Vikings-Jets

The Minnesota Vikings win over the New York Jets wasn't as easy the 37-17 score would indicate. It was a messy win. But it was a win. It was also an historic win. The Vikings had never beaten the Jets in New York (New Jersey). The Vikings entered the game 0-5 on the road against the Jets, 2-8 overall. Pesky Jets. The Vikings are now 4-2-1 on the season. The Jets fell to 3-4.

The Vikings started the game well. A snappy opening drive ended with a 34-yard Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to Adam Thielen. 1:38 into the game and the Vikings had a 7-0 lead. It looked like was going to be easy. It wasn't.

This was a defensive battle. Despite giving up 37 points the Jets defense was stifling far more often than not. They just had a few breakdowns and the Vikings took advantage. There was the 34-yard touchdown pass to Thielen, Latavius Murray's 38-yard touchdown burst early in the fourth quarter, and Cousins' 34-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson on 4th-and-8 late in the fourth quarter. The game turned in the Vikings favor once their defense started getting to Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. He was only sacked three times but was consistently under pressure. As the Vikings' lead started to grow Darnold started pressing. He threw three interceptions in the second half. The Vikings scored 13 points off those interceptions. Just like that, a one-score game was 37-17.

It's a good thing that the Vikings were able to score a few times from beyond 30 yards because they had some difficulties scoring when they got close to the goal line. They had a first-and-goal from the three and had to settle for a field goal. An interception and return by Harrison Smith set the offense up nicely at the Jets 9-yard line midway through the third quarter. Three plays lost 2 yards and they had to settle for a field goal. The Vikings started five drives in Jets territory. They only managed three field goals on those five drives. They let eight points slip away on first-and-goal situations. You have to give credit to the Jets defense for stepping up in those situations but a good offense has to score more than nine points when they are start on the opponents side of the field so often. They have to score touchdowns when they have first downs inside the opponents 10-yard line. The Vikings play the New Orleans Saints next week. They can't let so many points slip away against a team as explosive as the Saints.

The game was greatly impacted by the wind. There were gusts of up to 40 mph during the game. Passes were blown wide and fell short of their marks. A 42-yard field goal attempt by Vikings kicker Dan Bailey was blown from the right upright to the wrong side of the left upright. The only good thing about weather factors such as the wind is that both teams have to deal with them.

Vikings receiver Adam Thielen finished the game with nine receptions for 110 yards. It was his seventh consecutive game with at least 100 yards. That ties the league record for 100 yard receiving games to start a season set in 1961 by Houston Oilers receiver Charley Hennigan. Thielen can be break Hennigan's record and tie Calvin Johnson's record of eight consecutive 100-yard games, set during the 2012 season, next week against the Saints.

Kirk Cousins battled the wind and a stout Jets defense to have a fairly good game:
25/40 for 241 yards and two touchdowns.
In comparison, Sam Darnold had the following:
17/42 206 yards and a touchdown and 3 interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown.
Overall, it was a rough game for the young quarterback. Over half of his 206 passing yards were gained in the fourth quarter. While it was a struggle I can see why everyone connected with the Jets is thrilled to have him. He has the leadership, the patience, the presence to be an elite quarterback. Those are some of the elusive quarterbacking qualities that can't be taught. He also has the athletic ability to be an elite quarterback. With Darnold, I see it as more a matter of when than if he reaches his potential in the NFL. Then again, I had seen a lot of that great potential during his two seasons at USC. Especially that first season. As a Cal fan, I'm glad that there wasn't a third college season.

If Cousins never again attempts a backwards pass I'd be thrilled. He threw one against Philadelphia  in Week 5 that turned into a fumble recovery for the Eagles. If not for a quick reaction by Stefon Diggs there would've been another giveaway yesterday.

The Jets came into this game with the second most takeaways in the league. They got none yesterday. This was the first game of the season in which the Vikings didn't turn the ball over. The defense took the ball away from the Jets four times (three interceptions and a fumble). The +4 turnover margin went a long way in turning a defensive struggle into a comfortable win for the Vikings.

The Vikings defense was great against the Jets. They only gave up 263 yards and a sizable chunk of that total came in the fourth quarter. They had those four takeaways. The only real blemish was the Jets touchdown drive in the first quarter. It looked like the Vikings took a quick three minute nap. It was such an outlier from everything that they did before and after.

The biggest issue for the Vikings defense is health. They came into the game without defensive end Everson Griffen, nose tackle Linval Joseph, and safety Andrew Sendejo. Linebacker Anthony Barr and cornerback Xavier Rhodes left the field yesterday with injuries. They have to get healthy in a hurry.

This was a game that the Vikings were supposed to win. Those are sometimes the most difficult to win. Especially on the road. They are on a 3-game win streak but the level difficulty is about to ramp up considerably. They have the Saints at home, a trio of division games (Lions, @Bears, Packers) and then a trip to the Patriots. Their bye comes between the Lions and Bears game. This stretch of games will make or break their season.

For now, the Vikings are 4-2-1 and in first place in the NFC North (thanks to the Packers being on bye).