MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota didn’t make it easy on itself again, but the Vikings kept finding ways to win.
Harrison Smith delivered the clincher with about a minute left, stepping in front of Daniel Jones for the game-sealing interception as the Vikings held off the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 on Sunday. The victory pushed Minnesota to 6-0 and came another week in which the offense spent much of the afternoon searching for answers.
The defense did the heavy lifting from start to finish. Blake Cashman was everywhere, piling up 12 tackles, two sacks, four passes defensed and three quarterback hits as Minnesota’s pressure never let Jones settle in. Brian Flores kept coming with blitz after blitz, and Jones finished 13 of 22 for 108 yards while absorbing four sacks and losing 44 yards.
Smith’s pick, his 40th career interception, ended Indianapolis’ final push before it could really begin. The veteran safety, who chose just before the regular season to return for a 15th year, locked down the win near midfield and sent the Colts to 2-5.
The game turned on missed kicks as much as anything else. The Colts had taken a 7-0 lead on Jonathan Taylor’s 38-yard touchdown run on the opening drive and held that edge for more than three quarters, but Spencer Shrader came up short on two field-goal attempts in the second half. His miss from 56 yards - a try Shane Steichen called for on fourth-and-2 - gave Minnesota the opening it needed.
That’s when the Vikings finally found the end zone. Kyler Murray used a 35-yard run to get Minnesota into scoring position, then connected with T.J. Hockenson on a short touchdown pass.
Will Reichard handled the rest for Minnesota. He knocked in three field goals, including a 52-yarder with 1:39 remaining after Grover Stewart blocked a previous 59-yard attempt earlier in the fourth quarter. Reichard had already connected from 28 and 47 yards in the second quarter, extending his streak to 35 straight made field goals and setting a franchise record before the block snapped it.
Shrader entered the day leading the NFL in scoring with 70 points, but his own run came undone in the fourth quarter. His wide-left miss ended a streak of 22 consecutive made field goals and also halted a stretch of seven straight makes from 50 yards or longer. The pressure came hard off the edge from former Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.
The injury list kept growing for Indianapolis. With Sauce Gardner inactive because of a calf injury, the Colts lost more depth in the secondary when Justin Walley went out with a knee injury and Cam Taylor-Britt left with a groin issue in the second half. Tyler Warren missed his second straight game with a groin injury, while Jaylon Carlies returned to the starting lineup after sitting out two games with rib issues.
Minnesota had its own concern when Aaron Jones aggravated a nagging knee injury in the fourth quarter after taking a low hit at the end of a 17-yard run. He did not return. Myles Price, who opened the game with a 46-yard kickoff return and leads the league in punt return average, was checked for a concussion in the first quarter but stayed in the game.
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The pressure only grows from there. Minnesotas schedule is about to turn far less forgiving, and there is little margin for a stumble before it reaches a stretch that will tell a lot more about this team, including meetings with Buffalo, San Francisco and Green Bay. ESPNs Football Power Index still gives the Vikings a healthy edge Sunday, but the bigger test is whether they can use this one to stay ahead of the storm instead of getting caught in it. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Vikings, the intrigue goes beyond simply adding a running back. A player of Taylors profile would almost certainly bring serious interest from multiple contenders, and Indianapolis is not limiting its discussions to one name either. The Colts are also believed to be weighing other veteran options such as DeForest Buckner, Quenton Nelson and Grover Stewart, which leaves plenty of room for movement but no certainty that any deal actually gets done. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings-Colts Suddenly Has A Trade Watch Storyline Fans Will Notice
The Colts front office shake-up added an unexpected layer to a Week 9 matchup that already had plenty of intrigue for Minnesota. Indianapolis recently relieved general manager Chris Ballard of his duties and turned the job over to Ed Dodds on an interim basis, and now the focus shifts to a Sunday meeting with the undefeated Vikings that could be watched just as closely for what happens off the field as on it.
For Minnesota, the timing matters because the trade deadline is inching closer on Nov. 10, and the receiver market is one area worth monitoring. Josh Downs has emerged as a name to keep in mind if the Vikings decide they want to explore help at wideout, giving Sundays game a little extra weight for a team that could be looking beyond the scoreboard while it plays out in Indianapolis. [Read more 🡒]