Takeaways from Vikings Win in Primetime
The Minnesota Vikings have gotten back on track after defeating the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. It may not have been the prettiest of victories but it goes down as a check in the win column for Minnesota nonetheless. After being held scoreless for most of the first half, with two missed field goals, and three turnovers, the Vikings were still able to pull off a 21-13 win at home. The Vikings were dominant in this game but turnovers kept them from pulling away on the scoreboard like I predicted in my game preview. Minnesota improves to 6-2 and will travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars in Week 10, while the Colts fall to 4-5 on the season and they will try to bounce back against the Bills next week.
Takeaway #1: Justin Jefferson Has a Chance to Become the GOAT
Justin Jefferson is putting up numbers that no other receiver has been able to put together in their first five seasons in the league before. Jefferson has the most games of 100+ receiving yards in a player’s first five years than any other receiver in the history of the league. More than Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and all of the other all-time greats. The craziest thing about that fact is that Jefferson still has nine games to play this season. If Justin can stay healthy, he could easily find himself on the Mount Rushmore of NFL wide receivers when all is said and done.
Takeaway #2: Anthony Richardson May Not Be the Problem
Anthony Richardson watched on from the bench on Sunday night as it was the veteran Joe Flacco who started at quarterback for the Colts. Flacco was far from great during Sunday’s game, as he was only able to complete 59.2% of his passes, had zero touchdowns, and one interception. It seems to be clear that Indianapolis probably has bigger issues on both sides of the ball than just who is starting at quarterback. Richardson wasn’t having a great season, but it could end up being extremely detrimental to his development as a pro. I think that Richardson needs to return to the starting lineup sooner rather than later, not only for the sake of him but also for the sake of the offense long term.
Takeaway #3: Vikings Can’t Turnover the Ball Like This Again
The Minnesota Vikings had three turnovers during their Week Nine matchup with the Colts and they were somehow able to pull off a victory. This is certainly a rare occurrence and Minnesota can not be successful in the long term if they can’t protect the ball. For context, the Vikings had almost double the amount of offensive yards than the Colts did, and yet this game was a one-score affair. Minnesota had 415 total yards while Indianapolis only had 227 total yards. The Vikings completely dominated this game but had timely turnovers that kept the Colts hanging around. Sam Darnold in particular will have to do a better job at keeping the ball safe like he did early on in the 2024 campaign.
