Sam Darnold made up for an early mistake to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Darnold fumbled the ball on the Vikings’ third offensive play, but he bounced back strong for the rest of the game.
Darnold threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. He helped the Vikings (8-2) win their third straight game and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season.
Despite his early fumble, Darnold’s strong performance led the Vikings to take control of the game. He connected with Jordan Addison for a 47-yard touchdown, putting the Vikings up 16-3 by halftime.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell praised Darnold’s resilience, saying, “How he played in those moments was a huge indicator of a guy that had put the work in and was confident… and then also overcome some things around him to make some plays, which was critical for us.”
Minnesota’s defense also stepped up, recording five sacks in the game. Andrew Van Ginkel had two sacks on consecutive plays, and Pat Jones II added two more. The win was sealed late when Harrison Smith intercepted a pass with 1:50 left in the game. The Vikings’ fans, many of whom had traveled with the team, cheered as “SKOL” chants filled the stadium.
The Titans (2-8) struggled, losing their second straight game and failing to win any of their games against NFC North teams. However, Tennessee made it close with a long touchdown pass.
Will Levis threw a 98-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, which was the longest touchdown pass in the NFL this season. The play pulled the Titans within 16-10 in the third quarter. Levis explained, “Luckily put enough on it to get it behind the safety, and Nick made a good catch.”
That play marked the Titans’ longest pass of the season and tied the franchise record for the longest touchdown pass in team history. Levis also had a touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley in the third quarter, but it was called back due to an illegal formation penalty.
Down 23-13, the Titans went for it on fourth down twice but failed to convert. Levis was sacked on fourth-and-4, and on the next drive, he had to throw the ball away on fourth-and-7 with just over two minutes left.
Tennessee hurt itself with penalties throughout the game, including a controversial hit on Addison that drew two flags. Titans coach Brian Callahan stood up for his players, saying, “I saw a hit that was level with the shoulder pads to the body.”
Safety Mike Brown appreciated his coach’s support, saying, “Honestly, I love it, dog. That just shows how much he’s going to fight for us.”
Darnold scored on a 1-yard run to give the Vikings a 20-10 lead, and later added a 3-yard touchdown pass to Cam Akers, making it 23-10. Despite a missed extra point, Darnold and the Vikings held on for the win.
“This was a great win for us,” Darnold said after the game.
