But the Vikings rallied to take the lead with 1:13 left, on Sam Darnold’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Jones. And with Greenard rushing off the left side on that fourth-and 10, cornerback Shaq Griffin undercut receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s route, intercepting Murray’s pass to seal the game.
“They made it hard on us,” O’Connell said. “We’ve got to be a lot better offensively and see if we can not put ourselves in a hole. But I will say, when we absolutely needed it, to put those drives together and find a way to win the game is obviously the intent of everything here.”
The Vikings have now won 10 times this year, putting together their second five-game win streak of the season in a fashion that’s looked little like their first. Their opening run featured commanding home wins over the 49ers and Texans and an overwhelming first half at Lambeau Field that made them the early story of the season in the NFL. The Vikings have won four of their past five games by one score, outlasting teams with combined records of 21-40.
But they are one of four NFL teams to reach double-digit wins by the first weekend of December, reaching the milestone at the same juncture they did in 2022. They remain within a step of the Lions and a game ahead of the Packers, who play in Detroit on Thursday night to kick off what could be a NFC North finish for the ages. And in overcoming a 13-point deficit against the Cardinals on Sunday, the Vikings completed their biggest comeback since the NFL-record 33-point rally against the Colts two years ago.
“Another resilient win,” said quarterback Sam Darnold, after beginning his postgame news conference with an exaggerated deep breath that drew laughter from the room. “The way our defense played, the way they were able to stop the field goals early on, even late in the game, they continue to come up big for us. Just a resilient, resilient effort by the offense. It wasn’t the first half we wanted. We’ve got to get better in a lot of ways. The way we battled in the second half was awesome.”
The quarterback threw for 104 of his 235 yards in the fourth quarter, completing seven of his 12 passes while leading two scoring drives to complete the Vikings’ comeback. With the Vikings facing a fourth-and-5 just before the two-minute warning, Darnold ripped a throw to Justin Jefferson, finding the receiver in the middle of the zone coverages the Cardinals had used all day.