‘Sunday Evening Soccer’: Vikings defeat Colts 21-13

Indianapolis gets a 54-yard enviornment aim by Matt Homosexual to trim its deficit with 28 seconds final in the fourth quarter. That will most definitely be too dinky, too gradual, on the other hand, after the Colts fail to enhance their ensuing onside kick.

On a night of many mistakes by Sam Darnold, the Vikings quarterback effectively ends the game with an even making an strive throw, on the bustle to the left, to Josh Oliver for a 14-yard touchdown. Darnold has thrown for 290 yards on 28-of-34 passing. He has three touchdowns to two interceptions.

Indianapolis passes on 4th-and-2 on the Minnesota 40 and is stopped when a pair of Vikings defensive backs sandwich Joe Flacco’s intended aim. Minnesota takes over leading 14-10 and with 5:20 to burn in the fourth quarter.

It’s Minnesota 14, Indianapolis 10 with 12:41 to pass in the fourth quarter after Matt Homosexual’s enviornment aim from 42 yards for the Colts. Indianapolis aged the brief enviornment it became once given after Sam Darnold’s interception and swiftly takes advantage.

5 mixed turnovers tonight between these groups.

Plenty for that replacement given the Vikings. Licensed after the Colts turned the ball over with an interception, Sam Darnold threw his 2nd interception of the night to give the ball accurate attend to Indianapolis. After this kind of promising launch to this season, is Darnold regressing to the mean?

Flacco is intercepted when his throw all the technique to the left sideline became once effectively searching his intended aim, and that may perhaps perchance well very effectively be a doubtlessly costly mistake with Minnesota taking a scrutinize to now extend its result in two touchdowns. With supreme 14 minutes left on this sport and the Colts already struggling to attain, it would’t manage to pay for to play from on the attend of for lengthy.

Justin Jefferson drew the consideration of the Colts secondary, allowing Jalen Nailor to acquire a 7-yard pass and stroll into the cease zone for a 14-7 Vikings lead, with 2:49 to pass in the third quarter.

The drive lasted nine plays and 80 yards. After being held scoreless via the first half of, Minnesota has scored a touchdown on every of its first two drives of the third quarter.

Minnesota scores its first touchdown of the night with 10 minutes to pass in the third quarter on an unreal demonstrate of focal point by Vikings receiver Jordan Addison from four yards out. The ball became once bobbled earlier than Addison hauled it in, one-handed, while quiet diving.

Properly, right here is with out disaster surprising. Regardless of gaining 194 yards, Minnesota finishes a first half of with fewer than 10 capabilities for the first time this season. Two overlooked enviornment targets, an interception and a fumble hampered the Vikings. For the Colts, meanwhile, a fumble ended one drive and a overlooked enviornment aim another. The Colts received 92 yards in the first half of.

That scrutinize of resignation on Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell’s face is the cease outcomes of observing kicker Will Reichard omit a 2nd enviornment aim on this sport. This time, it became once from 31 yards, pushed to the accurate. Reichard had made every kick he’d attempted this season entering tonight, making this extremely bizarre.

Colts kicker Matt Homosexual misses a Fifty three-yard enviornment aim with 2:00 final earlier than halftime. Homosexual, particularly, is now 1-4 this season on kicks from 50-plus. The omit ends a drive that started attributable to Minnesota’s hold overlooked enviornment aim and supreme traveled 22 yards over its next seven plays.

These groups are having a laborious time taking serve of mistakes. Indianapolis turns the ball over early…and Minnesota throws a pick. The Vikings omit a enviornment aim…the Colts reach accurate attend and attain the same.

Indianapolis holds onto its 7-0 lead after Will Reichard misses a Fifty three-yard enviornment aim, extensive accurate, with 5:50 left earlier than halftime. Reichard had been 4-of-4 on kicks longer than 50 yards this season.

Sam Darnold’s two turnovers tonight (a first-quarter interception, and 2nd-quarter fumble) are a reminder that one thing that had held Darnold attend his first six seasons became once his turnovers.

Darnold has 90 occupation touchdowns (speeding and receiving mixed) but additionally 62 interceptions and 44 fumbles. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell deserves credit ranking for constructing an offensive draw that has allowed Darnold to decrease those mistakes as a lot as this point.

Colts 7, Vikings 0 after defensive address Grover Stewart mauled his diagram via the Vikings’ offensive line and compelled QB Sam Darnold to fumble. The fumble became once recovered by Kenny Moore and ran attend for a touchdown after 36 yards.

