The Minnesota Vikings move to 5-0 as they beat the New York Jets 23-17 in London. They are the last undefeated team in the NFC and potentially the NFL depending on the result of the Chiefs game Monday night.
FINAL: @Vikings win in London to move to 5-0! #NYJvsMIN pic.twitter.com/loeSUmXDNX
— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
Sam Darnold did not play his best ball in London, but did not need to. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 179 yards and an interception. In every other game so far, Darnold has thrown for multiple touchdowns, but he was unable to keep that streak alive against the Jets.
Aaron Jones began the game as a top 10 rusher in the league, but reaggravated a hip injury just before halftime, which caused him to miss most of the game. Before the injury, he had seven carries for 29 yards and one catch for 24 yards. Ty Chandler filled in for him, but struggled. Chandler only produced 30 yards on 14 carries. CJ Ham punched home the lone offensive touchdown for Minnesota.
Receiving, Justin Jefferson once again led the way bringing in six catches for 92 yards. Jordan Addison was next up, but only caught three balls for 32 yards.
Defensively, the Vikings dominated the game. They got home and sacked Aaron Rodgers three times for 26 yards and hit him 11 times. The Vikings also turned Rodgers over three times, one of them going for a touchdown. Andrew Van Ginkel made a great play and returned Rodgers’ first interception 63 yards. The next drive, the Jets threw another interception. After that, they turned it over on downs which led to a Minnesota touchdown. Stephon Gilmore ended the game intercepting Rodgers deep in Minnesota territory. The Vikings also bottled up the run game, holding Braelon Allen and Breece Hall to 36 yards combined.
This Vikings defense is CRAZY good
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 6, 2024
(via @nfl)pic.twitter.com/mtVykFzA1N
The Jets struggled to move the ball all night, and struggled with turnovers. Rodgers completed 29 of 54 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and the three interceptions stated above.
Garrett Wilson produced his best game of the season so far, catching 13 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 22 times Sunday morning. Allen Lazard caught the other touchdown for the Jets, his fourth of the season.
The Jets have let down a lot of people so far this year, as Aaron Rodgers was thought to be the piece to push them over the edge. So far, it has not clicked but there is still plenty of time to figure it out sitting at 2-3. On the other side of things, the Vikings are off to the best possible start, with wins over multiple top tier teams and an undefeated record. The Vikings enter their bye week, so they will be able to regroup and make sure everybody is healthy.
