JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The knock on quarterback Sam Darnold when he signed with the Vikings was his propensity for turnovers. It plagued him early in his carer with the New York Jets, then carried over to his time with the Carolina Panthers before he finally found some stability with the San Francisco 49ers.
That issue reared its ugly head on Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium as the Vikings somehow escaped with a 12-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The only reason the game was even remotely close was because Darnold threw a trio of interceptions that took points off the board.
In the end, the Vikings got a otherworldly effort from their defense, which made up for a shaky effort from their offense.
The game started with an efficient drive from the Vikings that culminated with a 45-yard field goal from new kicker Parker Romo in his NFL debut.
It was a memorable moment for Romo after being signed this week to replace injured rookie kicker Will Reichard.
It also served as a precursor of what was to come as Romo played a starring role in the game.
There were signs of life from the Jaguars on the next possession, as quarterback Mac Jones led them down the field, then plunged into the end zone to make it 7-3.
That’s when it started to go off the rails for the Vikings.
It started with Darnold moving the ball into enemy territory only to throw an interception to linebacker Foyesade Oluokun while trying to fit a ball into a tight window. It continued with Darnold leading lengthy drive that resulted in no points after throwing an interception to cornerback Montaric Brown in the end zone.
After taking some time to regroup at halftime, Darnold walked back onto the field and made the same mistake, throwing a jump ball near the goal line that wound up being an interception to safety Darnell Savage in the end zone.
Luckily for the Vikings, the defense rose to the occasion with the offense struggling, and the Vikings ultimately went up 12-7 on a trio of field goals form Romo.
Fittingly, the game ended with the Vikings getting an interception of their own from safety Cam Bynum, which gave Darnold an opportunity to kneel out the clock.
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