The Vikings and Raiders played some of the most putrid offense in NFL history today, with the game tied 0-0 until the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter. But in the end, the Vikings found a way to win.
The way for the Vikings to win was to bench starting quarterback Josh Dobbs and replace him with Nick Mullens, who drove the Vikings into field goal range, where Greg Joseph hit a 36-yarder for the only points of the game in the Vikings’ 3-0 win.
It was the first game to be scoreless at the two-minute warning, and the first game with a 3-0 final score, since 2007, when the Steelers beat the Dolphins by that score on a muddy Monday night in Pittsburgh. It was also the lowest-scoring indoor game in NFL history.
On the Raiders’ first offensive play after the Vikings’ field goal, quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw an interception to Minnesota’s Ivan Pace.
Part of the problem with the offenses was that significant playmakers on both teams suffered injuries: Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was ruled out with a chest injury and taken to a Las Vegas hospital, while Raiders running back Josh Jacobs limped to the locker room with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
The win improves the Vikings’ record to 7-6, and they’re in very good shape in the playoff race: They’re in good position to earn a wild card berth, and if they win out they’d win the NFC North.
The Raiders fall to 5-8 after giving the Las Vegas fans an ugly game to watch.