Log in

Sam Darnold throws 4 TD's as undefeated Vikings overwhelm Texans 34-7

Posted 9/22/24

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings used another dominant performance on defense to trounce C.J. Stroud and the …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Sam Darnold throws 4 TD's as undefeated Vikings overwhelm Texans 34-7

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings used another dominant performance on defense to trounce C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 34-7 on Sunday.

Jonathan Greenard had three of the four sacks of Stroud, his former teammate, as the Vikings (3-0) intercepted the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year twice while rattling the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable scheme — and the crowd noise that cranked up with each stop.

Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter on third down plays inside the 10. In the second half, he delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and got tight end Johnny Mundt one, too.

Jefferson had six catches for 81 yards and 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.

GIANTS 21, BROWNS 15

CLEVELAND (AP) — Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes to rookie Malik Nabers, the Giant's defensive players took turns sacking Deshaun Watson as New York held off Cleveland.

Jones completed 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards as the Giants (1-2) shook off a loss at Washington that prompted a week of criticism toward coach Brian Daboll.

It wasn’t easy.

The Browns (1-2) rallied in the fourth after being dominated for three quarters and losing three offensive linemen to injuries.

Watson threw his second TD pass to Amari Cooper, and Cleveland had the ball three times with a chance to take the lead. But running back Jerome Ford fumbled, and the Giants twice stopped the Browns on fourth down in the final four minutes.

STEELERS 20, CHARGERS 10

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Pittsburgh topped Los Angeles.

Pittsburgh improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020 behind another efficient performance from Fields, who completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III midway through the fourth quarter that broke it open.

Fields also added a 5-yard touchdown run and is quietly making a compelling case that he should be the starter even after Russell Wilson’s injured calf heals. Fields has played largely mistake-free through three games, though he did throw his first interception of the season on a tipped pass in the third quarter.

Najee Harris ran for 70 yards, Chris Boswell kicked a pair of field goals and Pittsburgh’s defense racked up five sacks while handing the Chargers (2-1) their first loss.

PACKERS 30, TITANS 14

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Malik Willis ran for a touchdown and threw for a score in his best performance in the NFL, leading Green Bay to a rout over Tennessee .

Willis not only won his second straight start subbing for Jordan Love, he got a sweet measure of revenge against the team that traded him to Green Bay (2-1) in August. Willis accounted for 134 of the Packers’ 137 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 202 yards passing and 73 rushing.

Cornerback Jaire Alexander scored a touchdown on his first career pick-6 late in the first quarter, helping Green Bay jump out to a 17-7 lead after 15 minutes. The Packers led 20-7 at halftime and ultimately scored 20 straight points for a 27-7 advantage midway through the third, prompting a loud chant of “Go, Pack, Go!”

The Packers had eight sacks, their most since getting eight at Chicago on Jan. 2, 2005. They also forced three turnovers.

BRONCOS 26, BUCCANEERS 7

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Bo Nix ran for an early touchdown and Will Lutz kicked four field goals to help Denver avoid starting 0-3 for the second straight season with a victory over Tampa Bay.

Nix completed 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards without an interception. The 12th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, however, still hasn’t thrown for a TD through three games.

Denver’s defense did its part in helping Nix rebound from struggling the previous two weeks, too, sacking Baker Mayfield seven times and intercepting the Bucs quarterback once to set up a second-quarter touchdown. The Broncos (1-2) also turned away two Tampa Bay possessions in Denver territory in the fourth quarter, stopping one drive on downs and forcing a fumble on the other.

The three-time defending NFC South champion Bucs (2-1), looking to start a season with three consecutive victories for the first time since 2005, was limited to 223 yards total offense. Mayfield was 25 of 33 passing for 163 yards, including a 6-yard scoring throw to Chris Godwin in the second quarter.

EAGLES 15, SAINTS 12

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saquon Barkley rushed for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards, and Philadelphia rebounded from a maddening late-game collapse six days earlier to beat New Orleans.

Barkley’s shorter scoring run came with 1:01 left, one play after Dallas Goedert got free across the middle on third-and-16 for a 61-yard catch and run that gave him a career-high 170 yards on 10 receptions.

Eagles safety Reed Blankenship sealed the victory when he intercepted Derek Carr’s pass over the middle with 48 seconds left, capping a banner performance by Philadelphia’s defense against an offense that had scored an NFL-high 91 points during the regular season’s first two weeks under new coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Coming off a 22-21 home loss to Atlanta on Monday night, the Eagles (2-1) did not allow a touchdown until Carr found Chris Olave for a 12-yard, go-ahead score with just more than two minutes left. That gave the Saints a 12-7 lead after a failed 2-point try.

The Eagles looked the better team on both sides of the ball, outgaining New Orleans (2-1) in total net yards, 460 to 219. But a number of curious decisions by heavily scrutinized Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni, along with some clutch plays by the Saints’ defense, kept the Eagles off the board for three quarters.

COLTS 21, BEARS 16

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jonathan Taylor had two touchdown runs and Trey Sermon added another as Indianapolis held on for a victory over Chicago.

Taylor ran 23 times for 110 yards as the Colts (1-2) avoided their first 0-3 start since 2021. Anthony Richardson completed 10 of 20 passes for 167 yards, but had two more interceptions.

Chicago (1-2) lost its second straight despite getting two offensive TDs — one more than its total in the first two weeks. Caleb Williams, this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, went 33 of 52 with 363 yards through the air — all season bests — and threw the first two TD passes of his NFL career. Williams also was intercepted twice.

The performances sure didn’t win many style points.

Chicago and Indy combined for just 71 total yards in the first quarter and had five turnovers overall, and the league’s two youngest starting quarterbacks each had passer ratings below 81.