Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell before the start of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah before the start of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) warms up before the start of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) runs up field after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gives his star receiver Justin Jefferson (18) a hug before the start of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor (83) holds onto the ball for the touchdown as he is tackled by Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward (20) in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator smiles in the fourth quarter as the Vikings dismantle the Houston Texans in a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) celebrates his 58 yard field goal against the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes the ball against the Houston Texans in the second quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) leaps past Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) for the touchdown in the first quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) and Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) connect post game of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) celebrates his sack of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) celebrates his 58 yard field goal against the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) and Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) connect post game of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) starts his 39 yard run against the Houston Texans in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Brandon Powell (4) races for a first down as Houston Texans defensive tackle Khalil Davis (94) gives chase in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates his sack of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the second quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept., 22, 2024. The Vikings beat the Texans, 34-7. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Show Caption1 of 20Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)Expand The frustration was palpable as young quarterback C.J. Stroud hung his head and slowly walked off the field following a turnover on downs. A supernova who has quickly turned the Houston Texans into a contender, Stroud hasn’t experienced much failure to this point in his career. He thrived last season as as a rookie, and as a result, has been anointed as the next star quarterback in the NFL. On Sunday afternoon at U.S Bank Stadium, however, the Vikings provided Stroud with a hard lesson, making his life miserable en route to a 34-7 win over Texans. The final stat line for Stroud doesn’t even begin to tell the story of how uncomfortable he looked throughout the game. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 215 yards a touchdown and a pair of interceptions before being subbed out late in favor of backup quarterback Davis Mills. “They kicked our butts,” Stroud said. “They are a great team and they will continue to be doing great things.” It was a dominant display by the Vikings with standouts across the board on defense. There was edge rusher Jonathan Greenard leading the way with a trio of sacks. There was linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill hauling in an interception in the early stages to get the good vibes rolling. There was safety Cam Bynum tracking down an interception down the stretch to help slam the door shut. All of it helped the defense rattle Stroud throughout the blowout. “You could just feel kind of the back and forth with the stress of each snap,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “There’s a little bit of, kind of, mental attrition that takes place.” That’s long been a hallmark of defensive coordinator Brian Flores. He loves to throw a bunch of different looks at opposing quarterbacks before the snap, then shapeshift into something completely different after the snap. The ultimate goal is to create as much confusion as possible. “It’s confusing for us sometimes,” Bynum said. “I can’t imagine how it is for an opposing quarterback.” It couldn’t have worked much better against Stroud as he looked paralyzed by thought for prolonged stretches. Sometimes, he would think an exotic blitz package was coming and the Vikings would drop into some sort of zone coverage. Sometimes, he wouldn’t expect any pressure based on what he was seeing only to have a host of Vikings barreling down on him. “We’re able to do so much,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. “The threat of the bomb is just as scary as the bomb itself.” As the defense imposed their will with regularity, the offense also made sure the Vikings were playing from ahead as veteran quarterback Sam Darnold completed 17 of 27 passes for 181 yards and tied a career high with 4 touchdowns. “I think a lot of it goes into our preparation,” Darnold said. “Just the preparation that we put in throughout the week allows us to go out on the field and play fast and confident. The struggles for Stroud were on display from his first pass of the game as Grugier-Hill intercepted a pass tipped by Phillips to put the Vikings in good position. A few plays later, Darnold bought some time with his legs, then found star receiver Justin Jefferson wide open in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 7-0. On the following drive, Darnold led a 6-play, 56-yard drive, capping it off by finding Aaron Jones for a touchdown pass that stretched the lead to 14-0. That would have been more than enough for the Vikings with the way their defense was playing. A microcosm of the dominance came just before halftime as edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel sacked Stroud to run out the clock. “That’s the formula,” safety Josh Metellus said. ” We want to come out of the game saying we caused a lot of disruption with pressure, sacks, swarming to the ball. On the opening drive after halftime, Darnold marched the Vikings down the field, and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor to stretch the lead to 21-0. After struggling for most of the game, Stroud showcased his arm talent with a deep pass to star receiver Nico Collins. It was a perfectly placed ball by Stroud along the sideline, and he threw a touchdown pass to running back Cam Akers shortly thereafter to cut the deficit to 21-7. That was as close as the Vikings let the Texans get as Stroud never got into a rhythm. Asked if he thinks the Vikings rattled Stroud, veteran safety Harrison Smith chalked it up to Flores simply putting together a good game plan. “If we made it hard on him, that’s good of us,” Smith said. “It’s more than him. It’s the whole team. We did our job today and got a win.” After a field goal from rookie kicker Will Reichard made it 24-7 in favor of the Vikings, Bynum intercepted a pass, which paved the way for Darnold to throw his final touchdown pass to tight end Johnny Mundt to make it 31-7. The final score was cemented when Reichard nailed a 58-yard field goal to make it 34-7. Now the key for the Vikings will be continuing to build on this confidence moving forward. They have proven they can be a force to be reckoned with when they’re at the top of their game. It’s on them to do it week in and week out. “The main thing we have to believe and understand is that we can play with anybody,” Greenard said. “If we execute our game plan, we can get these types of results no matter who we play. It’s all a matter of staying consistent. We have to stay with that same mindset because it’s on us to keep the train going.” Related Articles Minnesota Vikings | The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 3: Last-minute moves Minnesota Vikings | Vikings will be without Jordan Addison, Dallas Turner and Ivan Pace Jr. against Texans Minnesota Vikings | Vikings vs. Texans: What to know ahead of Week 3 matchup Minnesota Vikings | Brian Flores has his fingerprints all over this Vikings defense Minnesota Vikings | Texans at Vikings picks: We vote 3-0 for Vikings’ 3-0 start