Long-time rival running back Aaron Jones, Sr., took a handoff from formerly doubted quarterback Sam Darnold and rushed for a yard into the mouth of the Giants defense on Minnesota's first offensive play.
On the next snap, right guard Ed Ingram was shoved 7 yards off the ball into the lap of Darnold, who was alligator-rolled to his original home turf at MetLife Stadium by giant defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
Hardly an ideal way to start.
A nondescript rush and 7-yard sack squarely launched the Vikings into Year 3 of the partnership between Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. What happened on its third play from scrimmage could've easily been accepted as a bad omen by Minnesota's offense, but wasn't.
Fullback C.J. Ham leaked out into the right flat late in the play, double-clutched a pass from Darnold and fumbled after a hit to his midsection. As Ham laid prone, his legs straight and helmet smushed face down, a throng of New York defenders lifted their arms, hugged, and euphorically flexed at the crowd.
To appreciate the good, it's important to remember the bad.
The Vikings didn't experience an ideal finish to their season, either, but along the way produced plays that ushered in a campaign for the books – one I'll remember forever in equal parts because it was my rookie year writing stories for an NFL team, and because it was packed with special Purple performances.
Ideally, the outcomes laid a foundation, as O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah like to say, for sustained success. After all, the 2024 slate revealed requisites of greatness, and the power of a positive culture.
Now, by weighing impactful moments with momentum that certain plays created for future snaps, and studying the skill involved on Minnesota's 44 offensive touchdowns, 33 defensive takeaways and 49 sacks, I've compiled a definitive list of my 14 favorite plays from Minnesota's historic 14-win campaign.
Of course, there's deserving highlights left off this listing. Darnold had multiple impromptu movements outside the pocket that paralleled the finest ad-libbing quarterbacks in the NFL; Justin Jefferson made the impossible look simple, again, so it's impossible to include every "Did-I-see-that-right?" catch; Minnesota native Blake Cashman made a sizzle reel that rivaled the linebacker play of Vikings Legends Matt Blair, Chad Greenway and Scott Studwell (to name a few); Pro Bowl edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel went scorched earth on opposing linemen and assailed quarterbacks with a hustle and toolbox that regularly shaped final scores, and Camryn Bynum's viral celebrations were reason enough to flip on and admire the 65-year-old franchise as it baffled oddsmakers for four months.
Don't cheat and scroll to the bottom, because I promise all 14 are worth a read and rewatch:
14. Van Ginkel's first impression
Daniel Jones stood tall in an empty shotgun set with rookie Malik Nabers split to the boundary on his left, and Wan'Dale Robinson aligned far outside of a three-receiver bunch to his right. Before the snap, Jones turned his head, held up his hand and wiggled his fingers to signal Robinson into motion, bringing him behind the bunch. The Vikings defense was visibly outnumbered, with three Giants ready to perimeter block Joshua Metellus (walked down on the point man), Bynum (7 yards off the ball and a shade inside of Giants TE Theo Johnson, the player closest to New York right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor) and Byron Murphy, Jr., who cautiously shadowed Robinson on his motion, priming to bail into coverage. In theory, the bunch formation accounted for Minnesota's defensive backs and could block them 1-on-1 once Jones flipped his hips and zipped a quick screen to Robinson – little did the Giants know the Vikings had them precisely where they wanted. As the ball was hiked, Ivan Pace, Jr. zoomed out of an A gap-blitz look and beelined underneath the bunch at Jones' target. Now, the numbers were even, yet the Vikings technically had an advantage … or rather, a secret weapon: Van Ginkel. Crouched in a two-point stance several yards outside of Eluemunor, Van Ginkel timed the cadence, took three hard steps upfield, sniffed out the screen and went airborne, stealing Jones' throw with the savviness of an All-Pro wide receiver.
Gink' gracefully executed a one-foot landing at the Giants 10, burst into a trot with his blond mane pouring out the back of his Purple helmet and raised his arms to upper-torso height with both palms at the sky as if to ask "Are you not entertained?" The TD rounded out his rock-solid debut for the Vikings.
