Game 3
Vikings vs. CHARGERS
Noon Sunday
TCF Bank Stadium
TV: Ch. 4
Radio: 100.3-FM, 1130-AM
About the CHARGERS (1-1)
• The Chargers rallied to win their opener 33-28 against the Lions, but fell short on the road in Week 2 against the Bengals, 24-19.
• They scored 30 consecutive points to overcome a 21-3 deficit and eke out a 33-28 victory over Detroit but didn't have enough steam to rally for a second straight week.
• The last time the Chargers traveled to Minnesota was 2007 when current Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner was their coach. They lost 35-17 as Adrian Peterson set an NFL single-game record with 296 rushing yards. San Diego, however, won the last meeting between the teams, 24-17 in 2011.
• Quarterback Philip Rivers passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns last week; his 256th career TD pass pushed him past Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for the most in Chargers history.
• Keenan Allen caught 15 passes for 166 yards in the season opener, but had only two catches for 16 yards at Cincinnati.
Player speak RB MELVIN GORDON
• The 2014 Heisman Trophy finalist from Wisconsin has 30 carries for 139 yards in his first two pro games, including 88 yards Sunday.
• Gordon is best friends with Vikings cornerback and 2015 first-round draft pick Trae Waynes. The pair played football together at Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wis., and then played against one another in the Big Ten.
• On the quality start to his rookie season and learning that Adrian Peterson sees some of himself in Gordon: "Just getting better every day, just trying to improve on my weaknesses and my strengths. … Coming from one of the guys I look up to in this game, that's a huge compliment."
• On the matchup with Waynes: "It will be exciting. I've been waiting for it for a while now to go up against him. Hopefully he's in [the game] and we get to compete against each other."
Coach Speak MIKE McCOY
• McCoy, 43, led the Chargers to the playoffs in his first season in 2013 and coached the team to its first playoff victory since 2008. He was the second-youngest head coach in the NFL at the time of his hiring.
• McCoy has posted two 9-7 seasons as San Diego's coach. He took over for Turner, who led the team from 2007 to '12.
• On starting better: "It's more consistent execution for 60 minutes, but every team is going to say that. Regardless of how you play throughout the game, it's a matter of playing better for 60 minutes as an entire football team."
• On comparing Peterson to Gordon and his impressive start: "Every player is different and everyone has their style. … I know we're very happy with what Melvin has done to this point and time, and he's only going to get better."
JASON GONZALEZ