KOC after Vikings beat Titans 23-13 to go 8-2: 'We're a good football team'

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings will have to be cleaner closing out games, but they’re 8-2 after a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Sam Darnold threw for 246 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and the Vikings took advantage of 13 Titans’ penalties. The defense got five sacks.

Minnesota has now won three straight games, even if the finish wasn’t the prettiest. After a 5-0 start with largely dominant performances, the last three wins have had uncomfortable moments against inferior teams in the second half.

"Look I know it would probably be really fun for us to just steamroll the NFL every single week, it’s just not the way it’s going to go," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said after the win. "We’re a good football team, through 10 games we’ve won eight of them. We’ve got the right mindset, but I do believe our best football is ahead of us. I’m old to enough to remember when nobody thought we were very good." 

The big play

Just before Sam Darnold was about to get hit from behind, he found Jordan Addison open down the middle of the field. Addison made the catch in stride and scored from 47 yards out to give the Vikings a 7-3 first quarter lead.

"That’s the game, man. Sometimes they’re breathing down your neck, especially the way this defense plays. Overall I just felt like this as an organization was a great win for us," Darnold said.

The key sequence

Darnold again was looking for Addison in the end zone on a 4th-and-goal play in the second quarter. Addison couldn’t come down with it, but took a huge hit from Mike Brown, and it resulted in a Titans’ unnecessary roughness penalty. The flag was controversial, but it gave the Vikings a fresh set of downs. Darnold scored on a sneak on the next play for a 13-3 lead.

After Darnold had a few face mask penalties go uncalled, he finally got a whistle to go his way. The Titans had nine penalties for 71 yards in the first half. They finished with 13 penalties for 91 yards, and had a long touchdown wiped away because of an illegal formation in the second half. 

History for Justin Jefferson

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

Moss had 6,743 yards in his first five seasons. Jefferson now has 6,811 receiving yards with seven games left in his fifth season. And remember, Jefferson did not start until Week 3 of his rookie season. Sunday was his 70th start.

Sacks galore for Vikings defense

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

Jones got his second sack of the game in the fourth quarter for a turnover on downs, also the fifth of the game for the Vikings. Playing back in his home state, Harrison Smith sealed the game with a fourth quarter interception of Levis.

What’s next

The Vikings end a three-game road trip at the Chicao Bears next Sunday.