possession. That prompted Favre to change his cleats at one point on the sideline, then come onto the field for what seemed to be a prime scoring chance that ended with Longwell’s miss.

Carolina didn’t do much offensively either, though Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams left the game late in the period with what seemed to be an injured left foot.

The Vikings made their first gain of the night about 35 minutes before kickoff, clinching the NFC North title once Pittsburgh beat Green Bay on a last-second touchdown pass. In fact, Favre and several other Vikings players took a moment to watch the video boards replaying Mike Wallace’s diving touchdown catch before returning to warmups.

Minnesota is still in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC after New Orleans’ loss to Dallas on Saturday night.

Vikings rookie Percy Harvin was back in the lineup after missing a game with migraine headaches. The receiver returned to practice last week and was also to return kicks despite a report he’s set to visit the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday. Harvin told NBC on Saturday that an MRI last week showed he has two bulging disks in his neck, though a team spokesman on Sunday said he couldn’t confirm the report.

Before the game, there was a moment of silence to honor Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who died this week after a fall from the back of a pickup truck in Charlotte.