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Vikings return 2 blocked punts for TDs in 1st half

MINNEAPOLIS -- It's a block party in Minnesota.

Adam Thielen and Everson Griffen returned blocked punts for touchdowns in the first half against Carolina on Sunday, making the Vikings the fifth team to do it multiple times in the same game.

Thielen blocked Brad Nortman's punt in the first quarter and returned it 30 yards for a score. Griffen then ran Jasper Brinkley's blocked kick 43 yards for a 21-3 lead in the second quarter.

Prior to Thielen's TD, the Vikings had gone 453 games without scoring on a blocked punt.

The Vikings are the first team to do it since the Chiefs blocked two against the Browns on Sept. 30, 1990. No team has returned three blocks for a touchdown in the same game, according to STATS.

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