Vikings survive another late scare, beat Jets behind three interceptions

The Vikings are 5-0 and their defense deserves all the credit.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws the ball against the New York Jets in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Vikings' offense and special teams did just about everything they could to lose this game. The defense wouldn't let it happen.

For the second week in a row, what looked like a Vikings blowout win turned into a nail-biting finish. This wasn't quite a 28-0 lead in Green Bay, but Minnesota was up 17-0 in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Jets in London. That turned into a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter and a nerve-wracking ending.

With the Vikings up 23-17 after Will Reichard's third field goal, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets' offense had the ball with a chance to drive down and score a go-ahead touchdown. They faced a third and 10 at the Minnesota 26 when Rodgers tried to find Mike Williams and instead threw his third interception of the day. Stephon Gilmore, the Vikings' veteran No. 1 corner, made a great play to record his 32nd career INT and seal the victory.

Lock down Gilmore.#NYJvsMIN pic.twitter.com/8mhOYdbfMr

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024

With the win, the Vikings move to 5-0 as they head into their bye. But despite escaping a scare for the second consecutive Sunday, Kevin O'Connell's team has a lot to clean up over the next couple weeks, particularly on offense.

Sam Darnold had easily his worst game of the season. He was 14 of 31 for 179 yards, no TDs, and a pick. After a decent start, he looked completely lost as the Vikings' offense could get nothing done for a long stretch of this game without running back Aaron Jones, who left the game with a hip injury in the second quarter.

But the offense was at least able to snap out of its funk enough to pick up a couple key first downs and set up a Reichard field goal that made it a six-point game late. That meant Rodgers and the Jets would have to get into the end zone against Brian Flores' defense to win it — and they couldn't do it.

Justin Jefferson had six catches for 92 yards on 14 targets in this game, also drawing numerous defensive flags in an up-and-down outing for him. He had one of the key catches on the drive that put the Vikings up by six.

Make no mistake: Flores' defense was the reason the Vikings won this game. They were sloppy on offense and made several mistakes on special teams, but the defense got the job done. Three interceptions, three sacks, and a 5-for-17 mark on third down for New York were among the key stats.

Darnold and the Vikings' offense were a complete mess in the second half. Whether that can be traced to missing Jones, Darnold taking a shot to the ribs in the first half, poor play-calling and execution from the Vikings, or a great performance by the Jets' defense is unclear. It's probably some combination of all of them. Jones' importance is clearer than ever, but his departure in the second quarter can't explain the full extent of Minnesota's struggles to move the ball.

For a while, it looked like this was going to be smooth sailing across the pond. The game began like all of the Vikings' games have began this season: with Minnesota dominance. The Vikings forced a three-and-out, took a 3-0 lead on their first offensive possession, forced another three-and-out, and then bounced back from a fumble with a pick-six from Andrew Van Ginkel, who continues to have an unbelievable season. It's the second of the season for "Gink."

Rodgers threw another interception a minute after the pick-six, sailing a ball that was caught easily by Camryn Bynum. The Jets' next drive ended in a turnover on downs. That set up a C.J. Ham rushing touchdown to put the Vikings up 17-0 in the second quarter. It looked like they were on their way to another blowout win, led by an incredible performance from Flores' defense.

That's when the offense stalled out and let the Jets back into the game behind a couple touchdown passes from Rodgers. But in the end, the Vikings did enough to remain undefeated as they prepare to fly back to the United States on Monday.