The Vikings hit the road this weekend in search of their seventh win of the season. They found it in Jacksonville, defeating the Jaguars by a score of 25-16 thanks to solid defense and special teams most of the afternoon and a 4th-quarter surge by the offense. Here are 10 takeaways from the Vikings win in Jacksonville.

1. Aggressive, productive offense sealed the win

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer was quick to credit the offense for its role in Sunday's win, pointing out in his postgame press conference that all 25 points were generated by that side of the ball and also praising quarterback Sam Bradford for his play. For nearly three quarters of the game, the offense sputtered and Kai Forbath field goals salvaged scores. In the 4th quarter, though, the offense kicked it into high gear. The Vikings offense tallied 14 first downs and 13 points in the final quarter. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's play calling was key, too, as he dialed up passing plays in key moments to extend drives, take more time off the clock and close in on the victory. Bradford had clutch completions to Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph in the final minutes to help the Vikings seal the win.

2. Bradford authored another complete performance

As he's done all season, Bradford played solidly and helped put the offense in a position to contribute to victory. Bradford didn't take a sack, he didn't turn the ball over, he demonstrated mobility with scrambles and bootlegs and he provided the game-clinching touchdown throw. In total, Bradford was 24 of 34 (70.5%) for 292 yards with one touchdown, which adds up to a passer rating of 106.5, giving him his sixth game of the season with a rating of 100+.

3. Perfect pass protection

The Vikings offensive line has dealt with more than its fair share of criticism and injury this season. On Sunday, they took it all out on Jacksonville with outstanding pass protection. With both Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon along with the tight ends chipping in to help, the Vikings offensive line allowed zero sacks of Bradford. There were times Bradford stood in the pocket for several seconds before he found a receiver breaking open or decided to either scramble or throw the ball away. With Bradford's accuracy and the way the Vikings receivers are playing, that kind of pass protection will help the Vikings offense sustain the explosiveness they displayed on Sunday.

4. The Vikings have the best defensive line in the NFL

If there's a better defensive line in the NFL that the Vikings, someone's got to point them out. The Vikings front four has talent and depth, and it is making life difficult for opposing offenses all season. DTs Linval Joseph and Shamar Stephen consistently penetrated into the backfield to pressure quarterback Blake Bortles and string out Jacksonville rushing plays. Bortles was sacked four times, all of them by defensive linemen, and the Jaguars managed a per-carry average of only 3.5 yards. Everson Griffen collected 2.0 sacks to bring his season total to 8.0, Danielle Hunter added 1.0 to bring his season total to 10.5 and Brian Robison also got 1.0 to bring his total to 7.0.

5. Special teams made a difference

Forbath was good on all four of his field goal tries, Patterson had a 53-yard return that set up Forbath's third field goal of the afternoon, Jayron Kearse blocked a punt that helped the Vikings flip the field and the Vikings blocked Jacksonville's last-second field goal attempt as they tried to make it a one-score game with less than a minute to play. There was a false start that led to a missed point after touchdown (PAT) attempt and likely a few other errors that need to be corrected, but overall the Vikings won the special teams battle and it made a difference in the game.

6. Offense showed explosiveness

Going into Sunday's game, the Vikings had four offensive plays of 40 yards or longer. On Sunday in Jacksonville, the Vikings offense had three. Two of them came on the first plays of a drive, with Bradford finding Rudolph for 44 yards on the first play of the game, Adam Thielen for 41 yards later in the 1st quarter and then Stefon Diggs for 45 yards in the 2nd quarter. The next step is using those explosive plays to generate touchdowns because the Vikings produced just six points on the three drives that yielded those explosive plays. Thielen, by the way, led the team in receiving yards with 101 on four receptions.

7. Running game, red zone offense still needs work

Speaking of areas that can improve, the Vikings still have work to do in the running game and in the red zone. The Vikings averaged 2.9 yards per carry and they were just two of five in the red zone. The running game did show flashes on Sunday, particularly with Asiata's 23-yard run in the 4th quarter and with a few wildcat snaps. But failure to punch the ball into the end zone in short-yardage situations is something the team would like to rectify.

8. Xavier Rhodes shut down Allen Robinson

CB Xavier Rhodes is having a career season and Sunday was another notch in his belt. Rhodes matches up with the opponent's number one receiver nearly every week, and in drawing the Allen Robinson assignment this week he did so once again. And, once again, Rhodes rose to the challenge. Robinson, the Jaguars leading receiver, was held to one catch for 17 yards on the afternoon, a credit to Rhodes coverage and the scheme employed by Zimmer and his defensive staff. Critics will point to a series on plays in the 3rd quarter in which Rhodes was penalized three times, and that is something Rhodes admitted in the locker room after the game he needs to improve upon. Rhodes coverage of Robinson for the balance of the game was far more significant in the outcome of the game than the 3rd quarter penalty spree was, though.

9. Blake Bortles' scrambling kept to a minimum

All week Vikings coaches and players were emphasizing the importance of neutralizing the scrambling ability of Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. All the talk (and preparation) worked. Bortles had just three rushes for 13 yards on the afternoon and his mobility was not a factor in the game.

10. Vikings fans showed up in big numbers, per usual

Vikings fans typically travel well to road games, and Sunday in Jacksonville was certainly no exception. In fact, it may have been a shining illustration of the fan base's passion. From the time the gates opened two hours before kickoff through the final minutes of the game, it was easy to see and hear Vikings fans in the Jaguars crowd. By the end of the game, there was more purple visible than teal and Vikings chants could even be heard from time-to-time.