13. Ham busts out of the oven
San Francisco and Minnesota initially swapped punts in the Week 2 home-opening rendezvous. The Vikings defense tightened on drive No. 2, after giving up an explosive 25-yard reception to George Kittle, eventually forcing the 49ers into another punting scenario. Only, in this instance, Minnesota cooked up an impact play on special teams, courtesy one of its captains. At midfield, with 7:04 to play in the first frame, Ham sped out of a four-point stance and tapered his broad shoulders to breach the Niners protection. His path to punter Mitch Wishnowsky was unthinkably easy – later, San Francisco Head Coach Kyle Shanahan attributed the miscue to a too-wide pre-snap split between Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Robert Beal, Jr. – but Ham carried out his assignment with a veteran's mastery, angling his line to one half of Wishnowsky's body (to better avoid a roughing or running into the kicker penalty if he whiffed the block attempt) and pancaking the football as it flew off Wishnowsky's right foot. Thud-thud!
Simultaneously, Ham shared an emphatic fist pump after springing off the turf, and Theo Jackson covered up the loose ball, before regaining his footing and adding a 15-yard return. The special takeaway (Ham's first punt block in his 115th game) situated the Vikings offense at San Francisco's 24 and helped score Will Reichard a chip-shot field goal. It was a Ham-sized momentum swing and über-important lead.
12. Murphy's peanut punch
Twelve-year Bears defensive back Charles Tillman, originator of the "Peanut Punch," knows a thing or two about playing the Vikings and Packers – and three things or more about Murphy's comeback-squashing forced fumble in the final five minutes of Minnesota's 31-29 win at Green Bay, which happened on the defensive series immediately after Murphy intercepted Jordan Love in the end zone.
With the Packers desperately scavenging points to further disintegrate what was a 28-zip Vikings lead, Murphy channeled Tillman and the thousands of repetitions done in practice takeaway circuits piloted by Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels. On a second-and-10 at Green Bay's 37, with 4:27 remaining and a nine-point lead, Murphy transitioned out of a deep zone drop near the midfield "G" logo at Lambeau Field to fly forward and meet tight end Tucker Kraft after a catch close to the sideline. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Murphy reacted to a cutback attempt then engaged with 6 feet, 5 inches and 260 pounds of cheese and green. In a nanosecond, with Kraft lowering his shoulder pads, Murphy fired a professional punch that landed with professional precision; the ball plopped free, settled on the grass and was promptly jumped on by Bynum, who was promptly jumped on by Cashman. While the takeaway didn't net any points, because the Vikings failed to convert on fourth down two odd minutes later, it punched the pause button on Green Bay's frantic comeback try for just long enough. We should note that Murphy, the 2024 team's interceptions leader isn't the type of cornerback to make a "business decision" when it comes to absorbing or inflicting contact. Matter of fact, Murphy, the Defensive MVP of the Pro Bowl Games, attached a personal-best 81 tackles this past season with six for a loss (most in the Vikings secondary). There are plays, however, when brains beat brawn, and Murphy distinguished in the clutch.
11. Hot potato interception
Minnesota used every phase – offense, defense and special teams – to fend off and upset the 2023 NFC Champion 49ers in Week 2. On a particular snap about halfway through the third quarter, leading 13-7, Minnesota really leaned into the concept of teamwork. When San Francisco's Brock Purdy gripped an under-center snap and took a five-step drop into the pocket, the Vikings defense scattered into its coverage assignments. Several defenders eyed deeper routes. Cashman and Metellus stayed shallow. The QB's eyes led Cashman to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who set up shop on a spot route straight out of the backfield. Cashman broke on the pass well before Purdy released it and stretched his hands to deflect it; the ball ricocheted off Cashman, and off Metellus who flew into the vicinity, and then off Bynum, who was darting downhill to interrupt a dig route when he recognized Purdy's intent. Finally, on his second chance, Metellus gathered the ball in his breadbasket. In this situation, unlike the children's game Hot Potato, the Vikings safety wasn't eliminated for ending up with the rock. He gained 12 yards after the interception, and on the ensuing play, Darnold pitched a pass to Jalen Nailor for a 10-yard touchdown.
10. Darnold's tight window masterclass
The final of four first-half touchdowns by the Vikings before Green Bay got on the board in Week 4 was no easy feat. With a couple passing scores already in tow, Darnold handled a shotgun snap, backpedaled a few steps, anchored his right foot in the bucket and whipped a 14-yard dot at a mano-a-mano matchup between Jefferson and Keisean Nixon. There was no separation. Zilch. Nada. No space even for Jefferson to track the throw. And somehow, Darnold put it on the money, the thickness of a dollar bill behind Nixon's nameplate, allowing Jefferson to make a last-second, back-shoulder catch 1 yard past the front right pylon. It was a perfect pass into the tightest possible window, against practically perfect defense. Afterwards, Jefferson stared at Nixon for a couple seconds and spun the ball like a top in the end-zone grass, which was bordered by ironically symbolic lettering, CRUCIAL CATCH, honoring the league's mission to promote prevention and early detection of cancer; the catch was key to Minnesota's slim win.
