By Brice Duhamel – Nov 6, 2022 10:41 PM
Led by 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Vikings found the solution to chain a sixth win.
Washington Commanders (4-5) – Minnesota Vikings (7-1): 17-20
In this former duel in Washington, it was Kirk Cousins (22/40, 265 yards, 2TD, 1int) who came out the best. Handled from the run to the Washington pass, the purple line was unusually porous and it was the entire offense that suffered, most notably a ground play limited to 2.5 yards per game. For his first game with Minnesota, TJ Hockenson (9 receptions, 70 yards) has already shown he can make a great contribution to this team.
Faced with the franchise that launched him in the NFL, Taylor Heinicke (15/28, 149 yards, 2TDs, 1 int) showed his limits. His desire to succeed is undeniable, but he remains too fair to hope to exist in this NFC East. Too bad for Washington whose attack seems to ruin a very solid yet private defense of Chase Young once again.
A festival of points
A touchdown, 8 punt in a row, a field goal and an interception, that’s what the first half comes down to.
Everything starts perfectly for Cousins and Jefferson (7 receptions, 115 yards, 1TD) who connect 4 times to get to the promised land. Behind, Minnesota is well pinned to the ground, Washington does not advance in the air and the two teams chain the punts.
On their last possession of the second quarter, the commanders advance far enough to unlock their field goal counter. Cousins responds well by finding Thielen (3 receptions, 67 yards) on a pass from 36 yards and the Viola return to the redzone. But a forced pass for Jefferson ends up in the hands of Danny Johnson. At half-time, the score is 7-3 for the Vikings.
The Vikings in reaction
At the start of the second half, Heinicke is aggressive and tries a long pass for Curtis Samuel (3 receptions, 65 yards, 1TD). As Camryn Bynum prepares to intercept him, he is hit by a referee. Samuel takes the ball and ends up in the endzone, 10-7.
Triple coverage? It’s not a problem !
Tyler Heinicke finds Curtis Samuel for a long distance TD 🏈#MINvsWAS #HTC🎥 @NFL pic.twitter.com/ovSUYCHZsc
– TDActu.com – NFL News 🏈 (@TDActu) November 6, 2022
Washington’s defense continues to harass Cousins, Minnesota’s is starting to crack. The locals put in a second touchdown early in the fourth quarter and took off, 17-7.
Behind, the attack of the Vikings regains some life and reduces the gap to the basket. The defense also reacts and Harrison Smith intercepts Heinicke. Change of possession immediately punished by Dalvin Cook (17 games, 47 yards; 2 receptions, 9 yards, 1TD), 17-17.
The purples don’t stop there. The defense lets nothing pass and the attack continues to advance. While the Commanders will limit the Vikings to a field goal with two minutes to play, their special team commits the irreparable. A penalty for charging the center on the kick attempt returns Minnesota to the first attempt. An advantage for Cousins and company who are content to let the time pass before Greg Joseph gives the victory, 17-20.
With this sixth consecutive win, the Vikings rush to first place in the NFC North. Commanders miss the chance to hold out in a division where the slightest mistake is paid for in cash …
