MINNEAPOLIS — Winning ugly is still winning.
The Vikings didn't play completely clean in any phase but were able to capitalize greater on the mistakes made by the Jaguars than the price that Jacksonville exempted from Minnesota on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings overcame a 10-point deficit in a second half for the second consecutive week on the way to a 27-24 victory in overtime.
Minnesota improved to 6-6 on the season, reaching a .500 record for the first time and keeping itself in position to make a run at a spot in the NFC Playoffs. That's after a 1-5 start through six games.
Jacksonville dropped its 11th game in a row after winning its season opener, even though the Jaguars had leads of 9-0 in the first half and 16-6 one snap into the third quarter.
Dan Bailey netted a 23-yard field goal to cap a 41-yard scoring drive with 1:49 left in the extra session.
The kicker left no doubt, skyrocketing the ball through the uprights on a possession that began at the Jaguars 46-yard line after the 27th career interception by Harrison Smith.
There wasn't even a celebration from the Vikings sideline. Perhaps the lack of perceived euphoria was from exhaustion; perhaps it was from frustration.
Regardless, the Vikings are heading to Tampa Bay next week for a big one against the 7-5 Buccaneers.
Minnesota took a big hit before the game even started when All-Pro linebacker appeared to tweak a calf injury during warm-ups. Jacksonville scored on its opening possession, which it started with a 24-yard pass down the middle where Kendricks would have been covering.
The Vikings defense, however, found its footing until the fourth quarter. Jacksonville's offense ended its drought that began in the first quarter by scoring a touchdown with 1:08 left in regulation. The Jaguars were able to tie the game at 24 with a 2-point conversion.
Bailey had a shot at a 51-yarder in the game's final minute or regulation, but it was wide left.
Jacksonville's Chase McLaughlin, who spent part of this season on Minnesota's practice squad, was short on a 62-yard attempt as time expired.
The Vikings totaled 420 yards and allowed 390 net yards by the Jaguars.
Minnesota ran a whopping 85 plays on offense, with Dalvin Cook rushing 32 times for 120 yards. His long was 12. He added six receptions for 59 yards but also lost a fumble on the opening play of the fourth quarter at the Jacksonville 2-yard line.
The Vikings defense was able to record a safety of Mike Glennon 44 seconds later for a 21-16 lead with 14:11 remaining in regulation.
Kirk Cousins finished 28-of-43 passing for 305 yards and three scores. His passer rating was 99.5
Justin Jefferson had a milestone day with nine receptions for 121 yards. His 20-yard touchdown reception gave Minnesota a 19-16 lead in the third quarter and pushed him past 1,000 yards in just his 12th game.
Adam Thielen added eight catches for 75 yards and a score.
Scoring Summary
Q1, 12:33 remaining
Jaguars 6, Vikings 0
Laviska Shenault, Jr., catches a 28-yard pass from Mike Glennon (Chase McLaughlin PAT misses wide right) [5 plays, 75 yards, 2:27 time of possession]
Tip drill: Shenault was able to corral a pass that bounced off Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd. Minnesota safety Harrison Smith appeared to have a beat on Glennon's pass until the deflection diverted it.
Q1, 6:04 remaining
Jaguars 9, Vikings 0
McLaughlin kicks a 22-yard field goal [10 plays, 66 yards, 5:07 time of possession]
Solid stand: After the Jaguars picked up 34 on a pass from Glennon to Collin Johnson, the Vikings rallied by limiting a completion to James Robinson and a rush by the rookie running back to 1-yard gains on each play, then forced an incompletion on third-and-4.
Q2, 2:50 remaining
Jaguars 9, Vikings 6
Adam Thielen catches a 3-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Dan Bailey PAT misses wide left after deflection) [10 plays, 78 yards, 4:50 time of possession]
Impressive gains: The Vikings built off momentum from Cameron Dantzler's interception with a drive that featured four plays that gained 10 or more yards. Thielen got it started with a 14-yard gain after breaking a tackle by Myles Jack, and Dalvin Cook added an 11-yard reception two plays later. Cousins scrambled for a gain of 10 on the next snap and followed with a 12-yard pass to Thielen. Cook turned a short toss into a 20-yard reception to move the ball to the Jacksonville 3-yard line.
Q3, 14:50 remaining
Jaguars 16, Vikings 6
Joe Schobert returns an interception of Cousins 43 yards (McLaughlin kicks PAT)
Up for grabs: Under pressure, Cousins attempted a pass to Cook, but the running back hadn't turned around by the time the ball was in the air. Schobert viewed it all the way in and had an easy jog to the end zone.
Q3, 11:08 remaining
Jaguars 16, Vikings 13
C.J. Ham catches a 12-yard pass from Cousins (Bailey kicks PAT) [8 plays, 75 yards, 3:42 time of possession]
Q3, 3:27 remaining
Vikings 19, Jaguars 16
Justin Jefferson catches a 20-yard pass from Cousins (Bailey PAT misses wide right) [8 plays, 90 yards, 3:50 time of possession]
Q4, 14:11 remaining
Vikings 21, Jaguars 16
Glennon is tackled in the end zone by Ifeadi Odenigbo and Jordan Brailford for a safety.
Q4, 3:50 remaining
Vikings 24, Jaguars 16
Bailey kicks a 48-yard field goal [5 plays, 14 yards, 1:39 time of possession]
Little bit of breathing room: The Vikings were able to get an 11-yard gain on their first play of a possession that followed a fumble forced and recovered by Dantzler at the Jacksonville 44-yard line. The pass from Cousins to Jefferson put Minnesota in Bailey's range.
Q4, 1:08 remaining
Vikings 24, Jaguars 24
Robinson scores on a 1-yard rush (Glennon completes 2-conversion pass to Collin Johnson) [10 plays, 75 yards, 2:42 time of possession]
Key conversion: The Jaguars picked up a third-and-6 with a 22-yard completion to DJ Chark, Jr., four plays before Robinson's score.
OVERTIME, 1:49 remaining
Vikings 27, Jaguars 24
Bailey kicks a 23-yard field goal [11 plays, 41 yards, 5:24 time of possession]
Steady diet of The Chef: The Vikings closed the game with eight consecutive runs by Cook before Bailey's chip shot.
