NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pat Jones II had a day fitting of an album release — or fishing in the daylight — while delivering hit after hit in Music City Sunday.
Jones came up big on two fourth down stops — which included one of his two sacks on the day — and pressured Will Levis into an incompletion on a fourth-and-7, helping Minnesota ice a 23-13 victory on Sunday at Tennessee.
The final stop of the day was made by Tennessee native Harrison Smith, who picked off Will Levis on a deep pass with 1:50 remaining in the game.
Smith had been oh-so-close multiple times earlier in the game before the 35-year-old recorded his 36th career interception.
Jones celebrated both sacks (his sixth and seventh of 2024) with a cast-and-reel celebration a few hundred yards from the Cumberland River.
He finished with five quarterback hits, five tackles and three tackles for loss on a big day for the Vikings defense that included one big blemish—a 98-yard touchdown from Levis to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Andrew Van Ginkel led a balanced defensive attack with eight tackles and also recorded two sacks and three tackles for loss. Blake Cashman also recorded a sack, giving Minnesota five on the day.
Smith added two passes defensed, helping Minnesota improve to 8-2 and dropping Tennessee to 2-8 on the season.
The Vikings only allowed 11 first downs on the day (three by rushing and eight by passing), but the Titans had multiple plays wiped away by penalties.
Take away the big 98er, and the Vikings allowed 196 net yards on 54 Titans plays.
Here are four more observations presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud LASIK Partner of the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a scoring summary:
1. Darnold the escape artist
Sam Darnold was dialed in for much of the game, putting the ball on the money multiple times. His line of 20-for-32 passing with 246 yards and two touchdowns could have been even brighter, but Jalen Nailor was unable to haul in a deep pass in the end zone that would have put the game away much earlier.
Darnold proved to be an effective escape artist on numerous occasions, especially in the first half, making plays on the move with accurate throws and also making important games on run plays. He finished with 18 rushing yards on eight attempts.
Nine different Vikings caught passes from Darnold, including Justin Jefferson, who led with 81 yards on six catches and drew multiple penalties against Tennessee. Jefferson set a record for career receiving yards in an NFL player's first five seasons.
Jordan Addison added 61 yards on three catches (eight targets), which was highlighted by his 47-yard touchdown that put Minnesota up 7-3 with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter.
Minnesota trailed for 1:23 of the game and completed a sweep of the four AFC South teams on the season, as well as a fifth win vs. the rotational AFC East foe (Jets).
Kevin O'Connell matched his 5-0 mark against AFC teams from 2022.
2. Run game clogged; Akers steps up
Both teams were effective in clogging up run lanes.
Vikings starter Aaron Jones, Sr., rushed 15 times for 39 yards and took several big hits.
Cam Akers helped out with 25 rushing yards on 10 carries and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Darnold.
The Vikings defense also bottlenecked the Titans, limiting Tennessee to 33 yards on 19 rush attempts.
View game action photos from the Vikings at Titans matchup in Week 11 at Nissan Stadium.
3. Risner steps in at right guard
The Vikings made a switch at right guard, starting veteran Dalton Risner over third-year pro Ed Ingram, who had started Minnesota's first nine games of 2024.
4. Penalty palooza
The Titans were flagged 13 times for 91 yards, including an unnecessary roughness penalty on fourth-and-goal from the 1 when Mike Brown made contact with Addison's helmet on an incompletion.
Seven Titans penalties resulted in first downs for Minnesota, which had three flags accepted for 35 yards.
