JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — John Parker Romo scored the first points of his career on Sunday, and the Vikings needed all 12.

Or at least nine on a day when Minnesota's defense was extremely dominant and forced three Jacksonville turnovers in the fourth quarter of a 12-7 victory.

Minnesota improved to 7-2 and dropped Jacksonville to 2-8 on the season by leaning on the special teams when long drives stalled.

Romo was signed last Wednesday, a day after Minnesota placed rookie Will Reichard on Injured Reserve.

He could rely on previous experience from the offseason from Ryan Wright, and also had overlapped some with long snapper Jake McQuaide in Detroit in the 2023 offseason. McQuaide joined Minnesota's practice squad on Wednesday and was elevated Saturday.

Minnesota was able to put together extended drives, including four that lasted 12 or more plays, but struggled to put points on the board. Three of those possessions ended with field goals, and one was finished by an interception of Sam Darnold.

Here are four more observations presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud LASIK Partner of the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a scoring summary:

1. Trio of turnovers

The Vikings defense turned in a trio of turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Camryn Bynum and Byron Murphy, Jr, each recorded interceptions, and Harrison Phillips landed on a snap fumbled by Mac Jones.

Bynum nabbed his at the Minnesota 1-yard line with 1:52 remaining.

Mac Jones lofted a deep pass, but he was affected by Blake Cashman on the play.

The play was initially ruled a touchback, but review confirmed Bynum caught the ball at the 1. Minnesota was able to move the chains thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty against Jacksonville.

Aaron Jones, Sr., who had left the game earlier returned to help finish off the series. He totaled 88 rushing yards on 17 carries.

2. Tight end tandem

Minnesota fed the football to tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver.

Hockenson came up with multiple conversions on third downs and led the Vikings in receptions (eight) and yards (72) in his second game back from injury.

Oliver, who was drafted by the Jaguars but only caught three passes in four games with Jacksonville, recorded four receptions for 52 yards.

The tight ends helped quite a bit on a day when Justin Jefferson finished with 48 yards on five catches (nine targets) and Darnold struggled.

3. Vikings survive throwing 3 picks

Darnold threw three interceptions against a defense that had recorded two through its first nine games.

The first one was an attempt to Jefferson that was deflected and pulled in by Foye Oluokun.

The second was a pass over the middle in the end zone that was intended for Jefferson but caught by Montaric Brown.

The play was reviewed, and the call stood, denying an opportunity for points late in the first half.

Minnesota trailed 7-3 at halftime but opened the third quarter with promise until another pass to Jefferson was intercepted by Darnell Savage.

Darnold finished 24-of-38 with 241 yards with no touchdowns and three picks for a passer rating of 48.2.

4. Cashman back in action

The Vikings defense welcomed back Cashman, and he recorded a sack and two tackles for loss.

He nearly had another, but one in the fourth quarter was nullified because he caught Mac Jones' facemask during the tackle.

Cashman bounced back to affect that throw, and the Vikings turned up the pressure on Jacksonville.

Andrew Van Ginkel and Ivan Pace, Jr., each recorded one sack and two tackles for loss.

The Vikings defense limited the Jaguars to 143 net yards of offense on 43 plays.

Minnesota's offense possessed the football a whopping 42:19, despite its three turnovers.