9. Gilly-gan's Island
Twenty-six yards to gain in 49 seconds? A betting man probably would've banked on four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers finishing the job across the pond in Week 5, when he had the Jets on the doorstep of completing a double-digit comeback and dealing Minnesota its first loss of the 2024 season. Turns out, all bets were off. On third-and-10, Rodgers leaned back to chuck a fast fade toward tall target Mike Williams, but connected instead with 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 13-year veteran Stephon Gilmore. The moment jogged my memory of a chat I had with Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores ahead of one of the team's preseason games: Flo' picked Gilmore's clutch interception to seal his final Super Bowl win with the Patriots as his most memorable play call; the interception was the byproduct of Flores sending the house at former Rams QB Jared Goff in a 13-3 win over Los Angeles in Super Bowl LIII. Reunited, Flores faked a heavy pressure and left Gilmore on an island, again. This call didn't win a championship, but it duped a QB destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and ensured the club's 5-0 start. Also worth remembering, it was the lone pick for Gilmore in his first season with the Vikings – and maybe the last of 32 in his own Hall of Fame-worthy career if he winds up retiring this year.
8. Greenard's ridiculous get-off
Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall draft choice in 2024, suffered 68 sacks in his rookie year, which tied for the most in a single season since 2005 (David Carr). None were as demonstrative, though, as the Week 15 takedown Greenard recorded on Monday Night Football. In all seriousness, if you blinked there's a real possibility you missed it. Before the snap – and before Williams motioned Cole Kmet from a flex alignment on the left to the right slot – Greenard paced around the place Kmet started, with one hand on his hip, stalking the offense like a lion in high grass. As Kmet crossed the center, Greenard lowered his mass and stuck 20 digits into the turf at Minnesota's 29-yard line, ready to beat everybody out of the blocks. And he did. Greenard dashed off the line, used his left arm to swat and rip past rookie tackle Kiran Amegadjie and blindside Williams as he picked up his arm to attempt a pass. The ball ejected as Greenard sacked the 23-year-old quarterback in 2.41 seconds. It was the eighth-fastest sack in the NFL during the 2024 regular season, according to Next Gen Stats, and the 11th of 12 sacks by Greenard. Once everyone's eyes opened, Cashman retrieved the ball, stumbled, and ran it back to Chicago's 39. The play assisted Minnesota's first touchdown of the evening and commenced a 30-12 shellacking in prime time.
7. Cash' gets final laugh in first game back
When they were both healthy and available, Cashman and Pace electrified as blitzers. The tandem was in peak form in Week 10 at Jacksonville, which happened to be the former's return to the fold following a toe injury that robbed him of three games after Minnesota's bye week. First, Cashman got on the board, defeating a block by Tank Bigsby to sack Mac Jones. One possession later, Pace chipped in a timely spitfire sack that upended the Jaguars' chances to extend their 7-3 lead with 77 seconds until halftime.
Later, Cashman struck as the "closer," running a game with Metellus in the A gaps on each side of Jacksonville center Mitch Morse as the afternoon's final 2-minute warning approached. Mugging the line to give an impression of their plans, Cashman abandoned a hole on the defense's right side after the snap to scream across Morse's face, hoping to shake Metellus free as he cut from his initial sprinter's stance on the left side and replaced Cashman. It didn't work to a T – Cashman wound up going head-to-head with Morse; Travis Etienne identified the blitz and stonewalled Metellus – but it didn't matter because Cashman summoned some kind of super strength and put Morse on skates, bull-rushing through to Jones, then bear-hugging him to the ground. Oh my gosh, we just described the wrong play – that one ended in a facemask! Cashman was peeved by the inadvertent penalty and the Jags getting a freebie because of him. So, he bellied up for seconds. On the very next snap, Cashman ran a different game, with Greenard off the edge, trying again to spring his teammate into the backfield. But again, Etienne was there. Left tackle Walker Little, however, lost his balance when Cashman chipped him on an indirect path to Jones, and the Vikings linebacker lucked into a free line to the quarterback. Cashman hit Jones in the nick of time and with enough force to transform a deep pass into a duck that Bynum dove to intercept at the Vikings 1. Cashman's enormous pressure secured a 12-7 win for Minnesota. It also produced one of Bynum's best individual "cellys" of the season: a salute to Olympic breakdancer Raygun.
