LONDON — On Friday, while reminiscing about his recent trip to Britain for an NFL game, Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks offered this assessment to the crowd at a game in London.
“In my last experience it’s just a bunch of NFL fans from across the UK, which is really cool,” he said. “There are a lot of jerseys, whether it’s from the teams that are playing or not.”
Then he added with a smile: “And everyone loves to see the kicks.”
If that’s true, then the Vikings’ wild 28-25 win over the Saints was worth it to a sold-out crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
After Greg Joseph scored his fifth field goal of the day to give the Vikings the 28-25 advantage, the Saints sent on Wil Lutz for his second attempt from more than 60 yards in the game. Lutz had struck from 60 yards right after the two-minute caution, but his 61-yard attempt in the closing seconds of the game bounced off the post and then the crossbar as the Vikings walked away with a double-doink victory.
At the end of a day marked by many missed opportunities and dubious decisions, the Vikings won for the third time in as many games in London and went home with a 3-1 record ahead of next Sunday’s game against the Bears pending.
A clinical first drive ended with Christian Darrisaw flattening Pete Werner while Alexander Mattison took the final step to convert a third tunnel screen into a touchdown from the Saints’ 15.
The Saints poked their first drive after two penalties; Beginning with fullback CJ Ham on the field, the Vikings hit a series of passing plays that took aim at the Saints linebackers and executed a rush offense that prevented New Orleans from making a substitution.
But the Saints’ internal push resulted in a sack at Kentavius Street that forced a Vikings punt, and after the Vikings defense forced another three-and-out, Kirk left Cousins to allow a pass achieve that would change the game.
Safety bully Mathieu carried Justin Jefferson’s route down before sitting on an out route for Irv Smith Jr. Mathieu picked up the pass, and the Saints crafted a 60-yard touchdown drive to level the game.
The Vikings would score on their next two possessions, but a conservative series of decisions by coach Kevin O’Connell kept them from the touchdowns that might have sent the Saints to the brink at the end of the first half.
After a third and one Cousins pass fell through Johnny Mundt’s hands at the Saints’ 10, O’Connell sent Joseph for a 28-yard field goal instead of attempting fourth place. The shot made it 10-7, and Dalvin Tomlinson and Za’Darius Smith combined for a streak sack that gave the Vikings another chance to score before half-time.
But when a Cousins-to-Jefferson connection was futile with 56 seconds left, O’Connell didn’t call the Vikings’ first timeout. The clock ticked to 22 seconds before a second incomplete pass that saw Cousins flushed out of the pocket and hit in the face on the throw. Brian O’Neill was called up for a false start in 3rd and 10th place, Cousins batted Irv Smith for 7 yards with 16 seconds left and the Vikings called their first timeout with three seconds left, sending Joseph for a field goal to make it 13 -7 at halftime.
The Vikings’ first drive of the second half reached the Saints’ 6; O’Connell decided to send Joseph on for a field goal that made it 16-7. However, the lead wasn’t big enough to stop the Saints from taking the two-goal lead.
After Cameron Dantzler was out of the game with an injury in the third quarter, Andy Dalton, starting in place of the injured Jameis Winston, aimed a go-ball at rookie Akayleb Evans and hit Marquez Callaway 34 yards to the Vikings’ 8th Latavius Murray’s touchdown run took the Saints to 2 points. Joseph’s fourth field goal of the day came after Ryan Wright hit Jalen Nailor with a first down on a fake punt, and the Saints ran six times on a 75-yard drive to take a 3-point lead early in the fourth quarter to achieve.
The Vikings’ first touchdown of the second half came with the help of two crucial penalties: an illegal hands-to-the-face call on Mathieu and a 41-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Marshon Lattimore that put the Vikings behind The doorstep of the saints.
The Vikings took the lead on Jefferson’s first career as a rushing TD, but Joseph missed the extra point that would have increased them by 4.
On the Saints’ next drive, however, Dantzler made a diving break at Dalton’s deep ball for Chris Olave and slapped the pass away from the receiver with his outstretched hand. Wil Lutz leveled the game with a 60-yard field goal, but the Vikings got the ball back with 1:51 left.
Jefferson won the final key game of his day-long duel with Lattimore, knocking the cornerback off the line of scrimmage when Cousins placed a perfect throw that put the Vikings on the Saints’ 29. Joseph struck from 47 to put the Vikings ahead with just over 3 a minute to play and after Olave was thrown wide on a throw he tried to come back and catch Dalton, the Saints sent on Lutz for his final kick.
Their touchline initially celebrated as if the ball had gone in before bouncing off the post and crossbar, somehow sending the Vikings home victorious.