Five takeaways from the Vikings’ 12-7 win over the Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s not a game that head coach Kevin O’Connell is going to tell his grandchildren about.

Frankly, the Vikings were lucky to walk away with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium. They couldn’t stay out of their own way for prolonged stretches and might’ve lost the game had it not been for the incompetence on the other end.

If the Vikings want to consider themselves Super Bowl contenders, they will need to clean things up as soon as possible.

Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ 12-7 victory:

1. Sam Darnold needs to be better

The improved play of quarterback Sam Darnold has been a main storyline for the Vikings this season.

Not only has he showcased his incredible arm talent on a weekly basis, he has been able to limit some of the bad decisions that have plagued him in the past.

That wasn’t the case with the Vikings going up against the Jaguars as Darnold threw a trio of interceptions that kept the game a lot closer than it should have been.

The common thread was Darnold simply trying to do too much. He spoke postgame about needing to be smarter with the ball in certain situations. A pair of his interceptions came in the end zone, for example, which effectively took points off the board.

The silver lining is that Darnold gets to learn some hard lessons in a win. He would have even more criticism coming his way if the end result were a loss.

2. Brian Flores was cooking on defense

After playing more straight up in the early stages, defensive coordinator Brian Flores started to dial up the pressure, and Vikings took complete control as a result.

In the end, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, and linebackers Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. each finished with a sack. More importantly, the Jaguars had no answer on offense, as quarterback Mac Jones looked like a shell of himself as the game progressed.

In total, the Vikings only allowed a mere 143 yards of total offense, with defensive tackle Harrison Phillips scooping up a fumble recovery, cornerback Byron Murphy hauling in an interception and safety Cam Bynum recording an interception.

3. T.J. Hockenson has been a welcomed addition

The importance of star tight end T.J. Hockenson was on full display as the Vikings consistently looked his way in some of the biggest moments of the game.

The ability to find open space in the middle of the field has long been a calling card for Hockenson, and that’s exactly what he did to help the Vikings move the chains.

After keeping the defense honest with a handful of receptions, Hockenson finally got loose for an explosive play, picking up 26 yards on a pivotal late drive.

The steady performance by Hockenson made up for the fact that receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison were relatively quiet by their standards.

The fact Hockenson was able to shoulder a heavy workload was a good sign considering he recently returned from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He will continue to be a focal point of the offense moving forward.

4. Aaron Jones played through the pain

It looked like veteran running back Aaron Jones might be out for the game after leaving the sideline on a cart.

It turns out he was simply getting some imaging done to make sure his ribs weren’t broken

As soon as he learned he was in the clear, Jones returned to the sideline. Shortly after that, he was back in the game

The toughness that Jones displayed down the stretch was instrumental in helping the Vikings close out the game. He ultimately finished with 17 carries for 88 yards while serving as the lifeblood out of the backfield.

5. Parker Romo scored all the points

In his NFL debut, kicker Parker Romo finished 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts, scoring all the points for the Vikings in the win.

Not bad considering Romo was sitting at home in Fayetteville, Ark., less than a week ago waiting for his phone to ring.

Though he admitted postgame that he had some nerves heading into the game, Romo said they slowly started to fade away after seeing the ball sail through the uprights.

Think of this as an audition for Romo. He’s playing for his next job right now, because he’s going to be replaced whenever rookie kicker Will Reichard returns. Let’s just say Romo is off to a good start.