6. Darnold's clutch step-up
Minnesota trailed for the first time in Week 16 at Seattle with 4:21 remaining. I'm incorporating a random but relevant reference from my all-time favorite feel-good show, The Office, here: manager and jester Michael Scott once incorrectly said, "Well, well, well, how the turn tables." He was at least confident when he said it as the Michael Scott Paper Company gained ground on Dunder-Mifflin.
Suddenly, the Seahawks had momentum at their home field, a notoriously hostile setting for visitors because of cold weather and the raucous 12th Man. (Nobody told Darnold or the Vikings on Dec. 22.) To cap a 75-yard, go-ahead drive – check that, make it 80 yards; Pro Bowl right tackle Brian O'Neill was flagged for a false start at the onset – Darnold faked a handoff to Jones, sensed pressure lurking around left tackle Cam Robinson, rushed to the head of the pocket with his eyes locked onto Jefferson streaking up the left sideline and lobbed a beautiful touch pass that fit snugly into No. 18's stretched-out hands. The throw was deep enough to beat a sinking cornerback and propel Jefferson into the paint, and far enough outside to avoid over-the-top safety help. It was, in many aspects, the best release of Darnold's season provided the pinpoint accuracy, scoreboard deficit and harsh environment – lest we forget the body-crunching blow he ingested from 280-pound defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones as he heaved it. The confidence that Darnold exuded in that moment rallied the defense to stops on consecutive drives.
5. Greenard's ridiculous motor
A 14-point Vikings lead evaporated in the fourth quarter in Week 12 at Chicago as Williams finagled some of his No. 1 pick magic and gassed Minnesota's defense. Things looked especially bleak when Bears kicker Cairo Santos knocked through a game-tying field goal as regulation expired, and Chicago won the all-important overtime coin toss. Running on fumes, Minnesota's defense required a stop. Enter, Greenard. On a second-and-9 at the start of Chicago's overtime possession, the Pro Bowl OLB lined up as a Wide 9 and attacked the Bears pass protection. Kmet met him. And then running back D'Andre Swift came across the formation to repress him. For a good five seconds, Greenard exchanged pleasantries with the offensive players, churning his legs the entire time, as Williams freelanced 10-plus yards behind the line of scrimmage. Eventually, Kmet and Swift tired, and ceased their effort and drifted into the same part of the field in hopes of being a receiving outlet for Williams. They presumably had no clue that Greenard was within 2-3 yards of their quarterback, and just beginning to break a sweat. Once he was freed, "J.G." discovered a sixth gear, rapidly closing the distance and swinging down Williams for a massive 12-yard sack. It complemented one he had earlier in the game and spoiled Chicago's OT odds.
I wish Next Gen Stats tracked the slowest sacks, because there's a 100 percent chance Greenard would've ranked in that top 10, as well – not a knock whatsoever, but a testament to his relentlessness.
4. Slingin' Sammy D
There's no debating Darnold had the game of his life in Week 15 against Atlanta, in front of home fans and former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Similarly, there's no debating which of his five touchdown tosses was most exciting or the highest degree of difficulty. Far and away, it was his third overall and second in the game to Jefferson, a 52-yard, on-the-run airmail that looked like something out of a dual-threat's highlight reel. On a third-and-8, in a 14-13 game, Darnold combatted a Falcons blitz that seeped through the interior by rolling left, sticking his foot in the ground, cutting right, and exploding toward green grass. I initially thought Darnold was going to make a bid for the sticks, but then noticed Jefferson, like everyone else, running unscathed, between the hashes and numbers with his right arm reaching as high in the air as humanly possible to capture Darnold's attention. Off-kilter, Slingin' Sammy D let it fly. The pass didn't need to look pretty. Jefferson caught it at a standstill and did a slow-motion 360 into the end zone before spiking the football. All told, Darnold evaded four pass rushers, and Jefferson snuck past the whole Atlanta secondary. Remarkable doesn't do it justice. It was a once-in-a-life sequence of events.
