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

Indianapolis will get a 54-yard area aim by Matt Homosexual to trim its deficit with 28 seconds remaining within the fourth quarter. That shall be too little, too late, nonetheless, after the Colts fail to get better their ensuing onside kick.

On an evening of many errors by Sam Darnold, the Vikings quarterback successfully ends the sport with a lovely throw, on the run to the left, to Josh Oliver for a 14-yard landing. Darnold has thrown for 290 yards on 28-of-34 passing. He has three touchdowns to 2 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 supposed goal. Minnesota takes over main 14-10 and with 5:20 to burn within the fourth quarter.

It’s Minnesota 14, Indianapolis 10 with 12:41 to go within the fourth quarter after Matt Homosexual’s area aim from 42 yards for the Colts. Indianapolis used the brief area it was given after Sam Darnold’s interception and rapidly takes benefit.

5 mixed turnovers tonight between these groups.

A lot for that chance given the Vikings. Proper after the Colts turned the ball over with an interception, Sam Darnold threw his second interception of the evening to provide the ball proper again to Indianapolis. After such a promising begin to this season, is Darnold regressing to the imply?

Flacco is intercepted when his throw all the way in which to the left sideline was effectively wanting his supposed goal, and that may be a probably pricey mistake with Minnesota trying to now prolong its result in two touchdowns. With solely 14 minutes left on this sport and the Colts already struggling to attain, it may possibly’t afford to play from behind for lengthy.

Justin Jefferson drew the eye of the Colts secondary, permitting Jalen Nailor to catch a 7-yard go and stroll into the top zone for a 14-7 Vikings lead, with 2:49 to go within the third quarter.

The drive lasted 9 performs and 80 yards. After being held scoreless via the primary half, Minnesota has scored a landing on every of its first two drives of the third quarter.

Minnesota scores its first landing of the evening with 10 minutes to go within the third quarter on an unreal show of focus by Vikings receiver Jordan Addison from 4 yards out. The ball was bobbled earlier than Addison hauled it in, one-handed, whereas nonetheless diving.

Properly, that is definitely sudden. Regardless of gaining 194 yards, Minnesota finishes a primary half with fewer than 10 factors for the primary time this season. Two missed area objectives, an interception and a fumble hampered the Vikings. For the Colts, in the meantime, a fumble ended one drive and a missed area aim one other. The Colts gained 92 yards within the first half.

That look of resignation on Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell’s face is the results of watching kicker Will Reichard miss a second area aim on this sport. This time, it was from 31 yards, pushed to the proper. Reichard had made each kick he’d tried this season coming into tonight, making this extraordinarily uncommon.

Colts kicker Matt Homosexual misses a 53-yard area aim with 2:00 remaining earlier than halftime. Homosexual, notably, is now 1-4 this season on kicks from 50-plus. The miss ends a drive that began due to Minnesota’s personal missed area aim and solely traveled 22 yards over its subsequent seven performs.

These groups are having a tough time making the most of errors. Indianapolis turns the ball over early…and Minnesota throws a choose. The Vikings miss a area aim…the Colts come proper again and do the identical.

Indianapolis holds onto its 7-0 lead after Will Reichard misses a 53-yard area aim, vast proper, 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 second-quarter fumble) are a reminder that one factor that had held Darnold again his first six seasons was his turnovers.

Darnold has 90 profession touchdowns (speeding and receiving mixed) but additionally 62 interceptions and 44 fumbles. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell deserves credit score for creating an offensive system that has allowed Darnold to attenuate these errors up so far.

Colts 7, Vikings 0 after defensive sort out Grover Stewart mauled his manner via the Vikings’ offensive line and compelled QB Sam Darnold to fumble. The fumble was recovered by Kenny Moore and ran again for a landing after 36 yards.

