NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ For nearly three quarters Sunday, Marcus Mariota could do no wrong.
His numbers were not eye-popping, but during a flurry of designed quarterback runs and play-action passes, Mariota hadn't made a bad decision, whether he was moving the chains on third down or smartly aborting bad plays with throwaways.
Then after yet another play-action fake executed by the clever Tennessee quarterback, he made his first critical mistake of the day as Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen bore down on him. Mariota hesitated then threw late to Titans wideout Harry Douglas.
Second-year middle linebacker Eric Kendricks was lying in wait and pounced on the pass, returning the interception 77 yards for a go-ahead Vikings touchdown.
In an instant, the Vikings had erased a 10-0 halftime deficit and late in the third quarter held their first lead, by a 12-10 score, in the 2016 season opener.
They would run away with it from there, thanks to defensive end Danielle Hunter scoring on a 24-yard fumble recovery after another Mariota miscue, to open the season with a 25-16 victory. It was the first time they scored two defensive touchdowns in a game since 2007.
Vikings quarterback Shaun Hill, who got the nod over newcomer Sam Bradford, was solid enough, completing 18 of his 33 attempts for 236 yards with no turnovers.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after the game he had not yet determined who would start next Sunday against Green Bay.
At halftime it looked as if reigning NFC North champs in a second straight opener were on their way to a head-scratching loss to an inferior opponent.
The Vikings were able to limit the Titans to three points on their first three drives. But the home team took a 10-0 lead into halftime after Mariota threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back DeMarco Murray, who leapt over cornerback Terence Newman before tumbling into the end zone for his first Titans TD.
With the 36-year-old Hill running the offense, the Vikings pieced together a pair of productive first-half drives. But each ended with a miss by Blair Walsh, unsuccessful from 37 yards early in the second quarter and 56 on the last play of the half.
The kicker finally split the uprights, from 50 yards, after wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson took the second half's opening kickoff to the Tennessee 35-yard line. Moments later, he was good again from 33 yards to pull the Vikings within 10-6.
Mariota did throw two TD passes, both to Murray, including one in the closing seconds.
The Titans shut down Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, holding him to 31 yards on 19 carries.
Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes missed the game after suffering a knee injury in pregame warmups.
Walsh also missed an extra point. Zimmer said Walsh's game was "disappointing," but "he's our kicker."
