This is the live report of the Vikings’ 34-7 Week 3 win over the Houston Texans today at U.S. Bank Stadium. To read Ben Goessling’s analysis of the game, go here.
Recap: How the Vikings beat the Texans 34-7 to improve to 3-0
Four touchdown passes from Sam Darnold and a dominant defensive performance led the Vikings to victory in a matchup between two 2-0 teams with plenty of connections between them.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 22, 2024 at 9:26PM
Last year, the Vikings won just two times at home, in the worst year they’d ever had at U.S. Bank Stadium.
It was clear even in the preseason, when the Vikings played for a comeback victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, how much it bothered Kevin O’Connell not to win at home. After an upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers a week ago, the Vikings scored their most lopsided win since 2019 with another victory over an undefeated team that came to Minneapolis as favorites.
Their 34-7 win over the Houston Texans, their biggest since a 39-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 15, 2019, was the most dominant of O’Connell’s tenure. Offensively, they got four touchdown passes from Sam Darnold. Defensively, they sacked C.J. Stroud five times and sent him to just the second multi-interception game of his career, holding the Texans scoreless until a third-quarter touchdown that made it a 21-7 game. But the Vikings finished with three more scoring drives, with Will Reichard kicking a 58-yard field goal, and stopped Houston in the red zone to end the game with just seven points allowed.
Why it happened: The Vikings’ 11 sacks through two games, and a convincing victory over the 49ers that followed their six-point effort against the New York Giants, got the NFL buzzing about a Brian Flores defense that had added a layer or two of nuance to the pressure packages it used in 2023. That buzz isn’t likely to subside after this one, a dominant effort that left a high-powered Texans offense searching for answers all day. The Vikings gave up one of their first big plays of the year on a 34-yarder from Stroud to Nico Collins, but their rush and coverage schemes were again too much for a young QB to decipher.
What it means: The Vikings are 3-0, one of just two undefeated teams in the NFC (the other one, Seattle, plays this afternoon). Two straight impressive victories against 2023 playoff teams — this one without Dallas Turner, Ivan Pace, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson — furthered the idea the Vikings are a force in the NFC. A team that couldn’t put opponents away a year ago now has two wins of 20 points or more and closed things out in victory formation at home for the second straight week.
Play of the game: On a third-and-2 from the Texans 8, the Vikings lined Justin Jefferson up in the backfield, sending him out on a wheel route that pulled coverage out of the middle of the field. O’Connell called for a mesh concept from Aaron Jones and Johnny Mundt, with crossing routes from opposite ends of the formation, and Mundt’s route created a moving screen for Jones to find space in the middle of the coverage. Darnold hit him for an 8-yard touchdown pass that made it 14-0.
Turning point: Things pivoted quickly in this one. The Vikings deferred after winning the coin toss, putting their defense on the field first against a quarterback they believed they could rattle. After Cade Stover was called for holding on the first play that put the Texans in first-and-20, Harrison Phillips tipped a Stroud pass for Tank Dell and Kamu Grugier-Hill, playing some of his first meaningful snaps of the season, returned the interception to the Texans 21. It set up a Vikings touchdown from Darnold to Jefferson and gave the Vikings a lead they would not relinquish.
Up next: at Packers, Sept. 29, noon. Green Bay (2-1) won its second consecutive game Sunday without quarterback Jordan Love, beating the Tennessee Titans 30-14 in Nashville. — BEN GOESSLING
Here’s how the Vikings’ 34-7 victory over the Texans out:
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2:54 p.m.: Big day for Reichard, too
Make it 15-for-15 to begin the career of Vikings rookie kicker Will Reichard, who made a career-best 58-yard field goal to push the lead to 34-7 over the Houston Texans. Reichard has converted all six kicks against the Texans, including four extra points and two field goals. The distance of Reichard’s latest kick — 58 yards — marks the second-longest field goal in the 64-year history of the Vikings franchise. Kicker Greg Joseph made a 61-yard field goal in a win over the Giants in 2022. — ANDREW KRAMMER
2:43 p.m.: Vikings take 31-7 lead on Darnold’s fourth TD
Running back Aaron Jones likely helped put this game away for the Vikings with a 39-yard run — his longest in purple and gold. Jones was tackled just short of the goal line, setting up quarterback Sam Darnold’s fourth touchdown pass of the day and a 31-7 lead. Darnold found a fourth different scoring target in tight end Johnny Mundt. He also threw touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor and Jones earlier in the game. Kicker Will Reichard drilled the extra point, making the rookie a perfect 14-for-14 on kicks to begin his NFL career. — ANDREW KRAMMER
2:30 p.m.: Third-quarter analysis
Thousands of fans at U.S. Bank Stadium rose to their feet at the end of the third quarter, giving their team a standing ovation.