Minnesota entered this sport main the NFL with 10.3 factors scored per first quarter, whereas Indianapolis ranked fourth, with 5.6. But the opening quarter ends in Minneapolis with zero factors after drives have began with some promising chunk performs, solely to peter out. Joe Flacco is 3-of-4 passing, and Sam Darnold is 9-of-10, but it surely hasn’t translated on the scoreboard.

Some boos may be heard inside Minnesota’s residence stadium after Sam Darnold throws the sixth interception of his season, ending the Vikings’ first drive. It’s not simply that he turned it over, however the place: Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin caught the go in the long run zone. Minnesota loses out on getting no less than a area aim.

The Vikings are closely favored and 5-2. A win for Indianapolis (4-4) would increase their playoff hopes as they attempt to hold tempo with groups together with Denver (5-4) and the Chargers (5-3) forward of them within the standings. The Vikings have been the upstart of the league whereas beginning 5-0 however consecutive losses have dampened a number of the enthusiasm, and they should flip issues round.

Indianapolis fumbles the ball away on a nasty handoff alternate and Minnesota recovers 5 performs into the sport. Joe Flacco had thrown a pleasant completion for 22 yards two performs earlier than.

Zaire Franklin was within the highlight this week for feedback he made on his podcast about teammate Anthony Richardson’s choice to take away himself from final week’s sport for being “drained.” (“The place I’m at with it, is he mentioned, ‘I ain’t gonna lie, I used to be drained,’” Franklin mentioned. “Lie.”)

Franklin later mentioned he nonetheless views Richardson as the way forward for the group and mentioned he might empathize as a rookie-year starter who was later benched.

Not: Franklin’s 87 tackles this season rank second within the NFL. That complete contains 29 solo tackles. Franklin is coming off of seasons through which he completed with 147 tackles in 2022, and 159 tackles final season.

Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold was in sixth grade when his Colts counterpart tonight, Joe Flacco, made his NFL debut in 2008. At 39, Flacco nonetheless has a spot within the league as a result of he has protected the soccer with Indianapolis, throwing one interception in 108 makes an attempt this season.

Each Indianapolis and Minnesota rank within the league’s backside third defensively in permitting speeding yards, with the Colts giving up a median of 227 yards, and the Vikings 263, which is the NFL’s third-worst common. Can both workforce take benefit? Neither has been a monster on the bottom thus far.

The blind-side safety of left sort out is a right-handed quarterback’s finest good friend. Tonight the Colts received’t have left sort out Bernhard Raimann, nonetheless, after he was dominated out for a concussion. Raimann didn’t apply main as much as the sport. A rookie, Matt Goncalves, or 2023 draft choose Blake Freeland might fill in.

Colts followers entered the season optimistic Anthony Richardson can be their franchise quarterback for years to come back. However after being benched this week for subpar play in favor of Joe Flacco, questions stay about how lengthy he’ll be in Indianapolis.

In keeping with reviews, a number of groups have reached out to inquire about what it might take to get Richardson however it’s uncertain he will get dealt. Richardson remains to be studying the place and boasts potential for greatness if it comes collectively. The query is whether or not it’ll ever come collectively.

The Indy Star reported the workforce has no intentions of shifting on from Richardson.

After beginning the season 5-0, they’ve misplaced two straight. Throughout that undefeated five-game stretch they didn’t permit 30+ factors. Over two losses, each them surrendering greater than 30 factors.

The Vikings acquired left sort out Cam Robinson this week in a commerce with the Jaguars, getting a alternative for the injured Christian Darrisaw. Minnesota obtained Robinson and a 2026 conditional seventh-round choose in alternate for a 2026 conditional 2026 fifth-round choose (is usually a fourth).

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

Anthony Richardson entered the season with a ton of potential, however thus far accuracy points have plagued him. He has an NFL-worst 44.4% completion proportion with 5 complete touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Joe Flacco, in the meantime? He has accomplished 65.7% of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception over two begins.

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

The Colts are the primary workforce in NFL historical past to have their first eight video games all determined by six factors or fewer. In hopes of turning issues round, they introduced this week that they may begin Joe Flacco at QB.