The Minnesota Vikings faced off against the Tennessee Titans over the weekend and at the start of the game when Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold fumbled the ball just three plays in Vikings fans everywhere started to question if this was going to be another weekend of Sam Darnold playing mediocre and the defense having to carry the team to a victory. Instead, Darnold made up for that fumble for the rest of the game, throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and running for a score, leading the Vikings to a 23-13 victory over the Titans.
Before Sunday’s matchup, the Vikings quarterback had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the season’s first seven games. Darnold answered right back to help the Vikings win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. They now wrap up their three-game road swing at Chicago, while the Titans go on the road against AFC South rival Houston Texans.
Minnesota Vikings vs Tennessee Titans What Went Right For Both Teams And What Went Wrong?
Minnesota cleaned it up on offense this week for sure, but there’s still work to be done on that side of the ball. Coach O’Connell had this to say about his quarterback after Sunday’s victory for the Minnesota Vikings:
“How he played in those moments was a huge indicator of a guy had put the work in and was confident and just going out there and doing his job… and then to also overcome some things around him to make some plays, which was critical for us.”
Sam Darnold kept it short and sweet after the game saying:
“This was a great win for us.”
The Tennessee Titans’ offense, on the other hand, did make the Titans’ longest pass play since DeAndre Hopkins’ 61-yarder in 2023, against Atlanta in Levis’s first NFL start. It tied for the longest TD pass in franchise history matching Willard Dewveall’s TD catch from Jacky Lee with the then-Houston Oilers in 1962, against the Chargers. Levis also had a 51-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley inside the final minute of the third wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on Isaiah Prince. They settled for Nick Folk’s second field goal from 43 yards out.
That was pretty much the story of the afternoon for the Tennessee Titans, they just kept shooting themselves in the foot with penalties. They had nine penalties for 71 yards by halftime. Minnesota didn’t draw its first flag until the Tennessee Titans already had eight of them. Tennessee finished with 13 penalties for 91 yards compared to three for 35 yards by the Vikings. Two illegal formation penalties on Prince alone wiped out a TD and a 23-yard reception in the fourth by Westbrook-Ikhine.
A Couple Of Players Left The Game Sunday Suffering Injuries
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The Minnesota Vikings lost wide receiver Jordan Addison in the fourth quarter due to cramps bothering him, and tight end Josh Oliver hurt his ankle which will be evaluated back in Minnesota. The Tennessee Titans lost linebacker Jack Gibbens who was carted off the field with his right ankle in an air cast early in the third quarter that coach Callahan said likely will end his season. Running back Tyjae Spears also left for the Titans in the second half after being evaluated in concussion protocol and didn’t return the rest of the game.
These two teams are on very different paths this season, one is a rebuilding mess while the other continues to battle through adversity and is taking a three-game winning streak into Chicago to battle it out with the Bears for an epic divisional matchup. To keep up with everything going on around the league go to GridIronHeroics.com and follow me on X(Twitter) @Crain_Sports1.
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