Vikings make up ground, overcome the Cardinals 23-22 with a late touchdown

The Vikings didn’t score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and heard boos from the home crowd in their first game at U.S. Bank Stadium since Nov. 3. They ended the day with the stadium at full volume, roaring after Shaq Griffin picked off Kyler Murray to seal a one-point win.

They rallied for a 23-22 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday to win their fifth straight game and improve to 10-2. Aaron Jones — who’d been briefly pulled from the game after two fumbles and dropped a diving attempt at a touchdown in the third quarter — caught the go-ahead score from Sam Darnold with 1:13 to go.

Jonathan Greenard had a strip sack on the Cardinals’ final series before chasing Kyler Murray down on a scramble. On fourth down, Murray threw ahead of pressure, but Griffin kept tight coverage on Marvin Harrison Jr. and undercut the throw for the fourth overall pick in the draft.

Why it happened: Though the Cardinals outgained the Vikings 406-273 and led 19-6 late in the third quarter, the Vikings scored 17 points in the final 16:17 while their defense forced two turnovers to close it out. The defense was on the field for 35:49, and lost cornerback Stephon Gilmore while safety Harrison Smith briefly left the game. But the defense got the stops it needed, while Sam Darnold went 7 of 12 for 104 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

What it means: The Vikings are 10-2, still only a game behind the Lions in the NFC North and a game ahead of the Packers for the top wild-card spot. They won while blowing an 11-point lead last week; they won with a 13-point comeback on Sunday. In both cases, they got great QB play from Darnold in the game’s biggest moments.

Play of the game: With the Vikings trailing by six points and facing a fourth-and-5 with 2:10 to go, Darnold found Jefferson for 12 yards in the middle of the Cardinals’ zone before the quarterback absorbed a hit. The play kept the drive alive, and Darnold hit Jones for the winning score.

Turning point: Down 19-6, the Vikings put together their best and most efficient drive of the day, going 70 yards in six plays to pull within six with 1:24 left in the third quarter. They lined up in a heavy formation where Darnold looked for C.J. Ham on a fade route, before working back to Johnny Mundt for a score that made it 19-13.

Up next: The middle game of the Vikings’ three-game homestand is one of their most anticipated games of the season. Kirk Cousins, coming off a four-interception game in the Falcons’ loss to the Chargers, returns to U.S. Bank Stadium next Sunday for a noon matchup that could be a first-round playoff preview.