MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold rolled out to his left on a play-action pass with just over two minutes to play, and threw a dart to tight end Josh Oliver.
The 27-year-old tight end, who is known more for his blocking skills, hauled in the pass in the end zone to help the Vikings take down the Indianapolis Colts 21-13 Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"We had been running the rock a ton," Oliver told KARE 11's Will Hall following Sunday's victory. "Had a play-action late, they bit, and Sam gave me an (opportunity) and caught the ball and scored."
The late score capped a second-half surge that helped the Vikings shake off two consecutive losses, and overtake the No. 2 spot in the NFC North.
"We persevered," Oliver said. "Were down at the half, came out and did what we wanted to do. Persevered through it."
Darnold was up-and-down for much of the night, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions, but he came through when the game mattered most to deliver a perfect throw in the game's closing minutes. He was 2-for-2 in the late scoring drive, including a 21-yard connection with receiver Jordan Addison to move the ball into Colts territory.
"I felt like we played a really clean game as an offense, besides my turnovers, which was good," said Darnold, who finished the night 28 of 34 for 290 yards, three touchdowns — all coming in the second half — and two interceptions. "I felt like we were really good with no self-inflicteds, all those things penalty-wise. .... We were really efficient as an offense that way, just gotta take care of the football."
Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson had a huge game under the national spotlight, hauling in seven passes for 137 yards, including a 41-yard reception to set up Minnesota's second touchdown out of the half.
The Vikings (6-2) were able to hang on for a crucial win during an important part of the schedule, but there were plenty of miscues along the way. Here are three takeaways from the Vikings' win Sunday night:
Free 3
Vikings receiver Jordan Addison got Minnesota on the board with a highlight-reel catch in the end zone on the first possession of the second quarter. The second-year receiver hauled in the pass with his left hand while diving to give Minnesota its first points of Sunday's contest.
The score came after a cryptic message on Instagram last week when he posted a photo of himself with the caption "Free 3." He later explained the post, saying it was something he came up with years prior and wasn't referencing his lack of catches over the previous three games.
Prior to Sunday, Addison had a limited impact since scoring twice against the Green Bay Packers. Over the ensuing three weeks, the former first-round pick had just eight catches for 124 yards, but on Sunday against the Colts, he re-emerged to make five catches for 42 yards, including the one-handed grab to get the Vikings on the board. He also had a big first-down catch in the fourth quarter to help Minnesota's offense run off more clock in the closing minutes.
"To me, having (Addison, Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson) are who we want to build our offense around, with Aaron Jones and our running game being a major part in what we want to do," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. " ... We've got a lot of weapons, we just need to continue to trust in the fact that the next play — if we get 11 guys executing — we're going to have a good play."
Defense does its job
The Viking's defense forced two turnovers and held the Colts to just six points as they bounced back after surrendering 61 points over the previous two weeks.
Minnesota sacked Colts quarterback Joe Flacco three times — all coming in the fourth quarter — and continually applied pressure to hurry the veteran quarterback to get the ball out quickly. According to the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling, Flacco was pressured 13 times Sunday — 10 coming with for or fewer pass rushers.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was also held in check for most of the night, finishing with just 48 yards on 13 carries. All in all, it was a big game for a defensive unit that had been picked apart by the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams.
Byron Murphy Jr. had his second interception in as many games when he jumped a pass early in the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-8. Safety Harrison Smith scooped up a fumble on the game's first drive to end a once-promising drive for the Colts, who failed to find the end zone on offense.
Reichard's rough night
Rookie kicker Will Reichard had been automatic through the first seven games of the season, but he missed his only two field goal attempts Sunday in what turned out to be a one-score victory over the Colts.
Reichard pushed a 53-yard attempt wide right on his first attempt of the game to end his perfect start to the year. He later missed on a 31-yard field goal late in the first half, to mark the first time this season the Vikings were held scoreless in the first half.
Prior to his two misses, Reichard was 14 of 14 on field goal attempts and 20-for-20 on extra points. Reichard was seen on the sideline with a wrap around his right leg, which Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said after the game was due to "tightness," but he stayed in the game to kick three extra points to help Minnesota capture the victory.
"At some point in the first half, don't know if it was a field-goal attempt or a kickoff, but he started to feel a little tightness," said Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell of Reichard. "Definitely something to monitor as we kind of move forward."
Extra points
Rare first-quarter pick: Both the Colts and Vikings exchanged turnovers to start Sunday's game, the latter coming after Minnesota marched to Indianapolis' 16-yard line. Quarterback Sam Darnold was picked by Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, marking the first time this season that Darnold was picked in the first quarter.
Scoreless start: For the first time this season, the Vikings failed to put up points in the first quarter Sunday. Entering the weekend, Minnesota led the league with 72 points and outscored opponents by 62 points — the largest margin in the NFL. It also snapped a streak of five straight games with at least one touchdown in the opening quarter.
Akers getting more involved: Running back Cam Akers saw a bigger role in the offense on Sunday after getting traded to the Vikings on Oct. 15. The 25-year-old back had six rushes for 46 yards and a pair of catches for 7 yards as the Vikings got back in the winner's column after a two-game skid.
Struggles up front: The Vikings interior offensive line had a rough night against the Colts, and it led to Indianapolis' lone touchdown in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Grover Stewart powered through the line and forced Sam Darnold to drop the ball near midfield early in the second quarter. Kenny Moore II scooped up the ball and ran the ball 38 yards into the end zone for the game's only score in the first half. Darnold was sacked four times throughout the night.
