MINNEAPOLIS — Gus Frerotte gave a wobbly passing attack some life with the kind of calm, poised performance his coach had in mind when he made the switch.
Frerotte couldn’t have helped save Minnesota’s season, however, without another productive performance by that relentless defense.
Antoine Winfield’s sack of Jake Delhomme and subsequent 19-yard fumble return for a touchdown right before halftime spurred the Vikings to a 20-10 victory over Carolina on Sunday to hand the Panthers their first defeat.
“You can’t afford, in this league, to go 0-3,” Winfield said. “We put ourselves in a tough situation, but I think we battled back today and made a statement.”
Replacing Tarvaris Jackson, Frerotte completed 16-of-28 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown to Visanthe Shiancoe — the first by the Vikings in more than seven quarters.
“I really don’t have any idea how they’re a 1-2 football team,” Delhomme said of the Vikings.
After some off-the-mark passes and one interception in the first half, Frerotte found his rhythm after Winfield’s big play and following the break marched the Vikings 80 yards in barely more than two minutes to take a 17-10 lead.
“It was a lot of fun. I feel really comfortable with our team, with our coaches, with our line,” Frerotte said.
