Vikings stay undefeated with 34-7 dismantling of Texans behind fierce defense, Darnold’s 4 TDs

MINNEAPOLIS — With the Minnesota Vikings savoring the unfamiliar vibe of being in full control in the fourth quarter, Justin Jefferson climbed on the bench to repeatedly wave his arms in encouragement of the home crowd to roar even louder for a defense that had the Houston Texans on their heels all afternoon.

The ovations were well-deserved.

Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Vikings intercepted C.J. Stroud twice and sacked him four times in a 34-7 victory over the Texans on Sunday.

“That’s something I could get used to for sure,” Jefferson said. “We just dominated all around. Defense is definitely the number one reason.”

Jonathan Greenard had three sacks of his former teammate Stroud, the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, as the Vikings (3-0) rattled the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable scheme — and some help from the fans at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I couldn’t hear myself talk out there, so imagine for the offense having to check their protections and do certain things like that up front,” said Cam Bynum, who picked off Stroud in the fourth quarter.

Darnold connected with Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter. In the second half, he delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and got Johnny Mundt one, too.

Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards for the Vikings, who were a trendy pick for last place in the NFC North but have beaten back-to-back contenders to start their home slate against San Francisco and Houston. This was Minnesota’s largest winning margin in five years.

“I think we’re made of the right stuff,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’ve just got to keep proving it.”

Darnold went 17 for 28 for 181 yards without a turnover, and the 2018 third overall draft pick also tied his career best with a three-game winning streak as a starter. Darnold left the game to get his left knee checked after a late hit penalty on former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, but he came back after one play to a loud roar.

The Vikings improved to 6-0 all time against the Texans, who finally scored with 3:56 left in the third quarter on a pass from Stroud to Cam Akers, who spent part of last season with the Vikings and got his first start with the Texans with Joe Mixon injured.

Stroud went 20 for 31 for 215 yards. This was the first time in 10 starts he’d been picked off.

Stroud’s first pass was swatted at the line by Harrison Phillips, sending the ball straight back to linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill for a gift-wrapped interception he returned to the 21. Darnold scrambled left six plays later and found Jefferson open in the front corner of the end zone for the early lead.

The Vikings had full respect for the talent the Texans presented, starting with the 2023 second overall draft pick in Stroud as the centerpiece of this on-the-rise team, but they were confident their aggressive and unpredictable defense would present problems of its own.

“The Texans helped the Vikings a lot,” coach DeMeco Ryans said.

The Texans were clearly off-kilter with the crowd noise that fed off the pressure generated by defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his protegees, with six of seven first-half penalties coming prior to the snap.

Four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil had three of them, one an illegal formation call that erased a third down throw that would’ve moved the chains to near midfield. Another one was the last of three straight false starts by the Texans after they had third-and-4 at the Minnesota 25. Tunsil got flagged again for illegal formation, which was declined by the Vikings so they could force a punt.

Darnold could relate to Stroud’s difficulty navigating the pre-snap disguises and unorthodox alignments, having faced the Flores-run defense during training camp.

“It can cause a lot of thinking at the quarterback position,” Darnold said, “and that’s always hard.”

Diggs knows

Stefon Diggs led the Texans with 10 catches for 94 yards in his first game in Minnesota since leaving the Vikings four years ago.

“I played here for a long time, and I saw lots of offenses struggle when I was on the other side,” Diggs said. “Obviously, it was a tough atmosphere, but a lot of it was self-inflicted.”

Collins quieted

Nico Collins, the NFL’s leading receiver entering the week with 252 yards in the first two games, was mostly a nonfactor with four receptions for 86 yards thanks to some late padding. His 34-yard catch on third down set up Houston’s only touchdown.

Injuries

Texans: In addition to the absence of Mixon (ankle), backup RB Dameon Pierce (hamstring) missed his second straight game.

Vikings: WR Jordan Addison (ankle), LB Ivan Pace Jr. (quad, ankle) and OLB Dallas Turner (knee) were all inactive. Grugier-Hill took Pace’s place in the first down defense.

Up next

Texans: Host Jacksonville next Sunday.

Vikings: Visit Green Bay next Sunday.