The Vikings defeat the Raiders 3-0 after 58 minutes of play with no goals.
Today, the Vikings and Raiders had some of the worst offenses in NFL history. The score was tied 0-0 until a two-minute delay in the fourth quarter. The Vikings found a way to win in the end.
The Vikings were able to win by taking starter quarterback Josh Dobbs out of the game and replacing him with Nick Mullens.
Mullens led the Vikings to field goal range, in which Greg Joseph made a 36-yard field goal that was the final score of the game and gave the Vikings a 3-0 win.
At the two-minute warning, there were no scores. It was also the first game with a 3-0 score at the end since 2007, if the Steelers had previously beat the Miami Dolphins that way on a rainy Monday night within Pittsburgh.
It also had the fewest points of any NFL game ever played inside. Ivan Pace of the Minnesota Vikings caught Aidan O’Connell’s pass on the Raiders’ first offensive play after the Vikings’ field goal.
Both teams’ offenses had trouble because key players got hurt. Vikings wide receiver Jefferson was carted out with an injury to the chest as well as taken to a hospital in Las Vegas, and Raiders offensive lineman Josh Jacobs hobbled to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.
After a Greg Joseph field goal from 36 yards out, Pace finished his career game by picking off a pass meant for a slanting Davante Adams. He then celebrated with his teammates within the end zone like a gymnast.
Pace, who is starting because Jordan Hicks is hurt, dropped O’Connell’s pass and picked it off for the first time in his career.
The Vikings needs all 13 of Pace’s stops, one sack, and a corner kick to win 3-0 and move to 7-6.
“Our defense and what they did for our team today are the most important things we’re talking about,” Head Coach Kevin O’Connell said. “They still have players who are doing great in their roles, yet it’s the work of all those guys over there.”
There are a lot of guys to different staff groups that we’re playing. The work that Flo and his staff do is still very good. We relied on them a lot, and I thought that they were great because they gave us a chance.
The Vikings’ defense had to work, and Flores’ plan worked well again. The rookie defender who wasn’t picked in the draft has that “dog” in him that shows he belongs in the NFL as well as can shine.
Flores puts Pace in charge of calling the defense after Hicks went on the injured list on November 14 because of his ability to tackle, be quick, be smart, and have good ball skills.
“We are a brotherhood who are on defense,” said Pace. “We’re close, and we play every play.” It was important for us to stop them or keep them from setting goals, and we did just that after the bye week.
Pace’s pick showed how well he could make plays. He knew O’Connell was going to pass, so he dropped right into the throwing opening. He also knew the route combination and that Adams would run a fast straight.
It was the initial 3-0 game since November 26, 2007, when Pittsburgh beat Miami. It was also the third 3-0 game in the last 40 years and the seventh in Super Bowl history.
The last game that didn’t have a winner was on November 7, 1943, between the New York Giants as well as the Detroit Lions.
The Vikings (7-6) only had 230 yards, as well as the Raiders (5-8), who have lost three straight games, had only 201 yards as well as nine first downs. After going 0-3 this season, Minnesota upset an AFC West team for the first time.
It was Minnesota’s first shutout since December 23, 2017, when they beat Green Bay 16-0. It was also Las Vegas’s first blanking since October 30, 2022, when they lost 24-0 to New Orleans.
Joshua Dobbs was not doing a good job as quarterback, so Nick Mullens took over in the fourth quarter alongside led the Vikings from their only score drive. His pass to Jordan Addison for 22 yards to the Raiders’ 20-yard line set up Joseph’s field goal.