(New Orleans, LA) -- The New Orleans Saints began defense of their Super Bowl championship with a 14-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the 2010 NFL regular-season opener at the Superdome. Pierre Thomas' one-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter was the difference. Drew Brees hit Devery Henderson with a 29-yard TD strike less than two minutes into the game to put New Orleans ahead. Minnesota answered in the second quarter on Ryan Longwell's 41-yard field goal and Brett Favre's 20-yard scoring strike to Visanthe Shiancoe [[ vuh-SAHN-tay SHEN-koe ]], but the extra point was no good as the Vikings led 9-7. Brees finished 27-of-36 for 237 yards and one touchdown. Thomas tallied 71 yards on the ground on 19 carries in the win. Favre, returning for a 20th NFL season, completed 15-of-27 passes for 171 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Adrian Peterson rushed 19 times for 87 yards in the loss. The Vikings will host the Miami Dolphins in Week Two a week from Sunday.
