The Minnesota Vikings overcame first-half mistakes to finish strong and earn a 21-13 win on "Sunday Night Football" over the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 28 of 34 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns but a season-high two interceptions were some of the miscues that held the offense back on Sunday night.
Minnesota's offense moved the ball at will in the first half with 194 total yards in the first half to Indianapolis' 92. Two turnovers (including one returned for a Colts touchdown), three sacks, and two missed field goals got in the way to keep the Vikings down 7-0 at the break.
They remedied that quickly with two scoring drives to open the second half culminating in Darnold touchdown passes, one to Jordan Addison and another to Jalen Nailor.
Darnold and Colts quarterback Joe Flacco traded interceptions early on in the fourth quarter and Indianapolis capitalized with a field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10. Both defenses continued to tighten up; the two units combined for seven sacks on the night. Indianapolis' defense held the Vikings offense to a punt before Minnesota's defense forced a turnover on downs.
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After that turnover on downs, the Vikings drove 60 yards ending with Darnold's third touchdown pass of the night — this one to tight end Josh Oliver — to put the game out of reach.
Indianapolis' Matt Gay got his second field goal on the next drive to make it 21-13 with 28 seconds left in the game. Minnesota recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock for the victory.
This win snaps Minnesota's two-game losing skid. At 6-2, the Vikings are one game behind NFC North leader Detroit (7-1) and a half-game ahead Green Bay (6-3). They head out on a road trip over the next three weeks, starting with Jacksonville in Week 10.
Indianapolis (4-5) suffered their biggest loss of the season, but are still just one game back from wild-card contention in the AFC playoff picture. The Colts head home for a Week 10 game against Buffalo.
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After a 26-yard pass interference penalty, the Colts decided to go for a field goal on first down from the Vikings' 36. Indianapolis' Matt Gay hit his second field goal of the night from 54 yards out to make it a one-score game with 28 seconds left in regulation.
Minnesota drove 60 yards in eight plays and Sam Darnold found tight end Josh Oliver for a 14-yard touchdown pass, his third of the night. Will Reichard made the extra point to give Minnesota a two-score lead with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter.
Joe Flacco looked for Ashton Dulin on fourth-and-two from the Vikings' 40. Minnesota defensive backs Stephon Gilmore and Harrison Smith hit Dulin as the pass got there to force an incompletion and a turnover on downs. The Vikings offense takes over with 5:20 left in the game.
Minnesota's offense rattled off 31 yards on three consecutive Cam Akers carries, but went backwards after that. A one-yard loss preceded a third-down sack of Sam Darnold to force fourth-and-19. Minnesota punted from near midfield and Indianapolis' offense will take over on their own 21 after a short return with 9:22 left in the quarter.
The Vikings defense held Indianapolis to just 2 yards on three plays to force the Colts to settle for a 42-yard field goal attempt. Matt Gay, who missed from 53 yards earlier, barely got the ball inside the left upright to make his first field goal of the night and cut the deficit with 12:41 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Colts minimized the damage from Joe Flacco's interception thanks to safety Nick Cross picking off Sam Darnold on the first play of the drive. Cross stepped just in front of Justin Jefferson to secure the interception, Darnold's second of the night. Cross ran it back 20 yards to give the Colts' offense the ball on the Minnesota 25.
Indianapolis overcame two costly penalties to face third-and-8 from the Vikings' 35-yard line. Joe Flacco dropped back and fired a pass down the left sideline looking for wide receiver Josh Downs but Minnesota cornerback Byron Murphy secured the pass for interception. Indianapolis' second turnover of the night gives Minnesota the ball back on their own 23.
The Colts took over on their own 30 following the Vikings' latest touchdown and they've moved the ball past midfield as the third quarter ends. Indianapolis' offense will face second-and-10 from the Minnesota 37 after the break.
Minnesota makes it two scoring drives in a row in the second half with a nine-play, 80-yard drive culminating in a touchdown pass by Sam Darnold to Jalen Nailor from seven yards out. Will Reichard hits the extra point and Minnesota takes its first lead of the night with 2:49 left in the third quarter.
Minnesota's offense took the opening drive 70 yards to finally break through for their first score of the game. Sam Darnold found Jordan Addison on a bootleg from four yards out to get on the board. Will Reichard's extra point is good and the game is tied with 10:23 left in the third quarter.
Indianapolis couldn't answer the Vikings' scoring drive with one of their own. Joe Flacco missed Trey Sermon on a third-down pass and the Colts had to punt from the Vikings' 44. Minnesota's offense takes over on its own 20-yard line with 7:53 left in the third quarter.
The Colts kneeled to close out the first half with a one-score lead.
The Vikings out-gained the Colts, 194-92, in the first half with 13 first downs in 20 minutes of possession. But two Sam Darnold turnovers, three sacks allowed and two missed field goals means they have no points to show for it. Another missed field goal by Indianapolis' Matt Gay means that fumble recovery touchdown by Kenny Moore II remains the lone score of the night.
Minnesota will start the second half on offense.
