Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) pass the ball against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) picks up the first down on a pass from wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) pass the ball to back to running back Aaron Jones (33) who proceeded to pick up the first down against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) gets fired up during warmups before the start of a NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is sacked by Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart (90) for a loss of a yard in the first quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (97) tackles Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) for no gain in the second quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) warms up before the start of a NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) celebrates his interception of a Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) pass in the first quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis onSunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) tackles Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) after Franklin intercepted a Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) pass in the first quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches a touchdown as Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) defends in the third quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) breaks up a pass to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) in the second quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) slide for a first down against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts cornerback Samuel Womack III (33) after a 41 yard catch in the third quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) rushes for a first down against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor (83) shouts after scoring a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) races to the end zone to celebrate his interception of a Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) pass in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)A trio of Vikings fans cheer at the start of the third quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is sacked by Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye (51) in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers (27) knocks over Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) on the way to a first down in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches a pass in front of Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) celebrates his sack of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis onSunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) comes down with the Indianapolis Colts onside kick in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver (84) celebrates his touchdown agains the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) and Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods (80) exchange respect after a NFL football game tat U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gives quarterback Sam Darnold (14) some love after a touchdown pass against the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Show Caption1 of 25Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) pass the ball against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter of a NFL football game against the at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Expand A hallmark of the Vikings throughout their 5-0 start was the way they could mimic an avalanche. A big play on offense followed by a big play on defense, or vice versa, and the Vikings could take complete control of a game. They did it at different points in wins over the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. Fittingly, after consecutive losses to the Detroit Lions and Los Angels Rams, the Vikings got back on track by once again mimicking an avalanche. After looking totally discombobulated in the opening 30 minutes on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings walked onto the field after halftime somehow only trailing by a touchdown. They proceeded to score a touchdown, force a punt, and score another touchdown, taking complete control of the game during a stretch that proved to be the difference. The end result was the Vikings walking away with a 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts. “That’s still in this football team,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It’s still very much a part of who we are.” It was another polarizing performance from quarterback Sam Darnold. A quick glance at the box score shows a strong night, with Darnold completing 28 of 34 passes for 290 yards and a trio of touchdowns. A deeper look at the game reveals that Darnold was the biggest reason the game was close. He threw a pair of interceptions, coughed up a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, and took a handful of sacks that absolutely killed drives. Luckily for the Vikings, the defense picked up the offense time and time again, whether it was linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill recovering a fumble, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. hauling in an interception or safety Harrison Smith racing in for a pass breakup. In total, the for the Vikings held the Colts to 227 yards of total offense. The dominance from the defense against the Colts was very much welcomed after struggling mightily in losses to the Lions and Rams. “We’re going to have games we need to learn from,” Smith said. “Sometimes going through certain situations can help us grow. There’s no growth in comfort. I think we took a step in the right direction tonight.” The vibes were immaculate early on as the Vikings seemed like they were going to take control from the onset. They forced a turnover on the opening drive of the game, then moved the ball into the red zone with ease, putting themselves in position to score points. Instead, the Vikings got nothing as Darnold made an brutal decision that went for a turnover. He escaped pressure in the pocket, rolled to his left, and forced a pass into the end zone with defenders in the way. It was as easy of an interceptions as linebacker Zaire Franklin has had in his career. That sucked the life out of the building and the Vikings did very little to bring the energy back up from there. It actually got worse from there as Darnold lost the ball while being taken down by defensive tackle Grover Stewart, and cornerback Kenny Moore II scooped up the fumble and raced the other way to put the Colts in front 7-0. It was the second straight week that contact to Darnold’s helmet was at the epicenter of a controversial no call. After getting his facemask grabbed last week in the final minutes against the Rams, Darnold appeared to get hit directly in the head this week against the Colts. The officials actually threw a flag on the play only to pick it up. Asked if he got an explanation from the officials as to why they picked the flag up, O’Connell said they were discussing whether the Stewart grabbed Darnold’s facemask. “That was not part of my argument,” O’Connell said. “I just thought there was contact to the head and neck area.” A couple of missed field goals from rookie kicker Will Reichard added to the woes for the Vikings and they walked into the locker room at halftime licking their wounds. On the opening drive after halftime, however, Darnold started to atone from his earlier mistakes with a few deep crossers to star receiver Justin Jefferson before finding fellow receiver Jordan Addison in the back of the end zone for a touchdown that helped the Vikings level the score at 7-7. What change after halftime? “Our energy,” Addison said. “I feel like we came out a little bit flat. We came back in and talked it over and were like, ‘All we need is a touchdown.’ We went out there and did that and turned it up.” After forcing a punt on the next possession, the Vikings walked back onto the field with a chance to take control of the game. That’s exactly what they did as Darnold dropped a dime to Jefferson in single coverage for a 41-yard gain before finding speedy receiver Jalen Nailor for a touchdown that put the Vikings in front 14-7. “That was really nice execution by the guys,” O’Connell said. “Specifically Sam hanging in there and making that big time throw.” It looked like the Vikings might be able to put the game away for good after Murphy hauled in a huge interception. Unfortunately, Darnold threw another costly interception on the very next play to give the ball back to the Colts, who kicked a field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10. The dagger from the Vikings came after the defense forced a turnover on downs. What followed was an eight-play, 60-yard drive capped by Darnold finding tight end Josh Oliver for a score that made it 21-10. Though the Colts got a field goal to make it 21-13, the Vikings recovered an onside kick, and Darnold kneeled out the clock to put the finishing touches on an important win. “I’m proud of our team,” O’Connell said. “I was proud of the way we responded.” Related Articles Minnesota Vikings | Cam Robinson starts for Vikings at left tackle despite minimal time to prep Minnesota Vikings | The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 9: Last-minute moves Minnesota Vikings | Vikings have struggled on defense as of late. Can they bounce back against Colts? Minnesota Vikings | Vikings vs. Colts: What to know ahead of the Week 9 matchup Minnesota Vikings | Colts at Vikings picks: Indy may be remedy for what ails slumping Vikings