Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings continued their staggering unbeaten start to the campaign as they held off Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets to clinch a 23-17 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first NFL London game of the 2024 campaign.
Stephon Gilmore iced the game for the Vikings as he intercepted Rodgers inside the final minute to quash any late drama and derail the Jets as they sought to mount a game-winning drive.
Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel scored his second pick-six of the season following his offseason move to Minnesota, while CJ Ham bundled in for a rushing touchdown to help the Vikings improve to an NFL-best 5-0 having led 17-7 at half-time.
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Garrett Wilson's fourth-quarter touchdown had moved the Jets within three points, but in the end it would be a member of Brian Flores' unrelenting defense who had the final say.
Rodgers finished the day 29 of 54 passing for 244 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while being sacked three times and hit on 11 occasions. Vikings quarterback Darnold was limited to just 14 of 31 for 179 yards and an interception as Flores' attack dogs played a defining role once more.
As beer snakes formed and the fine rain fell, the Jets incited a thrilling finish when Brandin Echols intercepted Darnold on an overthrown pass intended for Jordan Addison over the middle of the field, allowing New York to snatch back possession at the 42-yard line with 9.47 to play in the fourth quarter.
Rodgers turned the resulting drive into a one-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to make it 20-17 after Gilmore had been flagged for pass interference in the end zone, with Mike Williams converting on third-and-10 moments earlier with an 18-yard grab to move the chains.
The Vikings responded with a nine-play drive ending in Will Reichard's 41-yard field goal to push the lead out to six, leaning on their defense to fend off the storm that threatened to follow.
With three minutes to play, was a vintage Rodgers game-winning drive coming? It looked for a moment like it might as the Jets worked their way down to the Vikings' 26.
Staring at third-and-10, Rodgers looked towards Williams deep in the red zone only to see his pass picked off by Gilmore, who was swarmed by teammates to celebrate a fifth straight win.
Stats leaders
New York Jets
Passing: Aaron Rodgers, 29/54, 244 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
Rushing: Breece Hall, 9 carries, 23 yards
Receiving: Garrett Wilson, 13 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD
Minnesota Vikings
Passing: Sam Darnold, 14/31, 179 yards, 1 INT
Rushing: Ty Chandler, 14 carries, 30 yards
Receiving: Justin Jefferson, 6 catches, 92 yards
The Vikings produced the first points of the game through Reichard's 54-yard field goal, before almost being dealt a nightmare setback when Darnold stayed down for treatment following a bruising hit from Chazz Surratt, leaving Minnesota's high-flying quarterback clutching his ribs as the volume levels plummeted inside Tottenham.
Darnold was momentarily replaced by Nick Mullens before returning to the game two plays later, at which point disaster struck when his pitch to running back Ty Chandler was fumbled and recovered by Quincy Williams.
The Vikings survived, paving the way for Flores and his 'everybody eats' defense to live up to their pre-game billing by offering Rodgers a less-than-warm welcome to London.
The four-time MVP quarterback was intercepted moments later, Van Ginkel retreating into coverage and picking off Rodgers on third down before racing away for a 63-yard touchdown and his second pick-six of the campaign.
It became two picks in two plays for Rodgers, whose overthrown pass intended for Allen Lazard was gift-wrapped for Cam Bynum to mop up an easy interception. Minnesota punished emphatically as CJ Ham capped the ensuing drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown after Sauce Gardner had twice been flagged for pass interference on Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Flores clinic continued for the Vikings as Rodgers' frustration began to tell, amplified by a thumping Harrison Smith sack from the blitz.
Finally the Jets did get themselves off the mark late in the half, Rodgers stepping up through the pressure to toss a 17-yard touchdown strike to Lazard to make it 17-7 at the half just seconds after almost being intercepted for a third time by Blake Cashman.
Scoring summary
Who said what?
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell: "Not good enough on offense, we leaned on our defense today. Way too many pre-snap penalties, way too many things we talked about. It starts with me as the play caller, there were some things offensively that just can't happen.
"What I told our team is there's going to be days like this, good teams pick themselves up. We had a thousand excuses out there, but they just kept playing. Defense were lights out from a standpoint of picking up our team when we needed them."
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson: "Coming off a season with a whole new quarterback, new system, I feel like we're doing great. After the bye week, some teams are complacent and feel like they're in a great spot. After this bye we need to be focused, locked in and ready to go."
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold: "We have a lot of good things clicking as a team but it's early. We've just got to continue to take it one step at a time, if you get caught up in what people are saying about you... we weren't listening to what anyone before the season so why would we listen to it now?"
What's next?
Rodgers' Jets return to MetLife Stadium in Week Six as they host Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, while the Vikings are at home to the Detroit Lions.
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears meanwhile travel over to London as they face Trevor Lawrence's Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with kickoff at 2.30pm live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday October 13.