JOSEPH THE HERO IN THRILLER
Nails Vikings record 61-yard field goal as time expires
MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Jefferson got the ball just far enough across midfield for Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell to summon Greg Joseph for a kick he’d never before made in a game from that distance.
The Vikings found those extra edges in the crucial moments yet again.
Joseph’s franchise-record 61-yard field goal as time expired gave the Vikings a 27-24 victory that prevented the Giants from clinching a playoff spot and set an NFL record with their 11th one-score win of the season.
“You don’t blink. You don’t flinch. You don’t waver,” said Joseph, who has made three game-winners with less than 25 seconds left in regulation plus two overtime field goals this season. “Because we know where we’ve been, and we know what we’re capable of.”
T.J. Hockenson had a career-high 13 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns from Kirk Cousins, who threw for a third score to Justin Jefferson with three minutes to go that was set up by a blocked punt and gave the Vikings (12-3) an eight-point lead.
Saquon Barkley’s 27-yard rush right up the middle on fourth-and-two for the Giants (8-6-1) with 2:01 left and the ensuing twopoint conversion pass from Daniel Jones to Daniel Bellinger tied it up.
But despite a seven-yard sack by safety Landon Collins at the Minnesota 41 that forced the Vikings to burn their final timeout with 19 seconds left, Cousins found Jefferson for yet another clutch third-down completion on a time-consuming bubble screen. The NFL’s leading receiver had room to take it all the way before being tripped on a 17-yard gain.
Jefferson finished with 12 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. He converted third downs four times in the second half.
Jefferson passed Randy Moss’ team record of 1,632 receiving yards. He is now 209 yards away from breaking Calvin Johnson’s NFL record of 1,964 yards in a season.
“It’s a pleasure and an honor to coach a player like that that can show up in those biggest moments,” O’Connell said.
Cousins quickly spiked the ball before Joseph jogged out for an on-target kick that had plenty of distance to spare to send the Vikings into a familiar sideline frenzy after yet another tense victory.
“You could kind of feel it in the locker room just how proud everyone was of him,” O’Connell said.
The Giants got the help they needed with losses by NFC pursuers Detroit and Seattle, but they didn’t seal the deal with the win required to secure a wild-card spot.
“We made more mistakes than them. Majority of the time or not, you’re going to lose those games,” said Barkley, who rushed 14 times for 84 yards.
Jones went 30-for-42 for 334 yards and a touchdown to Isaiah Hodgins with one interception, but his teammates — on offense and defense — had trouble hanging on to the ball.
Bellinger lost a fumble at the Minnesota 23 in the first quarter. Richie James dropped a third-and-five pass from the 37 that would’ve moved the sticks in the fourth quarter, forcing the Giants to settle for Graham Gano’s third field goal that cut the lead to 17-16 with 6:24 left.
Late in the third quarter, Cor’Dale Flott bobbled his interception attempt at the Giants 40. After a replay reversal of the turnover call on the field, the Vikings resumed their drive and finished it in the end zone.
Hockenson made a leaping catch above safety Julian Love and cornerback Darnay Holmes that he secured with both hands all the way through the hard landing on his back. That 15-yard score gave Minnesota the lead back with 14:12 to go.