Late-game gamble leads Vikings to a lucky win in in Vegas

After three quarters of scoreless football, the Minnesota Vikings put together a drive that led them to a 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14.

In what will go down as one of the ugliest wins in the history of the franchise, the Minnesota Vikings managed to sneak off of the field on Sunday with a 3-0 road victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Minnesota's defense deserves a ton of credit for the win, as they earned their first shutout performance since Week 16 of the 2017 season.

However, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell also deserves credit for Sunday's victory after he made the decision to bench quarterback Josh Dobbs in the fourth quarter and replace him with veteran Nick Mullens.

Minnesota Vikings improve to 7-6 after defeating Las Vegas Raiders

With the win over the Raiders, Minnesota now has a 7-6 record this season, so they are still the No. 6 team in the NFC playoff picture, but they are also now only two games behind first place in the NFC North after the Detroit Lions lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

As it was mentioned earlier, the Vikings' defense put the team on its back during this victory. The Vikings held the Raiders to just 202 total yards (including just 56 on the ground), sacked Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O'Connell four times, and forced the Raiders to commit three turnovers.

Minnesota's defense put a bow on their performance on Sunday when rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. intercepted one of O'Connell's passes late in the fourth quarter to essentially seal the win for the Vikings.

In relief of Dobbs, Mullens came in and looked impressive. The veteran signal-caller had immediate command of the offense, and he finished his day going 9-of-13 for 83 yards. With Dobbs getting benched and Mullens performing well on Sunday, it seems like a very legitimate possibility that we could see Minnesota make a starting quarterback change before their next game.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, the injury bug bit a number of their notable players on Sunday. The biggest injury of the news of the afternoon was, of course, the injury to Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson left the game in the second quarter after injuring his chest during a catch, and he never returned to the matchup. Instead, the Vikings receiver was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital for further evaluation.

Minnesota running back Alexander Mattison and right tackle Brian O'Neill also suffered ankle injuries that forced them to exit the game before the final whistle. More will likely be known about the injuries to these two players as the week progresses.