The Minnesota Vikings had several opportunities to pull away from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday but kept shooting themselves in the foot.
Quarterback Sam Darnold threw three interceptions - all in Jaguars territory - to repeatedly stall an offense that was otherwise good on Sunday.
In the end, though, thanks to a strong defensive effort and a kicker signed just four days earlier, the team defied the odds in a big way and left Jacksonville with a 12-7 win.
How crazy was Minnesota's win on Sunday? Well, according to NFL Research, teams that failed to score a touchdown and turned the ball over at least three times in a single game were 0-147 before Sunday, the last win coming way back in 2006 (of course, against Minnesota).
— Dante Koplowitz-Fleming (@DanteKopFlem) November 10, 2024Teams with zero touchdowns and at least three turnovers were 0-147 since 2010
The Vikings are the first team to win such a game since the Packers in 2006 (against the Vikings)@NFLPlus
"I just think that speaks kinda to the resiliency of the team," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Winning on the road is always hard, no matter what, even when you play a lot better than we did yesterday, especially offensively."
Again, Minnesota dominated most of the day, running 39 more offensive plays than Jacksonville, possessing the ball for nearly 25 more minutes and outgaining the Jags 402-143. Yet, three ill-timed turnovers nearly cost the team the game.
"It was about the red zone, it was about detail to finish drives and ultimately try to punch the ball in the end zone a couple times there, that game looks awfully different," O'Connell said.
Darnold's 13 turnovers this season are most in the NFL, but it's not a new issue for him. Since he entered the league in 2018, his 83 turnovers are tied for eighth-most in the NFL, but nobody has turned it over at a higher rate, as he's done that in just 75 games, at least 14 fewer than anybody else with that many turnovers in that span.
With a better supporting cast around him this season, Darnold has flashed some high-level play that made him the third overall pick in 2018 but he's still been turnover prone. The Vikings will have to see if they can fix that because they may not be as lucky next time.
