MINNEAPOLIS — A Vikings second-year linebacker and reserve defensive tackle caught passes before a Minnesota receiver on Saturday night as the home team suffered a 12-10 loss to Indianapolis Colts.

Troy Dye, a 2020 fourth-round pick, picked off a deflected pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. It proved to be the only trip to the end zone by either team.

Undrafted rookie Jordon Scott nabbed his interception in the second quarter. Scott was ruled to have made a football move before fumbling the ball. It was recovered by safety Myles Dorn.

The second-team offense quarterbacked by Jake Browning, however, went three-and-punt.

The Colts followed with a three-and-punt, and Minnesota did so again after three consecutive incompletions. Indianapolis followed with three more passes that hit the turf and punted with 2:01 left in the first half.

Browning was able to connect with Chad Beebe for gains of 15 and 32 yards in leading a drive that ended with a 49-yard field goal by Greg Joseph for a 10-6 lead with 45 seconds left in the first half.

The grabs by Beebe during the possession that began with 2:01 left in the first half were the first by a Vikings receiver.

Minnesota's offense struggled to sustain drives throughout the night.

The Vikings totaled eight first downs, were 2-for-13 on third downs and possessed the ball for just 22:11.

Kirk Cousins started for the Vikings and played three series. He completed five of seven passes for 23 yards and a passer rating of 75.3.

The first series opened with passes to Alexander Mattison, who started instead of Dalvin Cook, for gains of 6 and 10. Runs by Ameer Abdullah picked up 2 and 5 to set up a third-and-3.

Cousins targeted Adam Thielen on a slant, but the pass was broken up by Rock Ya-Sin, and Thielen headed slowly but directly to the athletic trainers table on the sideline.

The second series included a check-down pass to Irv Smith, Jr., who delivered a nice stiff-arm but only netted a gain of 3. An incompletion on a pass to Smith occurred on the next play was followed by a gain of 6 on a pass to Flora, Indiana, native Brandon Dillon. Unfortunately, the Vikings needed 7.

The third series with Cousins opened with runs of 8, 9 and 6 by Ameer Abdullah before C.J. Ham got the home crowd louder with a 9-yard gain. A sack allowed by Rashod Hill against first-round pick Kwity Paye, however, stymied the mojo. A 51-yard field goal attempt by Greg Joseph missed wide right.

Rookie Kellen Mond opened the second half and quarterbacked the Vikings for the entire final 30 minutes of the game.

Browning finished 6-for-15 with 82 yards and a passer rating of 58.2. Mond was 6-for-12 with 61 yards and a passer rating of 64.9.

Scoring Summary

Q1, 6:00 remaining

Colts 3, Vikings 0

Rodrigo Blankenship kicks a 47-yard field goal [9 plays, 44 yards, 4:54 time of possession]

Key tackle: Second-year linebacker Blake Lynch shot across the formation to stop RB Nyheim Hines for a gain of 1 on a third-and-2 play.

Q1, 3:45 remaining

Vikings 7, Colts 3

Troy Dye returns an interception of Sam Ehlinger 33 yards (Greg Joseph kicks PAT)

Tip, pick and picking up a block: Bashaud Breeland contested a pass intended for Parris Campbell, Dye corralled the pass and made his way to the end zone with a nice block from Mackensie Alexander (5-foot-10, 192 pounds) on Colts tackle Braden Smith (6-6, 312).

Q2, 14:53 remaining

Vikings 7, Colts 6

Eddy Pineiro kicks a 31-yard field goal [9 plays, 62 yards, 3:52 time of possession]

Not easy breezy: The drive benefitted from a mysterious horse collar tackle penalty called on D.J. Wonnum, who brought down Hines by the numbers. Breeland, who goes by Breezy, however, broke up a pass intended for Michael Pittman, Jr., on a third-and-5 from the Minnesota 13-yard line.

Q2, 0:45 remaining

Vikings 10, Colts 6

Joseph kicks a 49-yard field goal [9 plays, 55 yards, 1:16 time of possession]

Finding Beebe: Chad Beebe provided the first two catches of the night by a Vikings receiver. Beebe and Jake Browning extended a play on third-and-7 for a 15-yard gain. The two connected again for a 32-yarder two plays later, but the drive stalled at the Indianapolis 31-yard line.

Q3, 3:37 remaining

Vikings 10, Colts 9

Pineiro kicks a 50-yard field goal [10 plays, 55 yards, 5:58 time of possession]

Chunk play: The Colts gained more than half of their yardage on the drive when Jacob Eason found Dezmon Patmon for a gain of 28. Patmon was chased down by Cameron Dantzler.

Q4, 6:22 remaining

Colts 12, Vikings 10

Pineiro kicks a 28-yard field goal [13 plays, 69 yards, 6:30 time of possession]

Second chance: The Vikings appeared to be off the field after an incompletion on third-and-6 from the Indianapolis 25, but Dylan Mabin was flagged for pass interference.