Vikings overcome Sam Darnold’s mistakes in ugly win over Jaguars

In the end, the Vikings got a otherworldly effort from their defense, which made up for a shaky effort from their offense.

By Dane Mizutani, Pioneer Press – November 10, 2024

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—The knock on quarterback Sam Darnold when he signed with the Vikings this past offseason was his propensity for turnovers. It plagued him early in his professional career with the New York Jets, then carried over to his time with the Carolina Panthers before he finally found some stability with the San Francisco 49ers.

That issue reared its ugly head on Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium on a day the Vikings somehow escaped with a 12-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Never mind that the Vikings accumulated 402 yards on offense. Or that they allowed a mere 143 yards on defense. Or that the Vikings absolutely dominated the time of possession by nearly 25 minutes.

The only reason the game was even remotely close was because Darnold threw three interceptions, and all of them came with the Vikings in position to score points. He now has 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.

Not that head coach Kevin O’Connell is losing confidence in Darnold. Asked postgame if he ever considered benching Darnold for his mistakes, O’Connell made it very clear that it never crossed his mind.

In the end, the Vikings got an otherworldly effort from their defense, which made up for a shaky effort from their offense. All of Minnesota’s points came via kicker John Parker Romo, who made his NFL debut in the game, then finished 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts.

The game started with an efficient drive from the Vikings that culminated in Romo nailing a field goal to make it 3-0. That served as a precursor of what was to come as Romo played a starring role in the game.

There were signs of life from the Jaguars on the next possession, as quarterback Mac Jones led them down the field, then plunged into the end zone to make it 7-3.

Though the Vikings had a chance to take control in the immediate aftermath, they couldn’t stay out of their own way, and things started to go off the rails.

It started with Darnold moving the ball into enemy territory only to throw an interception to linebacker Foyesade Oluokun while trying to fit a ball into a tight window. It continued with Darnold leading a lengthy drive that resulted in no points after throwing an interception to cornerback Montaric Brown in the end zone.

After taking some time to regroup at halftime, Darnold walked back onto the field and made the same mistake, throwing a jump ball near the goal line that wound up being an interception to safety Darnell Savage in the end zone.

Luckily for the Vikings, the defense rose to the occasion with the offense struggling, and the Vikings ultimately went up 12-7 on three more field goals form Romo.

Fittingly, the game ended with the Vikings getting an interception of their own from safety Cam Bynum, which gave Darnold an opportunity to kneel out the clock.