NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Darnold lost a fumble on the Minnesota Vikings’ third offensive play.
He more than made up for that turnover for the rest of the game.
Darnold threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score and the Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 23-13 Sunday.
The Vikings quarterback had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the first seven games of the season. Then his toss to Aaron Jones on the Vikings’ third offensive play was fumbled and recovered by Jeffery Simmons for the Titans.
Darnold answered right back to help the Vikings (8-2) win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. He found Jordan Addison for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the Vikings didn’t trail again as they scored 16 straight for a 16-3 halftime lead.
“How he played in those moments was a huge indicator of a guy that had put the work in and was confident and just going out there and do his job … and then also overcome some things around him to make some plays, which was critical for us,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said of Darnold.
Andrew Van Ginkel had his two sacks on back-to-back plays as Minnesota finished with five. Pat Jones II also had two. Harrison Smith clinched the win with an interception with 1:50 left, giving the Vikings’ fans that turned this into a near home game another reason to celebrate chanting “SKOL.”
“Seeing all the purple when we’re on the road like that, it’s an awesome feeling knowing we got the best fan base in the National Football League,” O’Connell said.
The Titans (2-8) lost their second straight and went winless against the NFC North. They sure made it interesting.
Will Levis threw the longest TD pass in the NFL this season with a 98-yard score. He found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the right sideline for the catch-and-run, pulling the Titans within 16-10 midway through the third.
“Luckily put enough on it to get it behind the safety, and Nick made a good catch,” Levis said of making the completion when backed up.
It was the Titans’ longest pass play since DeAndre Hopkins’ 61-yarder on Oct. 29, 2023, against Atlanta in Levis’ first NFL start. It tied the longest TD pass in franchise history matching Willard Dewveall’s TD catch from Jacky Lee with the then-Houston Oilers on Nov. 25, 1962, against the Chargers.
Levis also had a 51-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley inside the final minute of the third wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on right tackle Isaiah Prince. They settled for Nick Folk’s second field goal, this a 43-yarder.
Down 23-13, they went for it twice on fourth down near midfield. Levis was sacked by Jones on fourth-and-4, and he was forced to throw it away on fourth-and-7 with 2:23 left.
The Titans couldn’t stop hurting themselves with too many penalties. Brian Callahan even drew a couple of flags tossed high in the air as the first-year Titans coach vehemently protested a penalty on safety Mike Brown for a hit on Addison in the end zone.
“I saw a hit that was level with the shoulder pads to the body,” Callahan said of Brown’s hit that drew two flags. “That’s what I saw.”
Brown loved Callahan having his back: “Honestly, I love it, dog. That just shows how much he’s going to fight for us.”
Darnold easily scored on a 1-yard keeper. Parker Romo’s extra point went off the right upright, but he made up for that with a 40-yard field goal late in the first half.
After Levis’ big play, Darnold padded Minnesota’s lead to 23-10 with a 3-yard toss to Cam Akers late in the third.
“This was a great win for us,” Darnold said.
Penalty woes
The Titans just keep hurting themselves. They had nine penalties for 71 yards by halftime. Minnesota didn’t draw its first flag until the Titans already had eight. Tennessee finished with 13 penalties for 91 yards compared to three for 35 yards by the Vikings.
Two illegal formation penalties on Prince alone wiped out a TD and a 23-yard reception in the fourth by Westbrook-Ikhine. Levis said Callahan reminded them to limit what they said about officiating and added: “That’s not going to help us at all.”
Injuries
Vikings: Addison dealt with cramping in the fourth quarter. TE Josh Oliver hurt an ankle that will be evaluated back in Minnesota.
Titans: LB Jack Gibbens was carted off the field with his right ankle in an air cast early in the third quarter that Callahan said likely will end his season. … RB Tyjae Spears left in the second half being evaluated in the concussion protocol and didn’t return.
Up next
The Vikings wrap up a three-game road swing at Chicago, while the Titans hit the road again visiting AFC South rival Houston.