MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings needed little time to end Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud's streak of passes without a pick.
The second-year quarterback threw an interception on his first throw of the afternoon, a tipped ball that fell into the hands of former Texans linebacker and current Viking Kamu Grugier-Hill. The pick ended a streak of 266 consecutive passes without an interception, dating back to last season.
The turnover allowed the Vikings to score the first points of the game — a 6-yard pass and catch from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson. Jefferson also caught a pass on third down earlier in the drive against his former LSU teammate Derek Stingley Jr.
The Vikings' defense nearly forced a turnover on the next drive when tight end Dalton Schultz dropped a pass near midfield that was initially called a fumble. However, the call was overturned to an incomplete pass, allowing Houston to hang onto the ball.
The Texans eventually missed a field goal attempt that was pushed back following a sack by Jonathan Greenard — another former Texan.
The Vikings quickly marched down the field and found the end zone — an 8-yard TD pass from Darnold to Aaron Jones — to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
The defense hasn't been the only thing derailing Houston's offense. The Texans had three consecutive false starts — with an assist going to the home crowd — in the second quarter to end a once-promising drive with a punt.
Houston had reached Minnesota's 25-yard line before the penalties pushed the Texans out of field goal range. Former Vikings great Cris Carter also weighed in on social media, calling the Vikings' home crowd the "best home field advantage" in the league.
