In front of an ecstatic home crowd, the Minnesota Vikings put together one of the best performances they've ever had during the Kevin O'Connell era on Sunday as they cruised to a 34-7 win over the Houston Texans.
With the victory, the Vikings improved their record to 3-0 this season, and they look like they can compete with just about any team in the NFL. Minnesota's win on Sunday also means that the team has still never lost to the Texans in six all-time meetings.
From the start, it was never much of a contest, as the Vikings defense picked off Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud on the opening drive, and then a few plays later, Minnesota scored their first touchdown of the day when Sam Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson on a six-yard pass.
Sam Darnold has best game in a Minnesota Vikings uniform in Week 3 win over Houston Texans
In his third-career start with the Vikings on Sunday, Darnold easily put together the best performance he's in a purple and gold uniform so far
Against the Texans, the veteran quarterback completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 181 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Darnold has now thrown for eight touchdowns this season. His single-season career high is 19 touchdown passes and he might even surpass it by the middle of Minnesota's schedule.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings made life completely miserable for Stroud and the rest of Houston's offense. Minnesota's defense sacked Stroud five times on Sunday, forced him to throw two interceptions, and held the Texans offense to just 38 yards rushing.
In the end, the Vikings wound up defeating Houston by a whopping 28 points, which is their largest margin of victory since a 29-point win over the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019.
Next up for Darnold and Minnesota is a trip to Lambeau Field to take on the 2-1 Green Bay Packers. Will the Vikings continue to perform at a very high level when they face their biggest rivals next weekend?