3. Addison's Spider-Man hand
Aside from game-winning touchdowns, I doubt there's few 4-yard plays that'd make this sort of list, let alone crack the Top 3. But Addison's one-handed touchdown on Sunday Night Football to tie the game in Week 9 against Indianapolis is a deserving outlier. Forget the instantaneous pressure Darnold dealt with and definitely forget the first-half slumber that rightfully caused fans to worry whether losses in Weeks 7 and 8 were going to bleed into prime time against a 4-4 team that had just benched its starting QB. The play that Addison made, sprawled out in the back half of Minnesota's west end zone, was sublime. Addison's body was angled at 10 degrees, almost perfectly perpendicular to the numbers lining the field; his catch radius was dumbfounding – he leaped from the last letter in "Vikings" and landed halfway between the "S" and the pylons marking out of bounds, and the left hand … how on Earth did he do it?
2. Jets takes the lid off the Bank
The second-longest pass play in Vikings history was the first of six TDs scored by Jefferson that I witnessed in 2024 in-person (I traveled to road games at Jacksonville and Detroit). Of course, I had watched my share of Jefferson highlights over the years, being he's a frequent star on NFL RedZone, but the up-close version surpassed anything I gleaned over the television. On his 97-yard catch-and-run in Week 2 against San Francisco – by the way, NGS tracked Jefferson at running 127.5 yards in total, good for the third-longest play in the NFL in 2024 – Jefferson looked like, well, Jefferson. He ran his deep corner-post route with gracefulness and long strides. He accelerated to Darnold's moon ball and traced it into his pillowy hands. And after the catch, he had fun with it, taking a stab at reaching the sideline before switching fields and running as far to his right as he could to safely break the plane. It taught me early Jefferson is one of one, and a heckuva privilege to cover as a writer, because of his feats of course but also his earnestness after them, downplaying his on-field greatness by being so great off it.
That greatness extended beyond "Jets" on the second-and-9 shot that increased Minnesota's win probability by 21.3 percent per NGS. Remember: O'Neill deftly blocked Nick Bosa 1-on-1; Jones fearlessly laid his weight into Maliek Collins, who outweighs him by more than 100 pounds; Garrett Bradbury stifled Fred Warner on a blitz, and Jalen "Speedy" Nailor turned on his jets to keep Jefferson's TD alive.
1. Van Ginkel's early Christmas gift
It's a coincidence I'm wrapping up my list with Van Ginkel, whose first impression was palpable but whose pick six of Rodgers in the London Game truly cemented his status as a bona fide game-wrecker. On the third snap after Darnold and Ty Chandler botched an exchange and gifted New York favorable field position, Gink' outwitted the league's all-time passer rating leader, snatched Rodgers' pass for Garrett Wilson and followed a Vikings caravan the distance. Here's a couple cool factoids: Van Ginkel's wife, Sam, was seated close to field-level in the end zone where he scored; scout offense quarterback Brett Rypien played briefly with Rodgers, learned a few of his favorite concepts against pressure, and was intercepted in practice by Van Ginkel in the same manner; Rodgers said to Gink' "Christmas came early."
Maybe, I'm biased. I played a year of college football and took an extreme liking to playmaking linebackers. In high school, I contemplated growing out my hair, enamored by the pass-rushing of Clay Matthews. At the University of Arizona, I wore No. 54 and with a buzz cut felt a bit like Brian Urlacher. My favorites at the position include Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis. The 2024 Vikings linebacking corps made so many impactful, memorable plays – tough to rank, but deserving of my No. 1.
Honorable Mention (in chronological order):
- Harrison Smith joins 35-interception, 20-sack club with sack of Aaron Rodgers
- Aaron Jones, Sr. races for 34-yard TD and performs "Bank Vault" in the home stands
- Will Reichard enjoys historic start to rookie season, nailing 14th consecutive field goal
- Ivan Pace, Jr., scoops and scores to retake lead against Lions
- Tennessee native Smith nabs 36th career pick to knock out Titans
- Greenard breaks loose for sick strip-sack against Arizona
- Shaq Griffin seals win over Cardinals with tight coverage and interception
- Byron Murphy, Jr., plucks one-handed pick against Falcons
- Dallas Turner commits rookie-on-rookie crime with breathtaking sack of Caleb Williams
- T.J. Hockenson returns to the end zone for first time in final game of comeback season
