Sam Darnold, defense leads Vikings to 23-13 win at Tennessee

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 17: Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings throws a pass during the second quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. ((Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images))

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Vikings will need to close out games more cleanly, but they are 8-2 after beating the Tennessee Titans 23-13 on Sunday.

Sam Darnold threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, and the Vikings capitalized on 13 of the Titans’ penalties. The defense had five sacks.

Although it didn’t end well, Minnesota won three games in a row. The Vikings ended the game with fans chanting “Skol”.

big game

As Sam Darnold was about to get hit from behind, Jordan found Addison open down the middle of the field. Addison strode over, caught the ball and scored from 47 yards out to give the Vikings a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.

key sequence

Darnold was again looking for Addison in the end zone on a 4th-and-goal play in the second quarter. Addison didn’t make it, but he took a big hit from Mike Brown that resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty from the Titans. The flag was controversial, but it dealt the Vikings another defeat. Darnold sneaked a touchdown pass on the next play for a 13-3 lead.

After several face-mask penalties were called off, Darnold finally blew a whistle to move on. The Titans committed nine penalties for 71 yards in the first half.

History of Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is off to a historic start to his career and he made even more of it on Sunday. Jefferson had four catches for 46 yards in the first half and passed Randy Moss after a 31-yard catch for the most receiving yards in a player’s first five seasons in Vikings’ franchise history. Jefferson also surpassed Torry Holt’s career mark of 6,784 yards through his first five seasons with a 25-yard gain in the third quarter.

Moss rushed for 6,743 yards in his first five seasons. Jefferson has 6,811 receiving yards with seven games left in his fifth season.

Sacks aplenty for the Vikings’ defense

The Vikings defense entered Sunday’s game leading the NFL with 30 sacks. They got four more points in the first half, two from Andrew Van Ginkel and one each from Pat Jones and Blake Cashman. Van Ginkel can get up to eight sacks on the season.

Jones forced a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter to pick up his second sack of the game, the fifth of the game for the Vikings. The Titans committed 13 penalties for 91 yards on Sunday, and a long touchdown was erased by an illegal formation penalty.

What’s next?

The Vikings will conclude their three-game road trip at the Chicao Bears next Sunday.