After a slugfest of a game across the pond, the Vikings walked onto the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London knowing it needed to keep future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of the end zone. They had seen this movie many times before with Rodgers often getting the best of them.
Not this time. Not on Sunday.
In the biggest moment of the game, Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore stuck in coverage, worked back to the ball and intercepted Rodgers as the Vikings put the finishing touches on an ugly 23-17 win over the New York Jets.
There is certainly a lot to clean up after the most tense win this season. That said, the Vikings head into their bye week with a perfect 5-0 record. They won’t complain about that.
It was fitting that the defense stepped up when the Vikings needed it most. The group led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores has proven it’s good enough to carry the Vikings as far as they want to go, and that’s exactly what it did against the Jets.
On the other side of the ball, the offense struggled mightily for the Vikings, with veteran quarterback Sam Darnold looking completely out of sorts for prolonged stretches. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 179 yards and did not throw a touchdown for the first game this season.
Though the Vikings will take the win, the fact that it was so close likely irked head coach Kevin O’Connell, especially given the way the game stared.
After a 54-yard field goal from rookie kicker Will Reichard put the Vikings in front 3-0 in the early stages, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel made another big splash as he continues to establish himself as arguably the best player on the defense. With the Vikings in need of a spark, Van Ginkel dropped into coverage, intercepted a pass from Rodgers and raced the other way for a touchdown that stretched the lead to 10-0.
After more dominance by the defense, highlighted by an interception from safety Cam Bynum followed by a forced turnover on downs, the Vikings made it 17-0 as fullback C.J. Ham plunged into the end zone for a touchdown.
Though it looked like the Vikings might be on their way to a blowout victory, everything changed when running back Aaron Jones left the game. He suffered a hip injury, and while he tried to test it out of the sideline, he was ruled out after not being able to sprint at full speed.
The importance of Jones was on display as the offense grinded to a halt with him on the sideline. Nothing was the same for Darnold from there as he struggled to get into a rhythm with O’Connell proving ineffective with the plays being delivered into his helmet.
The door cracked open for the Jets shortly before halftime as the Vikings gifted them good field position. Not long after that, Rodgers bought some time in the pocket, then found receiver Allen Lazard for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-7.
Neither team was able to string together much offense after halftime with kicker Greg Zuerlein nailing a 32-yard field goal for the Jets to make it 17-10 before Reichard made a 53-yard field goal for the Vikings to push the lead back to 10 points at 20-10.
After flirting with disaster for most of the game, Darnold’s erratic play finally came back to bite him in the second half as he threw a costly interception near midfield late in the game. That gave the ball back to Rodgers and he marched the Jets down the field before finding receiver Garrett Wilson for a touchdown to get the Jets within three at 20-17.
Finally, the Vikings got a drive from Darnold when they needed it most, and it concluded with Reichard nailing a 41-yard field goal to make it 23-17. That set the stage for Rodgers, and while he had the Jets driving, he threw an interception to Gilmore that sealed the deal for the Vikings.
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