3 winners (and 2 losers) from the Vikings in Week 3 win over the Texans

The 2-0 Minnesota Vikings hosted a tough Houston Texans team in Week 2. The crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium was electric as the purple and gold methodically beat down their opponents and won the contests by a final score of 34-7.

Now undefeated through three weeks, the Vikings have notched impressive wins over the 49ers and Texans in the last two games. This team is exceeding all expectations from fans and analysts and much of that has to do with the players executing the gameplan.

There were some great performances in Sunday's win and a couple of players who struggled against a tough Houston team. Let's take a look at three winners and two losers from Minnesota's Week 3 victory over Houston.

3 winners (and 2 losers) from the Vikings in Week 3 win over the Texans

The Minnesota Vikings remain undefeated against the Houston Texans. The purple and gold have won all six matchups by a touchdown or more. Here are five players who made a big impression on the outcome of the game:

Vikings Winner No. 1: Sam Darnold, quarterback

With Sam Darnold, the Vikings will need to accept a few bad things every week but have also seen Minnesota's new quarterback thrive with his new teammates under head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense.

Darnold completed 17 of his 28 passes for 181 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He did have two ill-advised shovel passes and a fumble that was recovered by the offense, but his positives far outweighed the negatives.

Vikings Loser No. 1: Ty Chandler, running back

The Minnesota Vikings had 118 rushing yards on Sunday, but backup running back Ty Chandler struggled to get going. He ran the ball seven times against Houston, gaining only 13 yards on the ground.

Chandler was also absent in the passing game. He was not targeted by Sam Darnold in the game Thankfully, Minnesota's secondary rusher didn't need to be great on Sunday and will have an opportunity to bounce back next week against the Packers.

Vikings Winner No. 2: Jonathan Greenard, edge rusher

Former Texans edge rusher Jonathan Greenard had one heck of a day against his former team in Week 3. On a day when several players were facing off against their former teams, Greenard was aggressive and productive all day.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked three times by Greenard, who had career-high numbers in Houston last season. He was part of a Vikings defense that sacked opposing passers five times on the day and maintained pressure all day.

Vikings Loser No. 2: Garrett Bradbury, center

For the most part, Garrett Bradbury did a solid job as a blocker, especially in pass protection. However, the Vikings' center was caught off-balance on more than one occasion on Sunday, earning a costly penalty and losing his anchor on a couple of occasions.

As a whole, Minnesota's offensive line did an excellent job protecting Sam Darnold and opening holes for Aaron Jones, but there will come a time when a smaller center who is off-balance will cause much bigger problems than what happened on Sunday.

Vikings Winner No. 3: Aaron Jones, running back

For the first time since joining the Minnesota Vikings, running back Aaron Jones ran for over 100 yards on the ground. On 19 carries, he gained 102 yards including one big run for 39 yards that helped the team remain in contol.

Jones did have a touchdown against the Texans, but it came on an 8 yard pass from Sam Darnold that was part of his 5 catches for 46 yards. The former Packers rusher is a great addition to Minnesota's offense and should continue to be an effective weapon going forward.

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