Vikings defense too much for the Titans in 23-13 win in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Minnesota Vikings, thanks to a defense that again proved to be too much for a young quarterback, are 8-2.

They harassed Titans second-year quarterback Will Levis throughout a game that never became as comfortable as it seemed it could be. Tennessee sacked Sam Darnold twice and created pressure throughout the second half, while Levis kept the Titans hanging around with a couple deep throws against pressure. But Harrison Smith picked Levis off in the final two minutes to seal a 23-13 win.

The Titans were penalized 13 times for 91 yards, including an illegal formation penalty that wiped out a 51-yard touchdown from Levis to Calvin Ridley and another illegal formation flag that canceled out a 23-yard completion to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as the Titans were trying to make a fourth-quarter comeback.

Why it happened: Will Levis had been sacked on 11.94% of his dropbacks heading into the game, and the Titans’ offensive line was missing right tackle Leroy Watson IV. It felt like a mismatch heading into the game, and the Vikings’ defensive front had its way with the Titans’ overmatched offensive line all game. Between their five sacks and nine hits on Levis, and the fact they held the Titans to just 33 rushing yards on 19 carries, the Vikings left Tennessee little room for a comeback — especially given how many penalties were called on the Titans.

What it means: The Vikings are 8-2, staying within a game of the Lions in the NFC North and a game ahead of the Packers, who survived with a 20-19 win over the Bears after blocking a field goal on the game’s final play. The Vikings’ offensive line, which took on a new look Sunday with Dalton Risner replacing Ed Ingram, will have plenty to figure out after the Titans’ pressure on Darnold and the Vikings’ struggles running the ball. The Titans weren’t going to be able to handle the Vikings’ pressure, though, and the Vikings won despite their issues for the third straight week.

Play of the game: Kevin O’Connell has talked about how much Darnold likes to throw dig routes on the back side of dagger concepts, and after Darnold got rid of the ball just before a corner blitz from Jarvis Brownlee Jr., he hit Jordan Addison for a 47-yard touchdown on a catch-and-run to put the Vikings up 7-3.

Turning point: With the Vikings up 16-3 in the third quarter, they nearly came up with a safety after stopping Tony Pollard for a loss on first down from the Titans’ 2. They sent five after Levis on third down, but the quarterback threw downfield for Westbrook-Ikhine as Josh Metellus got caught trying to backpedal for a ball over his head. Westbrook-Ikhine outran Smith to the end zone, for a 98-yard touchdown that pulled the Titans within six.

Up next: The Vikings conclude their three-game road trip at Soldier Field, with a 1 p.m. ET start next Sunday against the Bears.

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