Die Allianz T-D-P » on the baseline are long gone

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Minnesota Vikings keep finding ways to overcome injuries -and keep finding ways to win football games.Sam Bradford threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph, Marcus Sherels returned a punt for a score and the Vikings snapped the Carolina Panthers 14-game home winning streak 22-10 on Sunday.The Vikings put the clamps on Cam Newton, intercepting the leagues reigning MVP three times and getting eight sacks, one of those resulting in a safety by Danielle Hunter. The eight sacks were the second-most ever against Newton.We have a great team -- the best team I have been a part of, said Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who had three sacks. We come from every area on the field and we get sacks.Said Newton: They were dictating to us after they got the momentum.The Vikings improved 3-0 despite losing running back Adrian Peterson and offensive tackle Matt Kalil to injuries last week. They lost starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the preseason.The Panthers were averaging 42 points per game in their last three home games, but could do little after bolting to a 10-0 lead. The Vikings held Carolina wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess without a catch.For him not to have any touches is baffling, Newton said of Benjamin. We have to find ways to get him the ball.Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said the Vikings focus was on shutting down Benjamin.We just knew where Benjamin was the whole time, Munnerlyn said. Funchess, we werent worried about him. It was Kelvin Benjamin. Me personally, I think No. 17 (Funchess) is not that good, so we werent really worried about him.Benjamin said the Vikings pressure on Newton helped take him out of the game.Bradford improved to 2-0 as the Vikings starter, completing 18 of 28 passes for 171 yards. With Peterson injured, Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon combined for 70 yards rushing on 22 carries. Rudolph had seven catches for 70 yards, including a 15-yard TD catch to put the Vikings ahead for good in the early in the third quarter.HOME LOSS: It was Carolinas first home loss since Nov. 16, 2014.If you want to be a playoff team you have to win at home, Panthers offensive tackle Michael Oher said.Carolina only led 10-8 at halftime despite outgaining the Vikings 205-34 in the first half and limiting Minnesota to two first downs.PROTESTS OUTSIDE: Outside the stadium about 100 people gathered before the game to stage a peaceful protest over the police shooting of a 43-year-old black man last week.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said the events didnt affect the teams play.When we are here, we practice, we do the things we are supposed to do. We got out and we answered the questions, Rivera said. What happened here was very tragic, and what we were hoping to do was be able to come out and put that aside. We just didnt play very well. I am not looking for excuses.BY THE NUMBERS:Vikings: Asiata got the start at running back but McKinnon was more productive back with 45 yards on 16 carries.Panthers: Cameron Artis-Payne started over Fozzy Whittaker with Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) out of the lineup and ran for 47 yards on 12 carries. Whittaker only got five carries and had 22 yards rushing after running for 100 yards last week against San Francisco.SAFETY FIRST: Hunter beat Michael Oher to sack Newton in the end zone in the first quarter for Minnesotas first safety since Jared Allen had one on Dec. 4, 2011. Hunter has 6 1/2 sacks in his last seven games.SHERELS RETURN: Sherels accounted for the Vikings only touchdown of the first half, taking an Andy Lee punt near midfield and cutting across the grain for a 54-yard touchdown return.BENJAMINS BLUNDERS: Benjamin was called for two penalties in the first half, including a block in the back that nullified a 56-yard TD reception by Whittaker.INJURIES: Panthers first-round draft pick Vernon Butler left the game with a right ankle sprain in the third quarter and did not return.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLAdidas Ultra Boost España . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Adidas Ozweego Baratas . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. http://www.baratasnmd.com/ . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Adidas Ozweego España . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Adidas Deerupt Baratas . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness.LONDON -- For the first time in his 11 Grand Slam finals, Andy Murray will be the heavy favorite to win -- and why not?Murray, seeded No. 2, might be 2-8 in major championship matches, but hes super-saturated with big-match experience. The 29-year-old Scot reached the Australian and French Open title matches earlier this season but lost to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in both.But Djokovic and fellow Murray nemesis Roger Federer are out of Wimbledon. Murray will play No. 6 seed and first-time Grand Slam finalist Milos Raonic on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN. Theyll meet before a passionate, partisan British crowd.For British players growing up, Wimbledon is the biggest competition, Murray said after his semifinal win. To get to play in front of a home crowd in a Grand Slam final is very, very rare.However, Murray has never really known the kind of pressure hes going to be facing. Every other final hes played has been against either Federer or Djokovic, both of whom were strong favorites. The stress will be different. While Murray has had a great year and leads his head-to-head series against Raonic 6-3, the Canadian, at just 25, is teetering on the brink of a career-shaping breakthrough.The men met just a few weeks ago on a similar grass court in the Queens final. Murray came back to win in three sets after Raonic led 7-6 (5), 3-1. Naturally, each man put a different, self-promoting spin on that high-quality clash.Murray reminded anyone listening of his reputation as the best serve returner in the game.The thing that stands out for me [about the Queens final] was the return winner I hit on the break point at 3-1 to get back into the match, Murray said. That was the turning point, really. He hadnt lost serve the whole week. Came up with that return, the match changed from there.Raonic, who came back to oust Federer in Fridays semis, had this take:Im up there 7-6, and I have a point for 4-1 and end up getting broken by a close miss, he said. I wasnt disappointed with that point. That can happen. I was disappointed with how I dealt with things after that. I sort of went into my shell, didnt put myself out there enough. I think thats the thing I want to avoid the most.The confession illustrates why Raonic, despite his 6-foot-5 frame and a 140 mph serve, has upp to now been considered an underachiever.dddddddddddd He has failed to assert himself at key moments. That powerful engine stalled in three previous Grand Slam semifinals. But not this time.On Friday, Raonic seemed headed for a four-set loss to Federer, the man who has clearly been the second-best grass-court player (behind Djokovic) for a number of years. Maybe 12 additional months in 34-year-old Federers life made a difference. But more likely, the enormous evolution Raonic has undergone in recent years, and the advice hes gotten from new coach and head cheerleader John McEnroe, enabled him to flip a familiar Wimbledon plot.Theres been a lot of hype about the coaches in this one. Murray is back together with Ivan Lendl, while McEnroe has been working with Raonic. The enmity between Lendl and McEnroe goes back a long, long way, and its unlikely its fervor has dimmed.The players have had to remind the media more than once that the matches arent really about the guys in the track suits or commentary boxes; theyre about the guys out there in short pants, whacking the ball.As Murray said, Im playing against Milos. Im not playing against John, and Milos isnt playing against Ivan.Federer said hes been impressed by the changes the past four or five years have wrought in Raonics game. The days when Raonic played from way, way back on the baseline are long gone, Federer observed.That big serve is still the anchor of Raonics game. As a matter of fact, Murray said he believes Raonic serves even harder than noted ace makers John Isner and Ivo Karlovic.But Milos is better off the ground than both of those guys, Murray added, and he has a better return game, as well.Murray wont be worrying much about Raonics return game, and hell be more than happy to take his chances in rallies with Raonic.If Murray can handle Raonics serve, the Scot should win his second Wimbledon title -- and avoid becoming the first man in the Open era to lose in the final of the first three Grand Slam events of the year.These tournaments are why Im still playing and why Im training hard and trying to win these events, Murray said. Thats what really motivates me. ' ' '