Reliant Stadium - It took Adrian Peterson just under eight seconds to scamper 75 yards on the game’s first play to put Minnesota up 7-0.  It also took just under eight seconds for the NFL’s best running back to leave the Texan’s coaching staff with a pounding headache as they frantically search for answers as to how best shore up their porous defensive.

The only good thing about Monday’s 17-10 lost to the Vikings is the fact that it is still only the preseason.  Granted, the hysteria surrounding the Brett Favre circus provided the ambiance of a playoff-type atmosphere at Reliant Stadium.

The venerable gunslinger from Mississippi appeared shell-shocked at times but did still manage to connect on 13 of 19 of his pass attempts for 142 yards and a touchdown.  More importantly, he played through three quarters of action and survived a frenzied pass rush administered by new Texans Defensive Coordinator Frank Bush and his defense. The much-maligned Texans unit tallied two sacks against Favre and applied relentless pressure on the future Hall-of-Famer all night.

Favre’s counterpart Matt Schaub was 10 of 14 for 108 yards, but tossed a crucial interception deep in Vikings territory that nullified a game-tying drive in the first quarter.  Schaub was able to engineer a successful second quarter drive to pull the Texans within three, but was forced to leave the game at the half due to a sprained ankle.

Schaub’s back up Dan Orlovsky, replaced him in the second half, but wasn’t able to ignite a comeback as the Texans fell to 1-2 during the preseason.  Schaub is expected to sit out the team’s final preseason tune up against Tampa bay next week and is expected to be ready to go as the Texans open up the season against the New York Jets at Reliant on September 13.

Most of the attention on the evening was on Favre, but it was Peterson who captivated the Reliant crowd with his breathtaking run through the left side of Texans defense.  Peterson finished with 117 yards on the night before exiting the game during the third quarter.  This was the second consecutive game the Texans defense allowed a rusher to reach the century mark, as journeyman rusher Mike Bell did the honors last week for the Saints.