Minnesota Vikings- Christian Ponder
Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has thrown seven interceptions in his last games, as Minnesota takes on the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon. Reuters

The Minnesota Vikings meet the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at Mall of American Field.

The game begins at 4:25 p.m. EDT and will be shown by FOX, or watch a live stream online by purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket Max.

The Vikings continue to be the surprise team early in the season after beating the Detroit Lions 20-13 for a tie for first place in the NFC North.

Minnesota’s special teams provided the bulk of the offense, with receiver Percy Harvin returning the opening kickoff 105 yards for a score, and cornerback Marcus Sherels running a punt back 77 yards that put the Vikings up 20-6.

The Vikings defense also held quarterback Matthew Stafford without a touchdown pass for the first time in a game since 2010.

Quarterback Christian Ponder has made leaps and bounds from his rookie season, ranking eighth in passer rating and is the only starting quarterback not to throw an interception this season.

All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson appeared to be back in top form last week, garnering 102 rushing yards, and receiver Jerome Simpson returned to the line up to lead Vikings with four receptions for 50 yards.

Tennessee will miss quarterback Jake Locker, who was starting to get more comfortable in the pocket, but separated his throwing shoulder in the Titans 38-14 drubbing by the Houston Texans.

Veteran Matt Hasselbeck will start Sunday in place of Locker, but the Tennessee will look to running back Chris Johnson to repeat his performance from last week, when he broke out of his slump for 141 yards on 25 carries. Johnson’s previous season-high was 24 yards in Week Three versus Detroit.

If Johnson is successful the Titans can control the lock and keep their struggling defense off the field. Tennessee is ranked 27 th defending both the pass and rush, and give up a league-worst 37.8 points per game.

Linebacker Colin McCarthy may return Sunday after missing three games with an ankle injury , which should bolster Tennessee’s defense.

Betting Odds: Minnesota is favored by 6 points; Over/Under: 44 points

Prediction: The Vikings couldn’t manage an offensive touchdown last week, but should be able to score against the Titans dismal defense. Arguably the two most talented running backs in the league, Johnson and Peterson could run wild in a game that should be low scoring and eventually will favor the Vikings.

Predicted Score: Minnesota 14, Tennessee 10

National Football League