The Minnesota Vikings came out on top defeating the Indianapolis Colts 21-13 on “Sunday Night Football” last night even after starting the game off super slow and sloppy. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 28 of his 34 passes for 290 yards and threw three touchdowns but had a season-high two interceptions on some horrific miscues that held the offense back from being their usual selves on Sunday night. The Minnesota offense moved the ball for 194 total yards in the first half, they also had two turnovers, one being returned for a Colts touchdown.
They also had three sacks, and two missed field goals that kept them down 7-0 going into halftime. In the second half, the Vikings finally turned it up with two scoring drives to open up the second half, one to Jordan Addison and another to Jalen Nailor. Sam Darnold and Joe Flacco traded interceptions early in the fourth quarter and the Colts capitalized with a field goal that cut the deficit to just 4 points. After that, the Vikings drove 60 yards down the field and Sam Darnold threw his third touchdown pass of the night to Josh Oliver putting the game out of reach for the Colts. Let’s go over what we noticed from last night’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Indianapolis Colts.
Minnesota Vikings Defense Continues To Lock It Down
The Minnesota defense has rebounded after a pair of back-to-back losses limiting the Colts to just thirteen first downs. The Vikings also limited the Colts to 68 rushing yards and 159 yards in the air, and only a thirteen-yard gain by Jonathan Taylor was the longest rush that Minnesota Vikings allowed limiting the talented back to just 48 yards on thirteen carries. “The Hitman” Harrison Smith recorded his first fumble recovery since 2019 and broke up a few key passes late in the game.
Byron Murphy Jr recorded his 11th career interception, 6th with the Vikings. The Indianapolis Colts played almost the first hour without allowing a sack until Jonathan Greenard Broke through. Greenard recorded two sacks late, and Jihad Ward recorded one late in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings Felt The Presence Of These Missing Pieces
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The Vikings welcomed back the return of tight end T.J. Hockenson, who played for the first time since December 24, 2023, when he suffered a torn ACL. Hockenson was targeted three times with three catches for 19 yards. The Vikings also got a great night from the newest Vikings Cam Robinson who was acquired in a trade last week from Jacksonville, and they also got a good performance from returning Vikings Cam Akers, who also made his mark on the game Sunday night rushing six times for 46 yards.
Someone else who usually makes an impact on the game didn’t quite “hit the mark” last night and I mean that literally, as kicker Will Reichard has been perfect thus far until his first kick of the evening. A 53-yard attempt went barely wide right with 5:46 remaining in the first half. Reichard then had another opportunity later in the quarter, but his 31-yard attempt hit the right upright with just thirteen seconds remaining in the first half. However, the rookie rebounded by making all three extra points in the second half despite his other leg bothering him.
This Win snaps a two-game losing streak for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are still one game behind Detroit in the NFC North and a half-game ahead of Green Bay. They now head out on the road over the next three weeks, starting with Jacksonville in week 10. The Colts on the other hand suffered their biggest loss of the season, but are still one game back from the wild-card contention in the AFC playoff picture. The Colts head home for a week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills. 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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