The Minnesota Vikings faced their toughest offensive challenges of the season against the New York Jets in London, managing only 37 yards and two first downs during a stretch of seven possessions from late in the second quarter until late in the fourth.
The Vikings had two turnovers and only one offensive touchdown in their 23-17 win, but the defense and special teams performed well, showing why the undefeated Vikings are a formidable team. They have enough strengths in different areas, along with smart coaching, to handle the setbacks that can happen throughout the season.
Sam Darnold had his worst game in five matches, throwing for 179 yards with 14 completions out of 31 attempts, one interception, one lost fumble, and taking four sacks. Running back Aaron Jones left the game due to a hip injury after the first quarter.
However, the Vikings secured a 23-17 win by pressuring Aaron Rodgers, forcing him into three interceptions, three sacks, and a 54.9 passer rating, which is one of the lowest in his 20-year career.
This success was part of another strong game plan from defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Will Reichard, who was perfect in his rookie season, scored 54 and 53 yards on field goals among his three successful attempts, while Ryan Wright averaged 46.3 yards on four punts.
“Especially got to give it up for our defense, Flo and those guys. We needed them today. It was not good enough to our standard on offense, and moments like this are where we lean into a lot of things that our organization is built off of: adversity, dealing with adversity together, no flinch, all three sides figuring out a way to come together and win a football game,” coach Kevin O’Connell said.
“What I told our team is there’s going to be days like this, and when there’s days like this, good football teams find a way to pick each other up against a future Hall of Fame quarterback in tough circumstances.”
