The Minnesota Vikings enjoyed a new feeling of being in control during the fourth quarter, as Justin Jefferson jumped on the bench and waved his arms to encourage the home crowd to cheer even louder for a defense that kept the Houston Texans struggling all afternoon.
The cheers were well-earned.
Sam Darnold tied his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Vikings intercepted C.J. Stroud twice and sacked him four times in a 34-7 win over the Texans on Sunday.
“That’s something I could get used to for sure,” Jefferson said. “We just dominated all around. Defense is definitely the number one reason.”
Jonathan Greenard recorded three sacks against his former teammate Stroud, the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, as the Vikings (3-0) put pressure on the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable strategy, along with support from the fans at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“I couldn’t hear myself talk out there, so imagine for the offense having to check their protections and do certain things like that up front,” said Cam Bynum, who intercepted Stroud in the fourth quarter.
Darnold connected with Jefferson and Aaron Jones for touchdowns in the first quarter. In the second half, he threw a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and also got one to Johnny Mundt.
Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards for the Vikings, who were expected to finish last in the NFC North but have now defeated two strong teams to start their home games against San Francisco and Houston. This was Minnesota’s largest winning margin in five years.
“I think we’re made of the right stuff,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’ve just got to keep proving it.”
Darnold completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards without any turnovers, and the 2018 third overall draft pick also matched his career best with a three-game winning streak as a starter.
Darnold left the game briefly to have his left knee checked after a late hit by former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, but he returned after one play to a loud cheer.
The Vikings improved to 6-0 all time against the Texans, who finally scored with 3:56 left in the third quarter on a pass from Stroud to Cam Akers. Akers spent part of last season with the Vikings and made his first start with the Texans because Joe Mixon was injured.
Stroud completed 20 of 31 passes for 215 yards. This was the first time in 10 starts that he had been intercepted.
Stroud’s first pass was knocked down by Harrison Phillips, and the ball went straight to linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, who returned it for an interception to the 21-yard line.
Darnold scrambled to the left six plays later and found Jefferson open in the front corner of the end zone to take an early lead.
The Vikings respected the talent that the Texans had, especially with Stroud, the 2023 second-overall draft pick, as a key player on this improving team. However, they were confident that their aggressive and unpredictable defense would cause problems.
“The Texans helped the Vikings a lot,” coach DeMeco Ryans said.
The Texans struggled with the crowd noise, which added to the pressure created by defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his players. Six of the seven first-half penalties happened before the snap.
Four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil committed three of those penalties. One was an illegal formation that canceled a third down pass that could have moved the chains near midfield.
Another was part of three straight false starts by the Texans when they had third-and-4 at the Minnesota 25. Tunsil was flagged again for illegal formation, which the Vikings declined so they could force a punt.
Darnold understood Stroud’s challenges with the pre-snap confusion and unusual alignments, having faced Flores’ defense during training camp.
“It can cause a lot of thinking at the quarterback position,” Darnold said, “and that’s always hard.”
