MINNEAPOLIS – On the night T.J. Hockenson returned to the Vikings lineup, fellow tight end Josh Oliver celebrated with a big night of his own.
Oliver’s biggest play on the Sunday Night Football stage sealed Minnesota’s 21-13 defeat of the Colts. On second-and-11 with 2:09 remaining in the game, Sam Darnold faked a handoff to Aaron Jones, Sr., bootlegged to his left and arced the ball to Oliver in the end zone for the touchdown.
“We were doing a heck of a job just running the rock that whole last drive, and then the safety sucked up, thought it was a run action, hit him with the corner, and Sam gave me an opportunity,” Oliver described.
“Time definitely slowed down a little bit,” he later added with a chuckle, “but I was able to score, so that’s all you want.”
Oliver caught all five balls thrown his way Sunday, recording a single-game career high. His 58 yards receiving marked the second most he’s had in a game (76 for Baltimore in 2022), and his three touchdowns through eight games are the most he’s had in a season.
“Josh Oliver was huge, critical,” Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell said. “The catch everybody is going to talk about was at the end in 4-minute, but I thought he was a fantastic blocker as he always is. Physical all night long and was really significant.”
Oliver and the entire Vikings offense benefited from the return of Hockenson, whose stat line (three catches for 27 yards) may have been modest but whose presence forced the defense to account for him.
“Unbelievable seeing 87 run out on the field and be part of this thing, because he’s a foundational playing player for us in this organization,” O’Connell said.
Jordan Addison especially appreciated extra opportunities opened up by Hockenson.
The Vikings receiver also was 5-for-5 on the evening and made the game’s most impressive grab during the third quarter. Darnold left the pocket to evade pressure on first-and-goal; while on the run, he flicked a pass to Addison in the back corner of the end zone.
Addison dove, extended his left hand, rolled and came up with the touchdown catch secured.
“It was crazy,” Addison said postgame. “I just saw him throw the ball, and I didn’t know if I was gonna get there or not. I just put my hand out, and it stuck.
“Shout out to the left hand for that,” he quipped, giving a quick wave.
Addison said the catch ranked “probably number one” for him so far, noting he’s never before scored a one-handed touchdown.
“I just feel like I maximized my opportunities today,” he said.
Minnesota’s offense this season has repeatedly started games fast; the unit hobbled through the first half Sunday, though struggling to find a rhythm and turning the ball over twice – once on a Zaire Franklin interception and once on a fumble returned for a touchdown by Kenny Moore II.
But the Vikings stuck with it and found their groove coming out of halftime.
“We came out a little bit flat, but we … talked it over and said, ‘We’re only down 7. All we need is a touchdown,’ ” Addison recounted. We went out there and we did that, and we just turned it up.”
Darnold emphasized the “resilient group” that kept grinding offensively until things turned around.
“Our defense played incredible most of the game, and then our offensive line, running backs, receivers, tight ends – the way they were able to block throughout the entire game really kind of set the tone for the game,” Darnold said. “That felt like the reason we were able to finish the way we did with that last touchdown.”
The Vikings QB threw two interceptions but didn’t get flustered, instead staying the course and finishing the night 28-of-34 passing for 290 yards and three touchdowns with a 107.1 passer rating.
“We’ve just got to come back out and play football. It’s that simple,” Darnold said of staying calm. “You come out, you make a mistake, obviously it sucks, you don’t want it to happen, but it’s part of the game.”
Darnold spread the ball around, completing passes to nine different teammates. He connected most often with Justin Jefferson, who led Minnesota with seven catches for 137 yards (19.6 average).
Jefferson’s longest catch was a 41-yarder from Darnold that extended a third-quarter drive capped by a Jalen Nailor touchdown. The Colts defense left Jefferson in single coverage … and soon regretted the decision.
“I’m surprised about that one, for sure,” Jefferson said. “But you know, we’d been getting a lot of two-high, three-high looks the entire game, a lot of doubles. So there was an opportunity to get that matchup and make a big play, and I’m glad we called that play at that time, and Sam threw a good ball for me to make that play.”
Darnold was asked about the go-ball and said he’s glad they were able to capitalize.
“Any time we get that matchup, if we have the play called, it’s going to be a tough cover for anyone,” Darnold said. “Really for any of our skill guys, if they get a matchup 1-on-1, I feel very confident about them beating the guy in front of them.”
All three of the Vikings touchdowns were receiving scores, but the run game also got in the mix. Minnesota didn’t see quite as much success on the ground as it has previously, but a couple of double-digit gains by Jones and Cam Akers helped keep Indy’s defense honest.
Jones totaled 21 carries for 64 yards, and Akers racked up 46 yards on just six attempts.
“It was a blessing,” said Akers, who re-joined the Vikings via trade Oct. 15. “It all started with the line. When I got the ball, it was open space. When you play running back, that’s the dream. It’s easy to do your job.”
Minnesota’s offensive line featured left tackle Cam Robinson, who started the game just a few days after the Vikings acquired him via trade from Jacksonville. Robinson was familiar with the Colts, having played them with the Jaguars Oct. 6, but certainly had plenty to learn from a playbook and terminology standpoint.
He took the challenge in stride, however, stepping in seamlessly for an injured Christian Darrisaw.
“Just an unwavering confidence in the huddle with the way that he was able to go out there and execute a game plan,” Darnold said of Robinson. “Haven’t watched the tape yet, but it seemed that he was very, very confident to be able to go out there and execute, and I felt like did he a really good job.”
O’Connell gave Robinson a game ball after the win, tipping his cap to the veteran lineman.
“Give credit to Cam, showing up here about 72 hours ago and playing a lot of snaps for us,” O’Connell said. “The feeling you have when you can bring in a player like that on short notice, trust your staff, and being very thankful for getting that done.”
The Vikings are also thankful to have improved to 6-2 on the season. They’ll now pivot to prepare for next weekend, when they’ll return to Robinson’s former home field to play the Jaguars.
Heading into a three-game road stretch, Jefferson and his teammates are especially thankful for an energetic crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday – and also are confident they’ll see ample Purple at Jacksonville, Nashville and Chicago.
“This fan base is amazing,” Jefferson said. “I mean, every single game they’re coming and supporting us with all they’ve got. So we’ve just got to keep giving them what they need – which is a win every single week.”