Talk about an ideal opening act. The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a razor-sharp effort on the road against the New York Giants in the season opener, earning a 28-6 triumph. It was a game that featured significant contributions on both sides of the ball, and head coach Kevin O’Connell had high praise for the Vikings defense.
That unit limited the Giants to 240 yards, and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel punctuated the performance with 10-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. That play gave the Vikings a three-touchdown edge on the Giants and the home team was unable to cut into that lead at any point.
O’Connell had projected confidence in his defense throughout the summer, but he seemed somewhat stunned after the game when he analyzed the performance of the unit that is led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“Defensively, I don’t know what to say, other than, just an unbelievable performance from that group,” O’Connell said, per Ben Goessling of Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The Vikings also received an impressive performance from new quarterback Sam Darnold, who was signed to a one-year contract in the offseason. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception in his debut with the Vikings. Darnold started the game in eye-opening fashion, completing his first 12 pass attempts.
“Sam Darnold, for a guy in a new system to start 12 for 12 and be incredibly poised throughout the day, it was a huge performance for us to be able to build off,” O’Connell said.
Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson made key contributions for Vikings
The Vikings were unhappy with their ground game last year, and they made an effort to improve in that area this season when they signed running back Aaron Jones in the offseason. The former Green Bay Packers star had an excellent effort in his debut with the Vikings. He gained 94 yards on 14 carries for an impressive mark of 6.7 yards per attempt.
Darnold was able to hook up with superstar wideout Justin Jefferson 4 times for 59 yards. Jefferson had a 44-yard reception in the first half that allowed the Vikings to dictate exactly what they wanted to do on offense throughout the game. He also caught a 3-yard TD pass in the second quarter.
Darnold’s other TD pass was a 21-yard effort down the right sidelines to Jalen Nailor early in the second half.
The defense was fairly dominant throughout the game as Harrison Smith also picked off Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. The Vikings put significant pressure on Jones throughout the game and sacked the New York quarterback five times. Patrick Jones II had 2.0 sacks and rookie first-round draft choice Dallas Turner three tackles and a sack in his his first game.
The Vikings will attempt to go 2-0 when they host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.
