The Minnesota Vikings had a monster victory on Sunday, September 22nd, beating the Houston Texans, who were favored to win. While the Vikings will need to be ready for next week’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, Vikings fans should be happy about this week and more to come.

The Minnesota Vikings shut down the Houston Texans offense, as they only allowed a single touchdown to be scored late in the game. The Vikings’ defense also played well. For example, during the first drive, Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips swatted the ball away for an interception, and outside linebacker Jonathan Greennard recorded 3 sacks.

“That’s something I could get used to for sure,” Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson said, “we just dominated all around. Defense is definitely the number one reason [we won].”

As for Minnesota’s offense, they looked as good as could be, scoring a total of 34 points, even without two crucial offensive weapons, wide receiver Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw 4 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 119.2 Completion 60.7% and 181 Yards passing total.

Two other key offensive players for the Vikings were running back Aaron Jones who had 19 carries for 102 yards and wide receiver Justin Jefferson had 6 receptions for 81 yards.

“It’s definitely different from anything that I’ve been a part of,” Jones said. “I can’t put my finger on what it is that’s different. Because I’ve been a part of some good teams..”

Unfortunately for the Vikings, Darnold suffered a knee injury late in the third quarter.. Texans defensive end and former Viking Danielle Hunter tackled Sam Darnold behind his legs, causing him to fall. Darnold was temporarily removed from the game but returned later to play.

“It’s good and that’s as much as I’m gonna say about that,” Darnold said, offering an update on his knee injury.

Next week, the Vikings will be playing rival Green Bay Packers away at Lambeau Field. This will be a crucial game for the Minnesota Vikings as the NFC North Conference is very competitive.