MINNEAPOLIS - The Carolina Panthers came out of their bye, still carrying a legitimate chance of repeating as NFC South champions despite persistent problems on offence and defence. Cheap Custom Washington Capitals Jerseys .Better put special teams on that list, too, thanks to the Minnesota Vikings.Adam Thielen and Everson Griffen each returned blocked punts for touchdowns, the first time in 24 years one team had two in the same NFL game, and the Vikings handed the Panthers their sixth straight loss with a 31-13 victory on Sunday.Its really disappointing. Its frustrating. Every adjective you can come up with, its that, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said. Right now were not very good.The Panthers (3-8-1) entered the stadium just a half-game out of first place, but they again stumbled out of their annual in-season week off. They fell to 0-4 after the bye under coach Ron Rivera, and they havent won since Oct. 5 against Chicago.Just as damaging were wins by division co-leaders Atlanta and New Orleans on Sunday, bringing both teams to 5-7, but as Olsen tersely put it after the game, the playoff talk is essentially irrelevant with the way the contenders-in-name-only Panthers have been playing after going 12-4 last year.I told the guys weve got four games left to go. Were going to play all four games, expect to win all four games, and keep going from there, Rivera said.The Vikings (5-7) are well behind in the NFC North, but they had plenty to smile about on this frigid afternoon. Griffen had two of the four sacks of Cam Newton, and Teddy Bridgewater threw for scores to Kyle Rudolph and Greg Jennings without a turnover.The rookie led the Vikings on just their third opening-drive touchdown of the season and their first since his debut on Sept. 28 and guided an 11-play, 80-yard drive to push the lead to 28-6 with 16 seconds left before halftime.I think Im better at just making quicker decisions, said Bridgewater, who went 15 for 21 for 138 yards.Newton, on the other side, turned in another unremarkable performance. He was intercepted for the eighth straight game and finished 18 for 35 for 194 yards and one touchdown, plus 49 yards on nine rushes.I have to come in each and every day with a clear mind to try to get better, because I have yet to play a great game in my opinion, Newton said.Here are some key points to know about the game:BRRRR!This was the seventh-coldest game in Vikings history, with a kickoff temperature of 12 degrees and a wind chill well below zero. They are playing outside this year for the first time since 1981. This was only the second under-25-degrees game the Panthers had played since the franchise began in 1995. They played in the NFC championship game after the 1996 season at Green Bay with a kickoff temperature of 3 degrees.BLOCK PARTYGriffen picked up the ball after Jasper Brinkleys block in the second quarter and ran 43 yards for the touchdown, but he was more impressed by Thielens all-in-one play in the first quarter. He burst through the middle unblocked and was so deep in the backfield he had to be careful to avoid a penalty for running into punter Brad Nortman.I got so far in on him that I had to move my hands down. It probably wouldve hit me in the face, but I blocked it with my hands, Thielen said.His dive landed him on the ball, and he leaped to his feet to pick it up and race 30 yards into the end zone.Thats unbelievable. He blocked the kick, he picked up the kick and he scored, so he got like 10 points on one play, Griffen said, using a generous scoring formula. Thats awesome for him.The last time a team scored on two blocked punts in an NFL game was on Sept. 30, 1990, when Kansas City did it against Cleveland. This was also the first blocked punt return touchdown by the Vikings since Oct. 12, 1986, against San Francisco, the longest active NFL streak without one.BREAKING UPXavier Rhodes had three passes defended for the Vikings and helped limit Panthers star rookie Kelvin Benjamin to five receptions for 56 yards. Newton targeted Benjamin 12 times.TRAINING ROOMThe Panthers reported injuries to free safety Tre Boston (ankle) and running back DeAngelo Williams (hand), but Rivera said he didnt know the severity of either. Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd had a sack in the first quarter before aggravating a knee injury that kept him out the week before. Linebacker Anthony Barr also hurt his knee that has given him some discomfort this season. Coach Mike Zimmer said neither of them were serious.PATTERSON LIMITEDCordarrelle Patterson had his usual spot as kickoff returner for the Vikings, but he was barely used as a wide receiver. Zimmer said the absence from the offence was not disciplinary but rather because of knee trouble that kept Patterson out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.Feel like Im 100 per cent. I feel like the coaches didnt feel I was 100 per cent, so they decided to hold me out. I respect them for that, Patterson said.___AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys .com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Cheap Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. http://www.nhldiscount.us.com/Authentic-buffalo-sabres-custom-jerseys/ .Kraft says Goodell realized before seeing a video showing Baltimore running back Ray Rice striking his then fiance that domestic violence was very serious for society in general.HUMBLE, Texas -- Phil Mickelson has never shied away from suspense, though its usually limited to his play. The four-time major winner, who withdrew from last weeks Texas Open after pulling a muscle in his right side, waited as long as possible to end the guessing about whether he would play this week ahead of the Masters. Mickelson finally announced his intentions to indeed play at this weeks Houston Open on Wednesday afternoon through a post on his website. The decision came after two days of "light practice" at Augusta National, where Mickelson said his side "felt sore as opposed to hurting." "I feel that to give myself the best chance at the Masters I have to play in Houston," Mickelson said. "If I thought I would injure myself further I would have withdrawn from the tournament, but the last few days have been good." Mickelson didnt play in Wednesdays pro-am, fueling speculation that he might withdraw from the tournament he won in 2011. However, tournament director Steve Timms said that had been planned for six weeks -- long before his injury. Timms said Mickelson had already agreed to take part in a sponsor dinner rather than play in the pro-am. The worlds No. 5 player helped solidify the Houston Opens spot as a preferred Masters tuneup by committing to play in 2008 and every year since. He finished 16th last year. Mickelsons return to the 7,441-yard Golf Club of Houston -- formerly known as Redstone Golf Club before an ownership change -- highlights a stellar field that features the winners of 34 major championships. Its a field that includes Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, among others, as well as defending champion D.A. Points. First and foremost, theyre after the winners share of the $6.4 million event -- while also using the courses slick greens and tight rough to prepare for the Masters. After a schedule change last year, the tournament is back in its normmal slot. Cheap Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys. And thats just fine with McIlroy, who tied for 45th at the event last year while still in the infant stages of a club change. "Its brilliant," McIlroy said. "They get the fairway heights the same, the rough heights the same, the runoff around the greens ... Its perfect for that." McIlroy finished 19th at the Houston Open in 2009 before missing the cut a year later. The former world No. 1 was winless on the PGA Tour last year, though he has been trending upward since -- including a win over Adam Scott in the Australian Open in December. He finished second at the Honda Classic last month before tying for 25th at Doral. McIlroy took the last three weeks off leading into the Houston Open-- a big change from last year when he decided to play the Texas Open only days ahead of time. Even with Augusta National looming, McIlroy said hes fully focused on competing this week. "I think its important to finish well," McIlroy said. "I dont think theres any better way to prepare than getting yourself into contention and playing golf under pressure, because thats ultimately what you want to do next week." Points sank a 13-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to win last year, winning by one stroke over Stenson and Billy Horschel. The American hasnt finished higher than 28th this year, including missed cuts in each of his last two tournaments, but his confidence is high this week. "Knowing that Ive had success here, and its cool to be out there," Points said. "Makes you feel like, Hey, I can do that again." Mickelson tees off Thursday morning with Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley, with the threesome of Texas native Jimmy Walker, Stenson and Matt Kuchar behind them. McIlroys threesome with Dustin Johnson and Luke Donald begins in the afternoon, followed immediately by a group including Jordan Spieth, Garcia and Steve Stricker. 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