Thankfully, the Minnesota Vikings were able to walk off the field in London, England, on Sunday with a win over the New York Jets. But in order to get the victory over the Jets and improve their record to 5-0 this season, the Vikings had to overcome an underwhelming performance by quarterback Sam Darnold.
In the win, Darnold only completed 45.2 percent of his passes for 179 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception, which resulted in him earning an abysmal 50.3 passer rating.
Luckily, top performances from Minnesota's defense and rookie kicker Will Reichard made up for the struggles had by the veteran signal-caller on Sunday. But Darnold's play against New York was a clear example of why the Vikings are likely to stick to the plan of making J.J. McCarthy the team's starting quarterback in 2025.
Minnesota Vikings head into bye week with 5-0 record after win over New York Jets
Overall, it was a pretty sloppy game by both Minnesota and New York's offenses on Sunday, as each team averaged under four yards per play, and they combined to turn the ball over five times.
On the flip side, credit should be given to the players on the defensive side of the ball for the Vikings and Jets in the matchup. Minnesota held New York to just 36 rushing yards on Sunday, while the Jets held Darnold to zero touchdown passes for the first time this season.
Part of the Vikings' struggles on offense definitely had to do with running back Aaron Jones having to leave the game early because of a hip injury. Jones injured his hip in the first half, and he was ruled out of the matchup at the start of the third quarter.
Following Sunday's contest, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell said that Jones's injury will be evaluated further in the near future, and he's hoping that it's a "short-term" injury for the veteran running back.
Jones will have plenty of time to rest up for the Vikings' next game, as the team will now head into their bye week after a successful trip to London. Following their time off, Minnesota will return to the field in Week 7 for a big matchup inside U.S. Bank Stadium against the Detroit Lions on October 20th.