NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Darnold overcame an early fumble by throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and running for a score and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 23-13 Sunday. Darnold had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the first seven games of the season.
Then his toss to Aaron Jones on the Vikings' third offensive play was fumbled and recovered by Jeffery Simmons for the Titans. The quarterback answered right back to help the Vikings (8-2) win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. He found Jordan Addison for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the Vikings didn't trail again as they scored 16 straight for a 16-3 halftime lead.
Andrew Van Ginkel had his two sacks on back-to-back plays as Minnesota finished with five. Pat Jones II also had two. Harrison Smith clinched the win with an interception with 1:50 left, giving the Vikings' fans that turned this into a near home game another reason to celebrate chanting “SKOL.
” The Titans (2-8) lost their second straight and went winless against the NFC North. They sure made it interesting. Will Levis threw the longest TD pass in the NFL this season with a 98-yard score.
He found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the right sideline for the catch-and-run, pulling the Titans within 16-10 midway through the third. It was the Titans' longest pass play since DeAndre Hopkins' 61-yarder on Oct. 29, 2023, against Atlanta in Levis' first NFL start.