5 takeaways from the Vikings' dominant win over the Texans

The Vikings got the job done with a win over the New York Giants in Week 1. They drew some attention in Week 2 when they defeated the defending NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers. And after a 34-7 win over the Houston Texans, there's no doubt that the Vikings are a damn good football team.

The Vikings were in control from start to finish on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, pulling off one of the most impressive victories imaginable. The dominance on both sides of the ball was breathtaking, and there were plenty of standout moments in the game.

Here are five things that stood out from the Vikings’ impressive win:

The Vikings set the tone from the first drive. Although the Texans had the first chance on offense. Harrison Phillips deflected a pass from Texans quarterback CJ Stroud at the line of scrimmage that fell into the hands of linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, giving the Vikings excellent field position.

They took advantage of the short field with a quick, six-play, 21-yard drive that was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson. That gave the Vikings a quick 7-0 lead, and from there they were all in, leading the entire game en route to an impressive win.

Trailing 14-0, the Texans launched their best offense of the day and got to Minnesota's 25-yard line, but then the crowd at US Bank Stadium disrupted the Houston team.
The Texans received three consecutive false start penalties, leaving them 15 yards behind at the 40-yard line.

What was once third-and-4 and their best chance of the day for a touchdown suddenly became third-and-19 and out of field goal range. Stroud threw an incomplete pass on the third attempt and the Texans were assessed an illegal lineup penalty, which the Vikings declined, forcing Houston to punt.

Instead of getting closer to a touchdown or even getting within 14-3, the Texans punted the ball home with a 14-0 deficit.

With each passing week, Sam Darnold proves that his comeback was no fluke. It is clear that Darnold is a talented and capable NFL starting quarterback. In his third game in the Vikings' uniform, Darnold completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns, securing another victory for the Vikings.

The most important stat is that Darnold is 3-0. But he also currently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with eight. He was able to keep Jefferson involved despite missing his second receiver, Jordan Addison. And it's clear he has a good relationship with Jalen Nailor.

Darnold briefly scared Vikings fans in the third quarter when he apparently twisted his leg and went into the medical tent, forcing Nick Mullens to step under center for a play. But Darnold trotted right back out of the tent and returned to U.S. Bank Stadium to chants of “MVP.”

It may be a little early to crown Darnold an MVP candidate, but it is clear that this version of Darnold is not the same as the one he was in his previous stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.

Wide receiver Jordan Addison, edge rusher Dallas Turner and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. were all out with injuries before the game. Although the Vikings would like to have them all back sooner rather than later, it would have been hard to tell that anyone was missing from Sunday's game.

On defense, Grugier-Hill made a big impression early with the interception, nearly had a strip fumble later in the game and made his presence felt in the middle of the field throughout the game.

Even without Turner on the outfield, Jonathan Greenard managed three sacks. The Vikings had five sacks overall, and the defense was stifling from start to finish.

On offense, Jefferson still had free reign in the first half, even without his partner Addison. Nailor continues to impress in the WR3 role, catching three passes for 31 yards and another touchdown on Sunday. Aaron Jones also made an impression in the passing attack.

In three weeks, no team has been able to figure out defensive coordinator Brian Flores' defense. His blitz-oriented game made life difficult for Stroud all game. The Texans just couldn't run the ball, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. And they did it without Turner and Pace.

The Vikings recorded five sacks, making it three straight games with at least five sacks to open the season. The Vikings are the first team to accomplish this feat since the New Orleans Saints in 2001.

The Vikings forced two interceptions: Grugier-Hill's early pick and Cam Bynum's interception of Stroud early in the fourth quarter when the Vikings led 24-7 and all but decided the game.

The Texans managed a total of 296 yards on offense and scored just one touchdown. The Texans received a whopping 11 penalties, most of them on offense, such as false starts at the line of scrimmage.

Flores' tactics continue to embarrass his opponents, and it was honestly amazing how dominant his defense was on Sunday against a very good Texans offense led by a standout quarterback in his second year.