With a 105-yard kickoff return from Percy Harvin to begin the game and a 77-yard punt return from Marcus Sherels, the Minnesota Vikings had enough to defeat the Detroit Lions 20-13 to improve to 3-1.

The Vikings had a -3.2 deficit in The Trench Counter, averaging just 3.8 yards per pass and recorded eight fewer first downs. The Lions had a +6 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Christian Ponder went 16-for-26 for 111 yards, but didn't commit a turnover. Adrian Peterson rushed 21 times for 102 yards.

Matthew Stafford went 30-for-51 for 319 yards but couldn't get Calvin Johnson going and the running game was held to a 2.8 yards per carry average.

The Minnesota Vikings gave the San Francisco 49ers their first loss of the 2012 season, winning 24-13 behind a strong performance from Christian Ponder.

The Vikings had a +9.1 advantage in The Trench Counter, going 7-for-14 on third down while also recording just one penalty for 10 yards. Minnesota also had a +18 edge in Total Rushes/Completions, as they rushed the ball 41 times against just 20 for the 49ers.

Ponder went 21-for-35 for 198 yards and two touchdowns to Kyle Rudolph, along with an additional 33 yards on the ground with a touchdown. Adrian Peterson rushed 25 times for 86 yards. 

Alex Smith went 24-for-35 with a touchdown to Vernon Davis and an interception.

Adrian Peterson's usage may soon increase as he continues to recover from his offseason knee surgery.

“We think he’s getting to that point where we can think about a few more carries," said Leslie Frazier. "He’s getting close to that point, so we’ll see how he does this week in practice. We’ve been rotating him and Toby (Gerhart) every other series. We’re going to see how he does this week in practice.”

Peterson has rushed 33 times for 144 yards over the first two weeks of 2012.

Andrew Luck recorded his first NFL win as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Minnesota Vikings by a final score of 23-20.

Luck and the Colts needed a late drive to setup an Adam Vinatieri field goal after Christian Ponder led the Vikings to two late game touchdowns.

The Colts had a +4.5 advantage in The Trench Counter, despite being outgained in both rushing and passing on a per play and overall basis. The Vikings had 105 yards in penalties. Minnesota had a +3 advantage in Total Rushes/Completions.

Luck went 20-for-31 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, finding Dwayne Allen and Reggie Wayne for his scores.

Christian Ponder went 27-for-35 for 245 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Percy Harvin caught 12 balls for 104 yards, while Adrian Peterson rushed for 60 yards on 16 carries.

Dwight Freeney will not play for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Freeney has a high-ankle sprain and may miss multiple weeks.

The Minnesota Vikings have spent more on players from 2005 until 2011, $804.4 million, than any other team in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rank last during the period with $621.3 million. The Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005 and 2008, while also winning the AFC in 2010. RealGM's Trench Counter statistically ranks the Steelers as the top team in the NFL between 2007 and 2011.

The Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers round out the top-five highest spenders.

The next four lowest spending teams are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos.

1. Minnesota Vikings $808.4 million
2. Oakland Raiders $797 million
3. Indianapolis Colts $786.7 million
4. New Orleans Saints $782.2 million
5. San Diego Chargers $771.7 million
6. Green Bay Packers $768.6 million
7. Dallas Cowboys $760.7 million
8. Houston Texans $760.4 million
9. Miami Dolphins $760.3 million
10. Baltimore Ravens $750.2 million
11. Cleveland Browns $748.6 million
12. Arizona Cardinals $747.4 million
13. Atlanta Falcons $746.5 million
14. Buffalo Bills $744.4 million
15. Jacksonville Jaguars $746.2 million
16. New England Patriots $742.4 million
17. Philadelphia Eagles $741.2 million
18. Carolina Panthers $737.8 million
19. St. Louis Rams $737.5 million
20. Washington Redskins $736.8 million
21. Chicago Bears $733.5 million
22. Cincinnati Bengals $732.2 million
23. Seattle Seahawks $731.1 million
24. Tennessee Titans $718.6 million
25. San Francisco 49ers $718.3 million
26. Kansas City Chiefs $716.7 million
27. New York Jets $702.9 million
28. Denver Broncos $701.5 million
29. Detroit Lions $697.2 million
30. New York Giants $695.9 million
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers $682.4 million
32. Pittsburgh Steelers $621.3 million

The Denver Broncos had the best DVOA in Week 1 as they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by the Baltimore Ravens over the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots over the Tennessee Titans.

Football Outsiders also has a stat calle DAVE, which stands for DVOA Adjusted for Variation Early. After Week 1, DAVE accounts for 90 percent and the current VOA counts for 10 percent.

The Patriots rank first in DAVE at 41.0%, followed by the Falcons, Packers, Bears and Ravens. 

Here are the full rankings for DAVE with the preseason DVOA ranking in parentheses: 

1. Patriots (1)
2. Falcons (3)
3. Packers (2)
4. Bears (6)
5. Ravens (7)
6. Jets (8)
7. Broncos (11)
8. Saints (5)
9. Steelers (4)
10. Texans (13)
11. Eagles (12)
12. Cowboys (14)
13. Panthers (10)
14. Giants (9)
15. Buccaneers (22)
16. Lions (21)
17. Chiefs (15)
18. 49ers (23)
19. Chargers (19)
20. Bills (16)
21. Titans (17)
22. Redskins (20)
23. Raiders (24)
24. Bengals (18)
25. Vikings (29)
26. Seahawks (28)
27. Jaguars (26)
28. Dolphins (25)
29. Colts (27)
30. Cardinals (30)
31. Browns (31)
32. Rams (32)

The Minnesota Vikings will keep Adrian Peterson on a "pitch count" of 10-15 rushes per game, according to a source.

Toby Gerhart will receive the bulk of the carries during the early part of the season as Peterson continues to strengthen his knee.

The Minnesota Vikings had Adrian Peterson in the lineup and had 17 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns, but they still needed a Blair Walsh 55-yard field goal as time expired in regulation and another one in overtime to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23.

The Vikings had a +6.0 advantage in the Trench Counter, as Christian Ponder had the more efficient 9.9 yards per pass compared to his sophomore counterpart Blaine Gabbert's 6.2.

Maurice Jones-Drew also played nearly a full game, rushing 19 times for 77 yards.

The Minnesota Vikings will start Adrian Peterson at running back in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Peterson tore his ACL and MCL on December 26th last season.