Vikings Escape Carolina’s Comeback with a 34-28 Overtime Victory
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings headed out east to face off with the Carolina Panthers this week in search of a victory to even their record at 3-3 prior to their week 7 bye. The story for much of the day was defense, and it started from the opening snap. On the very first play, Carolina QB, Sam Darnold, was intercepted by Bashaud Breeland for the first of three Panther turnovers on the day.
Minnesota’s offense was clicking early on as well, and they scored on each of the first three drives, including a touchdown catch by Chris Herndon. It was his first reception as a Viking. Following the first quarter, the Vikings found themselves on top 12-7.
After this point, the Vikings could not buy any sort of points. Minnesota punted on each of their next three possessions, and Carolina’s only score came on a long drive that ended in a field goal. The Vikings took a 12-10 lead at halftime, but it felt like it should have been much larger seeing as the Panthers did not have Christian McCaffrey as well as their receiving woes.
. It felt like one mistake could be the turning point of the game, and it seemed that the Vikings were the ones to commit it when special teams woes struck them again. After a three-and-out in the third quarter, Jordan Berry’s punt from inside the VIkings 20 was blocked and returned for a touchdown.
With Carolina up 17-12, Minnesota desperately needed to get something going on offense. That side of the ball had seen major struggles in the second half of games as the Vikings had not scored a second half touchdown since week 1. However, it was Dalvin Cook who began sparking the offense. After C.J. Ham burst open a 29-yard run, Cook punched the ball into the end zone with a 16-yarder of his own.
After that drive, the Vikings immediately got the ball back as D.J. Moore fumbled the ball on Carolina’s first play of their drive. Less than a minute later, Adam Thielen found the end zone as part of his massive 126-yard day. In the blink of an eye, Minnesota found themselves on top, 25-17.
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However, this is where Carolina went on a run of their own. After the teams traded field goals, the score was 28-20, and Minnesota had a chance to put the game away. However, after Cook was stopped three yards behind the line of scrimmage on a third down run, the Vikings elected to punt rather than attempt a 54-yard field goal.
Berry’s punt was downed at the four, but with the help of two fourth down conversions, Sam Darnold led a 96-yard touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game at 28. Greg Joseph had another chance to win the game, but missed the 47-yard kick.
The game went to overtime, but with some help from Thielen and Cook, the Vikings drove down the field on their opening drive of the period. The drive and game were capped off when Kirk Cousins connected with K.J. Osborn for the QB’s third touchdown of the day, sending the Vikings home as victors, 34-28.
This week, the Vikings will enjoy a week off to hopefully allow Patrick Peterson to heal up after he left the game with a leg injury. After their bye, they will have a home Halloween matchup versus the Dallas Cowboys.
Also Read: Cousins: Clutch X2