Minnesota entered this sport leading the NFL with 10.3 capabilities scored per first quarter, while Indianapolis ranked fourth, with 5.6. Yet the opening quarter ends in Minneapolis with zero capabilities after drives hold started with some promising chunk plays, supreme to peter out. Joe Flacco is 3-of-4 passing, and Sam Darnold is 9-of-10, but it for trot hasn’t translated on the scoreboard.

Some boos may perhaps perchance also be heard internal Minnesota’s residence stadium after Sam Darnold throws the sixth interception of his season, ending the Vikings’ first drive. It’s not moral that he turned it over, however the build: Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin caught the pass in the cease zone. Minnesota loses out on getting as a minimal a enviornment aim.

The Vikings are closely appreciated and 5-2. A secure for Indianapolis (4-4) would enhance their playoff hopes as they’re making an strive to have ride with groups in conjunction with Denver (5-4) and the Chargers (5-3) earlier than them in the standings. The Vikings were the upstart of the league while starting 5-0 but consecutive losses hold dampened about a of the keenness, and so they favor to turn issues around.

Indianapolis fumbles the ball away on a sinful handoff exchange and Minnesota recovers 5 plays into the game. Joe Flacco had thrown a nice completion for 22 yards two plays earlier than.

Zaire Franklin became once in the spotlight this week for comments he made on his podcast about teammate Anthony Richardson’s resolution to rob away himself from closing week’s sport for being “tired.” (“Where I’m at with it, is he said, ‘I ain’t gonna lie, I became once tired,’” Franklin said. “Lie.”)

Franklin later said he quiet views Richardson because the diagram ahead for the group and said he may perhaps perchance well empathize as a rookie-three hundred and sixty five days starter who became once later benched.

No longer: Franklin’s 87 tackles this season rotten 2nd in the NFL. That total involves 29 solo tackles. Franklin is coming off of seasons by which he executed with 147 tackles in 2022, and 159 tackles closing season.

Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold became once in sixth grade when his Colts counterpart tonight, Joe Flacco, made his NFL debut in 2008. At 39, Flacco quiet has a articulate in the league because he has protected the football with Indianapolis, throwing one interception in 108 makes an strive this season.

Both Indianapolis and Minnesota rotten in the league’s bottom third defensively in allowing speeding yards, with the Colts giving up a mean of 227 yards, and the Vikings 263, which is the NFL’s third-worst average. Can either employees make basically the most? Neither has been a monster on the bottom to this point.

The blind-facet protection of left address is a proper-handed quarterback’s supreme buddy. Tonight the Colts received’t hold left address Bernhard Raimann, on the other hand, after he became once dominated out for a concussion. Raimann didn’t practice leading as a lot as the game. A rookie, Matt Goncalves, or 2023 draft pick Blake Freeland may perhaps perchance well fill in.

Colts fans entered the season optimistic Anthony Richardson would be their franchise quarterback for years but to reach. But after being benched this week for subpar play in favor of Joe Flacco, questions remain about how lengthy he’ll be in Indianapolis.

Per reports, a pair of groups hold reached out to demand about what it may perhaps well well well rob to acquire Richardson but it for trot is uncertain he gets dealt. Richardson is quiet studying the articulate and boasts doable for greatness if it comes collectively. The quiz is whether or not or not it’ll ever reach collectively.

The Indy Extensive title reported the employees has no intentions of interesting on from Richardson.

After starting the season 5-0, they hold got misplaced two straight. Within the course of that undefeated 5-sport stretch they didn’t allow 30+ capabilities. Over two losses, both them surrendering more than 30 capabilities.

The Vikings received left address Cam Robinson this week in a alternate with the Jaguars, getting a replacement for the injured Christian Darrisaw. Minnesota received Robinson and a 2026 conditional seventh-spherical pick in exchange for a 2026 conditional 2026 fifth-spherical pick (may perhaps perchance also be a fourth).

Darrisaw suffered a torn ACL & MCL in Week 8 vs the Rams

Anthony Richardson entered the season with a ton of doable, but to this point accuracy disorders hold plagued him. He has an NFL-worst 44.4 % completion share with 5 total touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Joe Flacco, meanwhile? He has executed 65.7% of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception over two starts.

Indianapolis misplaced 23-20 at Houston closing week, its third loss this season by three capabilities or fewer.

The Colts are the first employees in NFL history to hold their first eight games all decided by six capabilities or fewer. In hopes of turning issues around, they presented this week that they are going to launch Joe Flacco at QB.