Minnesota drove 50 yards to reach the Colts' 11-yard line but a sack by Indianapolis defensive lineman Deforest Buckner forced a third-and-21. Sam Darnold found Justin Jefferson for a short gain to set up kicker Will Reichard for another field goal attempt, this one from 31 yards out. Will Reichard missed again and hit the right upright. He's now 0-for-2 tonight after entering the game 14-for-14 on field goals.
Indianapolis takes over at their own 21-yard line with 13 seconds to go until halftime.
An illegal shift penalty and four-yard loss on a screen pass to Jonathan Taylor led to third-and-19 for the Colts' offense. Taylor took a run up the middle to set up Matt Gay for his first field goal attempt of the night. After the two-minute warning, Gay missed it wide left from 53 yards out to give the Vikings the ball back on their own 43.
The Vikings converted on fourth-and-inches from the Colts' 44-yard line, but couldn't move the chains again. They settled for a 53-yard field goal attempt by Will Reichard, who hasn't missed a kick of any type all season. It sailed wide right and the Colts offense will take over on their own 43.
Indianapolis scored the first touchdown of the game thanks to the second Sam Darnold turnover of the night. Colts defensive lineman Grover Stewart got his first sack of the game and forced a fumble in the process which Kenny Moore scooped up and ran back 38 yards for a touchdown. The extra point is good and the Colts take the lead with 10:56 left in the second quarter.
Joe Flacco was looking for wideout Michael Pittman Jr. — his first target of the game — but Flacco's pass was knocked away by Vikings cornerback Camryn Bynum. Indianapolis settle for a second punt of the night and the Vikings take over on their own 25.
A pair of turnovers and punts means both teams are still scoreless after the first quarter. Indianapolis is facing a second-and-6 from their own 24 on the other side of the break.
Colts linebacker Grant Stuard blew up a screen pass for Vikings running back Aaron Jones to force a third-and-17 for the Minnesota offense. Sam Darnold's pass to T.J. Hockenson only went for six yards and Minnesota punted for the first time in the game. Indianapolis takes over on their own 20.
Indianapolis' offense couldn't do much following the turnover. Jonathan Taylor ran for 12 yards on two successive carries before Joe Flacco found Josh Downs for a 5-yard gain. But Flacco missed Taylor high on third-and-4 and Indianapolis kicked the first punt of the game. Minnesota will take over again on their own 24.
Minnesota had a long drive of their own and were facing third-and-3 from the Colts' 16. Quarterback Sam Darnold escaped pressure and scrambled to the left before throwing for tight end T.J. Hockenson in the end zone. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was directly in front of Hockenson and came up with the interception. Indianapolis takes over after a touchback on their own 20.
The Colts took the opening kick and proceeded to march 44 yards in four plays. But quarterback Joe Flacco missed a handoff to running back Jonathan Taylor and put the ball on the ground. Minnesota's Kamu Grugier-Hill recovered it and the Vikings take over on their own 24.
The Vikings and Colts game will conclude Sunday, Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season with "Sunday Night Football" at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Here's how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 9 "SNF" matchup between the Colts and Vikings will shape up:
Lorenzo Reyes: Vikings 27, Colts 20
Tyler Dragon: Vikings 28, Colts 20
Richard Morin: Vikings 24, Colts 18
Jordan Mendoza: Vikings 29, Colts 23
The Vikings are favorites to defeat the Colts, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024, including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.
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The NFL's top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league's highest-paid player on Sunday morning, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason.
These interconference opponents have met 27 times in NFL history, including one playoff matchup. The Colts lead the matchup all-time with an 18-8-1 record.
The most recent meeting between these teams was in December 2022 when the Vikings won in overtime. In the win, Minnesota completed the biggest comeback in NFL history, erasing a 33-point deficit by beating the Colts 39-36 in the game.
According to the Weather Channel, it's going to be a rainy night in Minneapolis with a high of 50 degrees at kickoff and a low of 49 degrees at midnight. The good news, this game will be played indoors in U.S. Bank Stadium where the weather will have no effect.
Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play duties during the game, with Cris Collinsworth providing color commentary and Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines during Colts vs. Vikings.
NBC's weekly "Football Night in America" pregame show will begin at 7 p.m. ET and feature insight from a panel of analysts, including Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Mike Florio, Devin McCourty, Tony Dungy, and more.
The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six. Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups. The 49ers have have eight total Super Bowl appearances and have five rings to show for it, the most recent coming in 1994.
The No. 1 team on NBC's Sunday night football will stay intact, at least for the foreseeable future.
According to a report from The Athletic, NBC Sports is close to securing a new four-year contract extension with top analyst Cris Collinsworth. The extension will keep him with the network through the 2029-30 season. His current contract runs through the 2026 season.
NBC is scheduled to broadcast two more Super Bowls in the next six years, including Super Bowl 60 in 2026 and Super Bowl 64 in 2030.
Collinsworth, 65, who has won seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst, makes about $12.5 million a year and has teamed up with Mike Tirico to call games.
Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million extension with $110 million guaranteed in early June. Per Spotrac. This deal made Jefferson the highest-paid wide receiver as well as the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Jefferson's signing bonus on the deal – $88.743 million – is also a record among non-quarterbacks in league history.
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