MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Vikings had 10 three-and-outs on Sunday afternoon. They were outgained by the Dolphins 458-233. They produced 11 first downs, with tensions mounting on the visiting sideline after several drives on a sweltering day at Hard Rock Stadium.
Naturally, they are 5-1, and they head into their bye week with a two-game lead in the NFC North.
They survived for a 24-16 win, despite their struggles to contain Dolphins dynamos Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Their pass rush knocked Miami quarterback Skylar Thompson from the game, then harassed Teddy Bridgewater enough to produce three turnovers when he was in the game.
Their victory, combined with the Packers' perplexing 27-10 loss to the Jets at home, puts the Vikings in the strongest position they've had in the NFC North since 2017. The way they got there was perplexing, but they again ended the day in victory formation.
The Dolphins' offense posted 184 yards in the first half, and held the ball for 19:02. But after a bizarre first half that included 36 yards' worth of Miami penalties on one drive, a missed Jason Sanders field goal, a thumb injury for Thompson and a Bridgewater interception that bounced off the hands of one current teammate (Jaylen Waddle) and the helmet of a former teammate (Eric Kendricks) before landing in Harrison Smith's arms, Miami had just three points.
It was the Vikings who led 10-3 at halftime, despite punting on five of their seven drives and gaining just 12 yards on six rushing attempts.
On their second drive of the day, Kirk Cousins had to throw the ball away to avoid a safety after Trey Flowers pushed Garrett Bradbury back into the quarterback. Ryan Wright launched his ensuing punt 73 yards to flip the field; the Dolphins were flagged for a false start, an ineligible man downfield and two holding penalties on their next drive, as a pair of plays that might have set up touchdowns were negated.
Miami scored first, on a Sanders field goal that wrapped up Bridgewater's first drive in the second quarter. The Vikings countered with a scoring drive that leaned on heavy personnel; C.J. Ham was on the field for five of their seven plays, and Cousins floated a 1-yard pass to Irv Smith Jr. in the back of the end zone out of a two-back, two-tight end set for a touchdown.
Their drive after Sanders' missed field goal went nowhere — coach Kevin O'Connell had an animated discussion with Cousins after a third-down pass to K.J. Osborn fell incomplete — but Smith's interception gave the Vikings another chance. The Vikings got 21 yards from a pass interference penalty on Noah Igbinoghene, setting up a Greg Joseph field goal before halftime.
In the second half, the Vikings' first three drives started from the Dolphins' 33 (after Josh Metellus stopped Clayton Fejedelem on a fake punt), the Minnesota 41 and the Miami 49. None of them produced points.
It appeared the Vikings might have the decisive score they needed at the beginning of the fourth quarter. On the final play of the third, they lined up with three receivers to Cousins' right; the quarterback checked the play at the line of scrimmage, hitting Justin Jefferson on a wheel route after he made an inside move to occupy Xavien Howard and slipped behind a moving pick from Adam Thielen. The 47-yard gain put the Vikings at the Dolphins' 8, and Cousins hit Thielen for a touchdown while drifting to his left and progressing through his reads before finding the receiver in the back of the end zone.
Greg Joseph missed the extra point, but the Vikings led 16-3, and their pass rush was affecting Bridgewater. It appeared their 13-point lead might be enough.
Their former quarterback wasn't quite done; he hit Hill over the middle of the field, and the receiver turned it into a 28-yard gain with a sublime deke on Chandon Sullivan. Bridgewater scrambled for 10 yards, avoiding an injury on a hit from Za'Darius Smith, and found Mike Gesicki for a touchdown that pulled the Dolphins within six.
The Vikings' two most decorated defensive veterans produced two plays to end any Dolphins chance of a comeback.
After Bridgewater hit Waddle in Vikings territory, Harrison Smith got one hand on the ball, stripping Waddle in the middle of the field. The ball bounced right to Camryn Bynum, and Dalvin Cook — the Miami native who'd carried just nine times to that point — broke loose on for a 53-yard touchdown run.
Cousins hit Thielen for a two-point conversion to make it 24-10. Patrick Peterson, who'd been reading Bridgewater for much of the game and had come close to an interception on the previous series, poached a Bridgewater throw for his second pick in his two years with the Vikings.
Bridgewater's final touchdown throw to Gesicki wasn't enough to bring the Dolphins back; Peterson broke up the two-point conversion attempt, blowing kisses to the Miami fans yelling at him from the stands, and the Vikings recovered the onside kick.
