LAS VEGAS (AP) — The brand of football played by Minnesota and Las Vegas on Sunday set the NFL back 16 years.
It was the first 3-0 game since Pittsburgh beat Miami on November 26, 2007, the third in the past 40 years and the seventh in the Super Bowl era. The last game that ended in a scoreless tie between the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions on November 7, 1943 ended in a scoreless tie.
The Vikings (7-6) had just 230 yards, and the Raiders (5-8) — losers of three in a row — were limited to 201 yards and nine first downs. Minnesota beat an AFC West opponent for the first time this season with a 0-3 win.
It was Minnesota’s first shutout since beating Green Bay 16-0 on Dec. 23, 2017 and Las Vegas’ first shutout since its 24-0 loss to New Orleans on Oct. 30, 2022.
Political cartoon
Nick Mullins relieved ineffective quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the fourth quarter and led the Vikings on their only scoring drive. His 22-yard completion to Jordan Addison to the Raiders 20 set up Joseph’s punt.
“You never know when your name is going to be called, but you prepare and work as hard as you can and trust that there is a plan out there for you,” Mullins said. I did, and I intervened. The guys did a great job. … No matter what it looks like, a win is a win.
Dobbs was 10 of 23 for 63 yards. Mullens completed 9 of 13 passes for 83 yards.
“I felt like my confidence in Nick through his preparation could be called upon,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We made sure he got some reps last week so he was ready to go, and he did just that. We came out and made some crucial, decisive plays to move the chains and ultimately put us within the very limited number of points we had today.”
O’Connell said he doesn’t know who will start moving forward.
Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce could be facing a similar situation after Aidan O’Connell completed 21 of 32 passes for 171 yards with an interception, but the quarterback wasn’t the only one at fault.
“There’s no excuse,” Pierce said. “It’s shocking. Too much time to prepare for the opponent. They didn’t do anything new. Bad training. Bad performance by the players.”
The Vikings lost wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the 2022 AP Offensive Player of the Year, in the second quarter with a chest injury. He was taken to hospital, but O’Connell said the early diagnosis was promising. This was Jefferson’s first game back after missing the previous seven games with a hamstring injury.
Las Vegas lost running back Josh Jacobs to a knee injury in the fourth quarter. Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,653 yards. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in two of the past three games.
Neither team scored in the first half, the second time that has happened Sunday. The Houston Texans and New York Jets match was also 0-0 at intermission. According to the Fox Sports broadcast, this was the first time since October 1988 that two games ended in a scoreless tie at halftime on the same day.
The game remained scoreless entering the fourth quarter, the first time that had happened since Week 17 of the 2017 season when the Cowboys and Eagles faced each other. It is the first time the Raiders have been involved in such a game and the second for the Vikings – November 14, 1971 against the Packers was the other time. That match also ended in a 3-0 victory for Minnesota.
Both teams did not take advantage of scoring opportunities. Joseph missed a 49-yard field goal in the second quarter and Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow lost a fumble at the Minnesota 20.
Vikings OC makes the trip after arrest
Minnesota offensive coordinator Wes Phillips traveled with the team and officiated the game after he was arrested Friday night on suspicion of drunk driving in Minneapolis.
“I’m very disappointed, there’s no doubt about that,” O’Connell said. “But we want to allow for the facts and do our due diligence from that standpoint. Obviously the league is involved as well. It’s very important that we understand as coaches that we set the standards for our organization and for our players. And Wes knows he failed to do that.”
Maxx Crosby became the fifth Raider to record 50 career sacks when he connected on Dobbs in the second quarter. He is the first player in franchise history to get there in his first five seasons. Crosby later added a second sack.
Crosby led the team onto the field carrying flags representing UNLV and law enforcement. The team held a moment of silence before kickoff to honor the three UNLV professors who were shot and killed on Wednesday and the two Nevada Highway Patrol officers who died after being struck by a car on Nov. 30.
Vikings: RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) was injured in the third quarter. … RT Brian O’Neill (ankle) was injured in the second quarter. … WR Jalen Naylor is in concussion protocol.
Raiders: DT Adam Butler (foot) and LB Kana’i Mauga (knee) were injured in the second quarter. Mauga was just activated from injured reserve on Saturday. He was on IR with a knee injury. … CAndre James (ankle) was injured in the third quarter.
Vikings: At Cincinnati on Saturday.
Raiders: Host the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
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In a surprising turn of events, the Minnesota Vikings pulled off a narrow victory against the Las Vegas Raiders in an unusually low-scoring NFL game. With a final score of just 3-0, this match goes down as the lowest-scoring game in the league in 16 years. Both teams put up a strong defensive performance, but it was ultimately the Vikings who managed to squeak out a win in this defensive battle. The unexpected outcome has left fans and analysts alike buzzing about the impressive display of defensive prowess on the field.