Vikings boot Raiders in historic ending
The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 3-0 on Sunday, marking lowest scoring NFL game indoors in league history.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada ( KYMA, KECY-TV ) - The Minnesota Vikings kept their playoff hopes alive while booting any playoff hope for the Las Vegas Raiders in a historic 3-0 win at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams on offense struggled to move the ball. Early in the second quarter, behind quarterback Josh Dobbs, the Vikings put together a 12 play, 48 yard drive that lasted 6:20 only to have the drive end in a Greg Joseph missed field goal attempt from 49 yards out.
The game remained scoreless at the half.
On the Raiders opening drive in the third quarter, Aiden O'Connell found Hunter Renfrow for a 38 yard gain down to the Minnesota 11 yard line. Two plays later, O'Connell again found Renfrow but the ball was stripped by the Vikings Josh Metellus and recovered by Mehki Blackmon to end the Raider threat.
The Vikings replaced quarterback Josh Dobbs with Nick Mullens with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. After a punt during Mullens first drive, Mullens orchestrated a 13 play, 56 yard drive capped off with a 20 yard pass to Jordan Addison on 3rd & 6 to give Minnesota a first down at the Raider 20 yard line.
With 1:57 remaining in regulation, Greg Joseph broke the scoreless tie with a 36 yard field goal, giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead.
On the Raiders next offensive possession, on the very first play, Aiden O'Connell was intercepted by Ivan Pace Jr.
Minnesota hangs on to a 3-0 win, the lowest scoring game in the NFL since 2007 and the lowest scoring indoor game in NFL history.
The win kept Minnesota very much alive in the NFL playoff picture with a 7-6 record, they currently hold the #6 seed.
For Las Vegas, the loss was a kick in the stomach to their playoff hopes, dropping them to 5-8.
After the game, Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce was asked if he would make a quarterback change ahead of Thursday's game against division rival, Los Angeles Chargers.
"We'll evaluate everything going forward," Pierce said.
Coming off a bye week, Coach Pierce was asked why the Raider offense regressed.
"No excuse there, it is shocking," Pierce said. "Plenty of time to prepare for the opponent, nothing new. Just again, poor coaching and poor performance by the players, it starts with myself."
You can watch the full postgame press conference here.
The Raiders next host the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. Minnesota will travel to Cincinnati for a Saturday game and have named Nick Mullens as their week 15 starting quarterback.
