MINNEAPOLIS _ Everything seemed to be setting up for a Vikings victory Sunday.
Adrian Peterson sprinted out of the tunnel, his return giving the Vikings an emotional lift. The Indianapolis Colts were forced to start three rookie offensive linemen against one of the NFL's most ferocious pass rushes. The fans were fired up, even if it was simply because they were inside.
Then the game started and seemingly was over a minute or two later.
The Colts took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and stunned the Vikings and the U.S. Bank Stadium crowd by increasing it to 17-0 in the second. And when they made it 27-0 just before halftime, some of those fans thought it would be more enjoyable to walk out into subzero temperatures.
Indianapolis would cruise to a 34-6 victory. And for Minnesota the loss, the most embarrassing of the Mike Zimmer era, all but eliminated the sleepwalking, penalty-prone Vikings from playoff contention.
In his first game back from a knee injury, Peterson touched the ball seven times. The Vikings got him involved right away, handing it to him on their first play immediately followed by a swing pass to the 31-year-old running back, who rushed for only 22 yards in his first game since Sept. 18.
The offense, which had changed so much since Peterson last played, was predictably out of sync as the Vikings relied on the rusty running back early. They picked up just two first downs gained 69 total yards in the first half. It didn't help that their defense couldn't corral the Colts.
Down 3-0 early, the Vikings got a third-down stop near their goal line. But nose tackle Linval Joseph was flagged for illegally contacting the long snapper on a Colts field-goal try. The penalty gave the Colts a first down and two plays later they scored on a 1-yard run by Robert Turbin.
Midway through the second quarter, the Colts made it a three-score game after Colts quarterback Andrew Luck chucked a 27-yard touchdown to tight end Erik Swoope, who pulled away from veteran outside linebacker Chad Greenway on a go route. That big pass play capped off a nine-play, 92-yard drive.
The Vikings finally got something going offensively before halftime, with a 28-yard catch by tight end Kyle Rudolph getting them to the 22-yard line. But Peterson, fighting for a few more inches at the end of a 13-yard run, coughed up the football and Colts safety Mike Adams snatched it up.
The Colts marched right back down the field to score again, with Turbin shaking loose of three Vikings defenders on his way into the end zone.
Then Sam Bradford was intercepted in Vikings territory and the Colts booted a field goal as the first half mercifully ended, with the Vikings down 27 points and in need of the greatest comeback in team history.
Instead, the second half started with a lost Bradford fumble and Luck, who threw for 250 yards before taking a seat, heaved a 50-yard touchdown pass to Colts wide receiver Phillip Dorsett early in the fourth quarter.
When the Vikings finally got on the board with a third-quarter field goal, making it 27-3, some fans mocked them with an exaggerated ovation. Despite being down 31 points, they kicked another one in the fourth.
The loss dropped them to 7-7. Up next are the Packers in Green Bay.
