MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyler Murray drifted out of the pocket to his right and saw the opportunity in front of him early in the fourth quarter, darting into the open field and veering back toward the left sideline for a 35-yard run that was by far the longest gain of the game for the Minnesota Vikings.
Murray threw a 5-yard touchdown pass on the next play, the only time the Vikings reached the end zone in their 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The last remaining undefeated team in the NFL is doing it with a historically dominant defense and superb special teams despite a still-lagging offense. One glance at the upcoming schedule suggests that formula won't keep working each week without an uptick in production.
“We're going to need some points this week,” said coach Kevin O'Connell, whose team ranks 23rd in the league in scoring and plays at Detroit on Sunday.
The Lions are averaging more than 30 points per game, second in the NFL behind Buffalo and one spot ahead of San Francisco. The Vikings, who are 6-0 for the first time since 2009, host the Bills on Nov. 9 and face the 49ers on Nov. 22. They play at Green Bay on Nov. 15, a rematch with a Packers team that scored 22 points in three quarters in the opener for the most allowed in a game this season by Minnesota.
“It would be different if we were losing games, but we’re finding a way to win these games,” said Murray, who is below his career averages in most statistical categories.
After a promising performance before the bye at New Orleans, Murray went just 14 for 24 yards for 150 yards and took three sacks. He misfired on more than one throw to a wide-open receiver. But his quick feet were on full display with that 35-yard scramble. Murray said afterward he'd much prefer to stay in the pocket and move the chains with his arm, but the Vikings might need him to take more advantage of his running ability.
“I know how demoralizing it is for a defense, to be able to get out and make plays with your feet,” Murray said. “That’s not lost on me that I’m able to do that.”
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores sent more than four rushers on 85% of the pass plays by the Colts, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, the highest blitz rate by any team in one game since tracking began in 2016. The Vikings lead the league in both interceptions and sacks per pass attempt against them. Their defense has also been flagged for only six penalties for 70 yards in six games.
The Vikings converted only three of 11 third downs and rank just 26th in the NFL with a season rate of less than 37%. They've also converted only six of nine third-and-1 plays. After Myles Price's 46-yard kickoff return started their opening possession at the Indianapolis 47, the Vikings handed the ball four straight times to Aaron Jones and turned it over on downs. Jones was stopped for no gain on third-and-1 and took a loss on fourth-and-1.
Defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez had four tackles and drew two holding penalties on center Tanor Bortolini. The first one came from the Minnesota 7 late in the second quarter, leading to the Colts settling for a field goal.
Rookie defensive lineman Caleb Banks has played only 30 snaps over the last three games. The first-round draft pick was driven backward about 6 yards by Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann during Jonathan Taylor's 38-yard touchdown run that began through his gap. Banks has 11 total tackles in six games.
Jones, who took a couple of hits from the Colts that aggravated his lingering knee injury, played only 15 of 60 snaps with the return of Jordan Mason from a four-game absence to a broken thumb. Jones is day to day, O'Connell said.
3 — Harrison Smith joined Hall of Famers Ronde Barber and Charles Woodson as the only players in league history with at least 40 interceptions and 20 sacks.
The Vikings defense over the next four games will face four of the top 12 quarterbacks in the NFL in passing yards per game. Detroit's Jared Goff is first, Buffalo’s Josh Allen is 11th, Green Bay's Jordan Love is fourth and San Francisco's Brock Purdy is 12th. Goff has not been picked off in 223 attempts this season for the Lions. The Bills rank 22nd in the NFL in interception rate, the Packers are 11th and the 49ers are 14th.
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