Vikings fans have been given plenty to applaud. Coach Kevin O’Connell kept his foot on the gas heading into the fourth quarter, attempting a fourth-and-1 play despite being in field-goal range. Receiver Jalen Nailor went in motion and grabbed a handoff to move the chains. The drive eventually stalled, leading to Reichard’s field goal and the 17-point lead.
During the third quarter, the Vikings and Texans were just about even in points scored – 7 – and yardage gained – the Vikings had a 70 to 69 edge. But Minnesota held on to the ball for 10:09 of the possible 15 minutes, and the Vikings opened the final frame with possession.
The Vikings increased their lead to 24-7 on the second play of the fourth quarter, a 35-yard field goal by Will Reichard. — ANDREW KRAMMER
2:15 p.m.: Texans get on the board
Houston looked lifeless until a third-and-12 play at midfield. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud found his leading receiver, Nico Collins, in stride for a 34-yard gain — Houston’s first pass to gain over 20 yards in the game. That happened when the Vikings’ top cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, watched the entire drive from the sideline.
Two quick passes later and Stroud had his first touchdown pass of the afternoon, hitting former Vikings running back Cam Akers near the sideline for an 8-yard catch and run into the end zone to pull the Texans to within 21-7. — ANDREW KRAMMER
1:50 p.m.: Vikings open second half with TD drive
Despite former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs trying to pump up his team on the sideline before the start of the second half, the Vikings kept rolling.
Coach Kevin O’Connell toyed with the Texans defense while marching downfield for another touchdown and 21-0 lead. O’Connell put quarterback Sam Darnold under center and oscillated between handoffs to Aaron Jones and play-action passes to Jalen Nailor, including an 18-yard strike for a first down.
Then Darnold flipped the ball to Jones, who tossed it to receiver Justin Jefferson on a reverse; Jefferson pitched the ball back to Darnold for a trick shot downfield. Darnold’s pass soared over tight end Johnny Mundt, but he drew a defensive pass interference penalty that set up the Vikings at the goal line. Two plays later, on second and goal from the 4, Darnold found Nailor in the back of the end zone for his third passing touchdown. — ANDREW KRAMMER
1:30 p.m.: Halftime analysis
The Vikings are still up 14-0 at halftime, following a scoreless second quarter where both teams showed the depth of their impressive pass rushing groups.
Minnesota’s defense affected the Texans as much through its pre-snap looks as its post-snap production; with the U.S. Bank Stadium crowd roaring, the Texans were flagged for false starts on three straight plays, followed by an illegal formation penalty that was declined when Stroud threw incomplete on third-and-19. On the next drive, Laremy Tunsil was called for his second illegal formation, for lining up a step behind the line of scrimmage as the Vikings showed a seven-man front. The half ended with an Andrew Van Ginkel sack of C.J. Stroud that ran the clock out.
The Vikings, though, had a chance to add more points before halftime, in a drive that ended with a pair of Texans sacks. Houston got home with a late blitz that led to a Tim Settle Jr. sack after Sam Darnold held the ball. Then, Will Anderson Jr. got to Darnold with a rush off the right side of the Vikings offensive line, while Jerry Hughes closed off the pocket with a stunt up the middle.
Both teams have two sacks and four quarterback hits; the Vikings outgained the Texans 136-122 in the first half, though Houston held the ball for 18:38. — BEN GOESSLING
1:10 p.m.: Bryant to be honored at halftime
It is Legends weekend for the Vikings, and many of the team’s greats are in the stadium today. Longtime Vikings defensive back Bobby Bryant will be honored at halftime with his induction into the Ring of Honor. He is perhaps one of the last members of the Bud Grant era to enter the Ring of Honor. He is the 15th member, and 11th player, of the Grant era to join the group. Read more about Bryant here.
12:45 p.m.: First-quarter analysis
In one of two games this week between a pair of 2-0 teams, the Vikings have a 14-0 lead after a first quarter that couldn’t have gone much better for them.
They handled the Texans’ pass rush, giving Sam Darnold enough clean pockets to complete six of his eight passes for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Darnold had to break the pocket several times on the Vikings’ first drive but had plenty of time to work through one of Kevin O’Connell’s designer play concepts on the second score, where Justin Jefferson came out of the backfield and drew coverage away from the mesh concept in the middle of the field.
On defense, the Vikings have forced C.J. Stroud to hold the ball; the second-year QB completed only four of his eight passes for 22 yards and an interception that was tipped by Harrison Phillips before Kamu Grugier-Hill picked it off. The Vikings have worked mostly in nickel with Josh Metellus as a linebacker; they’ve confused Stroud with their coverages, while Jonathan Greenard bullied Cade Stover on his way to a sack against his former team that pushed Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field-goal attempt back to 54 yards.
