The Day

NFL ROUNDUP

-

Vikings 39, Colts 36

The Minnesota Vikings completed the biggest comeback in NFL history, erasing a 33-point deficit by beating the Indianapol­is Colts on Greg Joseph's 40-yard field goal with 3 seconds left in overtime on Saturday to clinch the NFC North division in their typical dramatic fashion.

Kirk Cousins passed for 460 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Vikings (11-3), who trailed 36-7 late in the third quarter and became just the third team in league history to win 10 games in one season by eight points or fewer.

The Colts (4-9-1) stumbled onto the infamous side of the list, just ahead of the Houston Oilers in the 1992 postseason when they blew a 32-point lead (35-3) and lost to Buffalo (41-38) in overtime. According to Sportradar data, this was only the second loss in 1,551 regular-season or playoff games in the league since 1930 in which a team had a 30-plus-point lead and lost.

The Vikings took this rally all the way to their second possession of OT, after punting on their first one. Cousins hit K.J. Osborn — who had a touchdown and a career-high 157 yards — for 15 yards, Adam Thielen for 21 yards and Justin Jefferson for 13 yards to move into range.

Ifeadi Odenigbo was called for delay of game for lying on Jefferson to try to keep the Vikings from setting up for the kick, putting Joseph 5 yards closer for the winner.

Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday didn't exactly get conservati­ve in this collapse. Matt Ryan was stopped short on a fourth-and-1 sneak at the Minnesota 36 with 2:19 left in regulation. Then Cousins hit Dalvin Cook for a 64-yard touchdown on a screen pass on the next play and T.J. Hockenson for the 2-point conversion to tie the game before the 2-minute warning.

Outscored 33-0 in the fourth quarter of their most recent game, a 54-19 loss to Dallas on Dec. 4, the Colts came back fresh from their bye week and stunned the Vikings with a 33-0 halftime lead that was the second-largest in the NFL this season. Cincinnati led Carolina

35-0 on Nov. 6.

The intermissi­on deficit for Minnesota was the second-biggest in franchise history, behind a 45-10 score at Seattle in 2002.

The Colts now have been outscored after halftime 72-9 in their last two games. They had a six-game winning streak against the Vikings stopped. The last time Minnesota beat Indianapol­is was in 1997, the final game the Colts played before they drafted Peyton Manning.

Browns 13, Ravens 3

Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass in his home debut for Cleveland, leading the Browns to an ugly win over the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens, who need injured star quarterbac­k Lamar Jackson to get back quickly.

Watson wasn't spectacula­r, but he did enough in his third game since being reinstated from an NFL suspension to help the Browns (6-8) keep their miniscule playoff hopes alive.

Watson, who was banned for 11 games for alleged sexual misconduct, connected with Donovan Peoples-Jones on a 3-yard TD pass in the third quarter to put the Browns up 13-3 — the biggest deficit the Ravens (9-5) have faced all season.

Watson finished 18 of 28 for 161 yards, and added 22 on the ground.

Browns rookie Cade York made two field goals — and missed two tries — but outkicked Ravens All-Pro Justin Tucker, the league's most accurate kicker, who missed a 48-yarder and had another attempt blocked.

Jackson missed his second straight game with a knee injury, and the Ravens aren't the same without his dynamic playmaking ability.

Tyler Huntley, who was only cleared from concussion protocol a few days ago, started again for Jackson but couldn't get Baltimore going. He went 17 of 30 for 138 yards.

Baltimore's J.K. Dobbins ran for 125 yards, and the Ravens rolled up 198 yards rushing. But forced to throw while playing from behind in the fourth, Huntley couldn't come up with a big play.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States