Inside The Vikings

Vikings Beat Raiders 3-0 in Historically Sloppy Slugfest of a Game

That was a sight to behold. Not a pretty one, but a sight nonetheless.

Will Ragatz

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NFL football doesn't get much sloppier than that. 

But hey, as the saying goes, a win is a win.

The Vikings and Raiders were scoreless for 58 minutes and 3 seconds on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas. Things were getting dangerously close to the game going into overtime without any points. If that had happened, maybe the league's first 0-0 tie since 1943 would've even been within reach.

Mercifully, Greg Joseph broke the tie with a 36-yard field with 1:57 on the clock, putting the Vikings ahead. On the very next play from scrimmage, rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. capped an incredible individual performance — and sealed the victory for his team — with the first interception of his career. He read Aidan O'Connell's eyes, dove for the pick, and then ran into the end zone to do a celebratory backflip.

That was the longest an NFL game has been scoreless since the Steelers beat the Dolphins on a short field goal with 17 seconds left on November 26th, 2007. That was also the last time a game finished with a scoreline of 3-0.

The end result is a Vikings victory that moves them to 7-6 on the season and keeps them firmly in the playoff field as the No. 6 seed in the NFC. But although head coach Kevin O'Connell will be happy to have won the game, he's got a lot of work to do with his offense.

The Vikings punted nine times on 11 possessions in this game (the Raiders had eight punts and three turnovers). They averaged 3.3 yards per play, took five sacks, and finished with 231 total yards. It was a complete and utter mess — especially before O'Connell finally made a quarterback change.

Josh Dobbs got the start in this contest and just didn't have it. At all. He was 10 for 23 for 63 passing yards and 21 rushing yards, taking all five of the Raiders' sacks. Dobbs didn't get much help from his offensive line or his pass-catchers, but he struggled immensely to simply throw an accurate pass with good timing. The Vikings didn't turn the ball over once, but they couldn't get anything going with Dobbs running the show.

With 9:10 left in the fourth quarter and the game still scoreless, O'Connell made a move he should've made a while earlier: He benched Dobbs and put veteran Nick Mullens in at quarterback. Mullens wasn't perfect, but he was much, much more effective. He completed 9 of 13 passes for 83 yards, orchestrating a 13-play drive that led to the only score of the game for either team. Mullens, unlike Dobbs, looked at least a little bit confident in his ability to drop back, make a read, stay in the pocket, and deliver an on-time throw.

Presumably, Mullens — or perhaps rookie Jaren Hall — will get the start next weekend against the Bengals.

The story of this game for the Vikings was the play of their defense, which has been unbelievably resilient all season. Brian Flores' group just never stops playing hard and playing well, even when they're getting nothing from their offense. They held the Raiders to 202 total yards and a 3-of-14 mark on third down, pitching the Vikings' first shutout since 2017. Before that, you have to go back to 1993 to find another time Minnesota didn't allow a single point.

Pace led the way with 13 tackles, a sack, and the game-sealing interception. D.J. Wonnum, Harrison Phillips, and Troy Dye also had sacks. Josh Metellus forced a fumble that was recovered by Mekhi Blackmon. Players like Danielle Hunter and Camryn Bynum and Harrison Smith were as impactful as always. It was yet another incredible performance by Flores' group.

Unfortunately, injuries were also a big part of the story in this one. Justin Jefferson, who was finally making his return after missing the last seven games, took a big hit on his second catch of the day, suffered a chest injury, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Brian O'Neill, Alexander Mattison, and Dalton Risner all suffered apparent ankle injuries, too. The Vikings finished the game playing without three of their five starters on the offensive line.

That was a truly bizarre mess of a football game. But the Vikings don't care — they won. And that's all that really matters in this crazy league.

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Will Ragatz
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