Even that worked out well for the Vikings: Fairbairn, who had made 17 of his previous 18 from 50-plus, pushed his kick wide right. — BEN GOESSLING
12:35 p.m.: Jones scores first home TD for Vikings
The Vikings are rolling early at home. They’re up 14-0 late in the first quarter, after Sam Darnold hit Aaron Jones for his first receiving touchdown in a Vikings uniform.
The drive covered 56 yards in six plays, highlighted by a 28-yard pass from Darnold to Justin Jefferson on a dig route off play action. To finish the drive, coach Kevin O’Connell dialed up a concept that had Jefferson running a wheel route out of the backfield, clearing space for Jones on a crossing route as the Texans struggled to fight through traffic from a Johnny Mundt crossing route that functioned as a moving pick.
On the drive, Darnold completed four of five passes for 35 yards and the score. — BEN GOESSLING
12:10 p.m: Interception leads to Vikings TD
The Vikings deferred after winning the coin toss, stole a possession when Kamu Grugier-Hill intercepted Harrison Phillips’ tip of C.J. Stroud’s pass, avoided a turnover of their own and took a 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson.
Sam Darnold had to play off schedule several times on the Vikings’ short touchdown drive, including one scramble where he shoveled a pass forward for Aaron Jones, and the ill-advised toss was ruled an incomplete pass instead of a fumble. On a third down from the Texans 6, he escaped to his left and found Justin Jefferson for an easy touchdown to make it 7-0 Vikings.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had thrown just five interceptions as a rookie and hadn’t thrown one yet this year. The Vikings were curious this week to see how the rookie quarterback would respond if he was put in a tough situation; they did everything they could to put him there early. — BEN GOESSLING
11:50 a.m.: Vikings-Texans connections
Perhaps you’ve heard that the Vikings and the Texans share many connections. Danielle Hunter and Stefon Diggs will be playing their first games in Minnesota as opponents Sunday. Former Vikings special teams standout Kris Boyd is also back in town with Houston. Three of last year’s prominent Texans — Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard and Shaq Griffin — signed with the Vikings as free agents and are keying a defensive resurgence. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, another former Texan, might play a bigger role Sunday for the Vikings with the injury to Ivan Pace Jr. Second-year Texans coach DeMeco Ryans interviewed for the Vikings job that eventually went to Kevin O’Connell.
11:35 a.m.: Pregame reading
Vikings-Texans kickoff is about a half-hour away, which is enough time to catch up on two long reads about the Vikings written by the Minnesota Star Tribune this weekend.
Andrew Krammer talked to new Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, his mother and others from his hometown of Hiram, Ga., about what motivates him. And it’s a lot more than playing his former team, the Texans.
Mark Craig had an exclusive interview with Kevin O’Connell, in which the famously nice Vikings coach talked about showing a different side of himself — a dark side, if you will.
11:15 a.m.: Vikings-Texans predictions
There are two games in the NFL this weekend featuring a pair of 2-0 teams, including this one between the Vikings and Texans, who didn’t attract much preseason attention but have thrived with strong defenses. The Vikings, third in the NFL in points allowed through two games, will try to shut down an impressive Houston offense led by second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud; they’ll look to protect Sam Darnold against a pass rush led by former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter. Which team will come out of it 3-0?
10:50 a.m.: Vikings-Texans inactives
It’s only September, but the Vikings and Texans aren’t exactly at full strength for Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota will be without three notable players because of injuries: wide receiver Jordan Addison, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and edge rusher Dallas Turner. All three were ruled out Friday after various levels of practice during the week.
Receiver Jalen Nailor, who had three grabs for 54 yards and a touchdown last week against the 49ers, draws another start. The Vikings could replace Pace, the starting inside linebacker, in multiple ways. Veteran Kamu Grugier-Hill could see first- and second-down work, while safety Josh Metellus is among the players trained to also align inside linebacker on passing downs.
Edge rusher Patrick Jones II, who has four sacks in two games, already has a sizeable role off the bench and could see more work with Turner, the first-round rookie, sidelined. The Vikings elevated edge rusher Bo Richter, the undrafted rookie out of Air Force, and tight end Robert Tonyan from the practice squad for the game.
Tonyan, the former Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears tight end, will be active for his first Vikings game after tight end Nick Muse was put on injured reserve this week. Muse, the 2022 seventh-round pick, suffered a fractured hand against the 49ers.
The Houston Texans will be down to their No. 3 running back, Cam Akers, after losing Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce to injuries. Akers, a former Los Angeles Rams starter, played six games last season for the Vikings before suffering a torn Achilles tendon.
Vikings’ inactives: Addison (ankle), Pace (quad/ankle), Turner (knee), DL Levi Drake Rodriguez, CB Dwight McGlothern and OT Walter Rouse
Texans’ inactives: Mixon (ankle), Pierce (hamstring), CB Myles Bryant, LB Jamal Hill, DE Rashad Weaver and C/G Jarrett Patterson
— ANDREW KRAMMER
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Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
