It took Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings some effort to get going on Sunday afternoon, but their quest to keep up with the Detroit Lions in the NFC North is alive and well.
Darnold led a Vikings rally in the second half to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22 on Sunday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He made a late game-winning drive, converting on a fourth-and-long and finding Aaron Jones for a 5-yard touchdown with about 70 seconds left on the clock. That put Minnesota ahead by a point, marking their first lead of the entire game, and ultimately pushing them to victory.
That put the Vikings at 10-2 on the season, putting them just one game back of the Lions in the standings. While it would take a misstep by Detroit — which has consistently looked like one of, if not the, best team in the league all season — and a win over the Lions in January in their regular season finale, the Vikings still have a legitimate chance to claim the top seed in the NFC and earn a bye in the first round of the postseason.
While the finish was great, the race was incredibly slow at first. Both teams combined to score six straight field goals to start the game, and Darnold managed just 79 yards on nine completions through most of the third quarter.
Finally, after leading 12-6 with a pair of field goals either side of halftime, the Cardinals flew ahead late in the third. Kyler Murray hit Marvin Harrison Jr. for a perfect 15-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone, putting them up 19-6. That came after a deep pass interference call on Fabian Moreau moved the Cardinals into the red zone.
That urge, for whatever reason, led to the first sign of life in Darnold up to that moment. He responded by leading the Vikings on a quick six-play, 70-yard drive that ended when he hit Johnny Mundt for a four-yard touchdown pass less than four minutes later. As a result, they remained within one score entering the final period.
Just four plays later, after the Vikings defense was seconds away from allowing Murray deep in the pocket, Byron Murphy came up with an easy interception to give them the ball right back. That set up a 31-yard field goal that brought the Vikings back within three points.
While Murray marched the Cardinals into the red zone almost immediately, their advance came to a halt after he was called for intentional grounding. Instead, they had to settle for a short field goal, which led to the Vikings’ winning drive. The Vikings are now 7-1 in one-score games this season.
Murray went 31 of 45 for 260 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss for Arizona, which marked its second straight streak and dropped the mark to 6-6 on the season. James Conner had 68 yards on 17 carries on the ground, and Trey McBride had 96 yards on 12 catches.
Darnold went 21 of 31 for 235 yards and threw two touchdowns in the win. He also had 22 yards on the ground, which tied both Cam Akers and Jones for leading the team in rushing yards. Justin Jefferson had 99 yards on seven receptions. Jefferson also officially surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the season in the game. He is now just the fourth player in NFL history to reach at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first five seasons in the league.
The Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons next weekend, where they can earn their sixth straight win before a divisional matchup against the Chicago Bears on December 16. While it may have seemed like a ridiculous decision a few months ago, after both the Vikings lost their rookie quarterback to a knee injury and considering how the Lions hit the ground running, Minnesota is well on its way to contending for what will be their second NFC North title in the past three seasons.
