ARE YOU KIDDING ME! That was epic! I can’t believe how that game went down. You couldn’t have scripted something this crazy. Anyway, what a win for the Vikings. Minnesota went into Buffalo and upset the Bills in a 33-30 OT thriller. The Vikings got down early, going into halftime behind 24-10. It got worse when the Bills kicked a field to go up 27-10 in the third. The Vikings then scored 20 unanswered points, starting with a Dalvin Cook 81-yard rushing touchdown. Justin Jefferson had the catch of the year and Eric Kendricks recovered a fumble in the endzone.
After that it just felt like there was no way the Vikings wouldn’t win this. A field goal in overtime and Patrick Peterson’s second interception of the day sealed the Vikings monumental win over the Bills. The Vikings now sit at 8-1 as the second best team in the NFL (only behind the Eagles, the only team to beat the Vikings) with a 5.5 game lead in the NFC north (pending the Packers game). With that let’s look at my Minnesota Vikings week 10 takeaways.
No Lead Is Safe Against The Vikings
Yeah, not after this week. The Vikings this season have five comeback wins in the fourth quarter. They have been down by 17 points once, ten points twice, three points once, and one point once in the fourth quarter this year and have rallied in all five games. Against Detroit, Washington, and now Buffalo the Vikings were down ten or more in the second half and have comeback to win each game.
Minnesota is lethal late in games. Who would have thought down 17 on the road in Buffalo late in the third quarter the Vikings would comeback to win. Not many people, including myself, were thinking they would comeback and win (though I wasn’t shocked that they did, just more in how they did it). This team has now put the league on notice, no lead is safe when you play the Minnesota Vikings.
The Defense Was Fantastic
Ed Donatell and Kevin O’Connell have figured something out on defense. Are they still giving up a lot of yards, yes. They are improved and that’s what matters. The Vikings gave up 486 yards of total offense, 29 first downs and allowed the Bills to hold the ball for 33:46 minutes. Honestly, I can’t complain in the fact that they gave up almost 500 yards of total offense. Why? Because it’s Buffalo. You are giving up a lot of yards if you play them. Thankfully the Vikings also had 481 yards of total offense against one of the best defenses in the league.
The biggest stat was a +2-turnover differential. The Vikings turned the ball over twice, but the defense got four in a pair of fumbles and a pair of Patrick Peterson picks including the game winning interception.
https://twitter.com/AlexMicheletti/status/1591911270474809349
The defensive play of the game had to be this. After the Bills stopped the Vikings on a fourth and goal quarterback sneak on the one-yard line, Josh Allen fumbled a snap in the endzone, and Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks recovered it for a touchdown giving the Vikings their first lead since the first quarter.
https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1591903338865606657
Insanity. That is how you would describe this game. The Vikings were fantastic. Down early, rallied late with the defense putting on a clinic, forcing four turnovers and two sacks with a touchdown. That is how you beat good teams. That is how you win big games and the defense stepped up big today.
Cook-ing With JJ
Yeah, who else would I be highlighting today? These two guys were fantastic. Let’s start with JJ. Jefferson went off for a career high 193 yards on ten catches and a touchdown, averaging 19.3 yards per catch. He was awesome. He also had the catch of the year. On a fourth-and-18 Cousins threw a deep pass to Jefferson who wrestled the ball out of the hands of a defender with just one arm! Incredible to say the least.
https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1591900048694317056
Now onto our second player. Dalvin Cook rushed for 119 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, averaging 8.5 yards per carry (though he had 81 yards on one rush).
https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1591890343251021825
Cook took off late in the third quarter, jump starting the Vikings come from behind win over the Bills. It was a great run and led to a lot of other success from the team. It was also the turning point for the Vikings, and they never looked back scoring 20 unanswered before Buffalo tied the game to head into overtime. The Vikings kept on cooking in overtime, getting into field goal range for Greg Joseph to make up for his missed extra point. In the end, Jefferson and Cook made the Vikings offense look how I thought it would all season, near unstoppable (ok, only in the second half).
A Look Ahead
So, who do the Vikings have next week after their big win in Buffalo? Minnesota travels back to Minneapolis to host the Dallas Cowboys (6-2) who are playing the Green Bay Packers this afternoon. It is another big game for the Vikings who are riding high after upsetting the Bills.
