The Vikings survive another late scare, beating the Jets after three interceptions

The Vikings offensive and special teams did everything they could to lose this game. The defense didn’t allow it.

What looked like a stunning victory for the Vikings turned into a thrilling finale for the second week in a row. It wasn’t a full 28-0 lead in Green Bay, but Minnesota was up 17-0 in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Jets in London. This turned into a lead of 20:17 in the fourth quarter and a nerve-wracking end.

With the Vikings leading 23-17 after Will Reichard’s third field goal, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets offense had the ball with a chance to drive downfield and score a touchdown. At the Minnesota 26, they faced a third-and-10 when Rodgers tried to find Mike Williams and instead threw his third interception of the day. Stephon Gilmore, the Vikings’ veteran No. 1 corner, made a great play to record his 32nd career INT and seal the win.

With the win, the Vikings go into their bye at 5-0. But despite escaping a scare for the second Sunday in a row, Kevin O’Connell’s team still has a lot of cleaning to do over the next few weeks, particularly on offense.

Sam Darnold had by far his worst game of the season. He was 14 of 31 for 179 yards, no touchdowns and one pick. After a decent start, he looked completely lost as the Vikings’ offense was unable to accomplish anything for much of the game without running back Aaron Jones, who left the game in the second quarter with a hip injury.

But the offense was at least able to snap out of its panic to grab a few key first downs and score a Reichard field goal that tied the game by six points late. That meant Rodgers and the Jets had to get into the end zone against Brian Flores’ defense to win – and they couldn’t.

Justin Jefferson had six catches for 92 yards on 14 targets in this game and also drew numerous defensive flags in what was an up-and-down game for him. He had one of the key catches on the drive that put the Vikings ahead by six.

Make no mistake: Flores’ defense was the reason the Vikings won this game. They were sloppy on offense and made several errors on special teams, but the defense got the job done. Three interceptions, three sacks and a 5-for-17 mark on third down for New York were among the key stats.

Darnold and the Vikings’ offense was in disarray in the second half. Whether that’s due to the absence of Jones, a shot to the ribs by Darnold in the first half, poor play calling and execution by the Vikings, or a great performance by the Jets’ defense is unclear. It’s probably a combination of everything. Jones’ importance is clearer than ever, but his departure in the second quarter can’t explain the full extent of Minnesota’s difficulty moving the ball.

For a while it looked as if the trip across the pond would be smooth. The game started like all Vikings games this season: with Minnesota dominating. The Vikings forced a three-and-out, took a 3-0 lead on their first offensive possession, forced another three-and-out and then recovered a fumble with a pick-six from Andrew Van Ginkel, who did the same continues to do I’m having an incredible season. For “Gink” it is the second part of the season.

Rodgers threw another interception a minute after the pick-six, sailing a ball that was easily caught by Camryn Bynum. The Jets’ next drive ended with a turnover on downs. This sparked a rushing touchdown by CJ Ham that gave the Vikings a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. It looked like they were on their way to another stunning win, led by an incredible performance from the Flores defense.

At that point, the offense stalled, allowing the Jets to get back into the game after a couple of touchdown passes from Rodgers. But in the end, the Vikings did enough to remain undefeated as they prepare to fly back to the United States on Monday.