Minnesota and Las Vegas played the NFL’s tightest game in 16 years, with Greg Joseph nailing a 36-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining to give the Vikings a 3-0 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
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.
Joseph’s kick ensured that the game would not end scoreless for the first time since the New York Giants played the host Detroit Lions to a 0-0 tie on November 7, 1943.
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 the Packers 16-0 on Dec. 23, 2017 and Las Vegas’ first shutout since its 24-0 loss to New Orleans on Oct. 30, 2022.
Nick Mullins relieved a struggling Joshua Dobbs at linebacker 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.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell was intercepted by Evan Pace on the ensuing drive. The Raiders were able to get the ball back with 7 seconds left, but were unable to execute a desperate final play.
The Vikings lost wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the 2022 AP Offensive Player of the Year, in the second quarter with a chest injury. Fox Sports reported in its television broadcast that he was taken to the hospital. 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 Texans-Jets game was also 0-0 at intermission. According to Fox, this was the first time since October 1998 that two games ended in a scoreless tie at halftime on the same day.
Minnesota came close to scoring, but Joseph missed a 49-yard field goal with 5:32 remaining in the first half. It was the Vikings’ only first-half trip into the Las Vegas area, matching the number set by the Raiders.
Las Vegas looked as if they would finally break the deadlock early in the second half when Hunter Renfrow caught a 38-yard catch-and-run play to the Vikings 11. However, Renfrow fumbled three plays later, and Mickey Blackmon recovered for Minnesota. The Vikings entered the game with a league-leading 18 forced fumbles.
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.
Milestone bag
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 timed the shot perfectly for a powerful jumper, forcing Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neal to make the catch. Crosby fought through the fist to take down Dobbs.
Salute to the victims
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.
Injuries
Vikings: RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) was injured in the third quarter. … RT Brian O’Neill (ankle) was injured in the second quarter.
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.
the next
Vikings: At Cincinnati on Saturday.
Raiders: Host the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
In a surprising turn of events, the Minnesota Vikings managed to secure a narrow victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL’s lowest-scoring game in 16 years. With a final score of 3-0, both teams struggled to find the end zone, resulting in a defensive battle that kept the score low throughout the game. The outcome left fans and analysts stunned, as it was a rare occurrence to witness such a low-scoring game in the high-scoring world of professional football. The game left many wondering about the reasons behind the lack of offensive production and the impact it will have on both teams moving forward in the season.