Vikings sack Mayfield six times, move to 3-0 with very sloppy win in Tampa

A win is a win. For the second straight week, it wasn’t even remotely pretty from an offensive standpoint. It was quite ugly, in fact. But the Vikings‘ defense was its usual dominant self, and a couple explosive plays held up in a 20-16 road win over the Buccaneers that moves Minnesota to 3-0.

The offensive numbers for both teams are frankly disgusting to look at. The Vikings had 230 yards, went 2 for 15 on third down, and committed 9 penalties. The Buccaneers had 243 yards, went 2 for 17 on third down, and committed 8 penalties. In a battle of former Oklahoma Heisman winners, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield completed 32 of 63 passes between them.

The Vikings’ offense lost Justin Jefferson to an ankle injury on the opening possession and never seemed to recover, outside of one drive in the second quarter that featured two explosive catches by Jordan Addison. Murray was under frequent pressure and never could find a rhythm. The running game struggled to get going on early downs.

But for as much as the Vikings’ offense was poor, the defense was equally brilliant. Outside of a couple big pass plays in the first half, Brian Flores’ group completely smothered Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Blitzing all the time like they always do, the Vikings put Tampa Bay’s offensive line, running backs, and tight ends in a blender. They had six sacks and got a late interception from Andrew Van Ginkel on a fourth down.

The special teams also did their part in this game. Myles Price had an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter and Will Reichard was a perfect 3 for 3 on field goals once again, including makes from 54 and 56 yards.

The Vikings will be happy to be 3-0. But they’re in a weird spot right now. They clearly seem to have a Super Bowl-caliber defense. They’re also probably not going to be able to keep winning unless they start to get a lot more competence from their offense. The status of Jefferson’s ankle looms large moving forward.

Minnesota will have a great chance to get to 4-0 next week when the winless Miami Dolphins come to U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Vikings raced out to a great start. They got a 54-yard Will Reichard field goal on the game’s opening possession, forced a three-and-out defensively, and saw Price return the ensuing punt 86 yards for a touchdown that electrified the many Vikings fans in attendance on the road.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Buccaneers responded with a 40-yard touchdown to rookie Ted Hurst, who was wide open due to a breakdown in coverage by the Vikings’ secondary. Jefferson’s injury exit sapped a lot of the positive feelings for Minnesota. The offense gained only one first down on its next three possessions, and the Buccaneers tied it with a field goal after another big chunk of yardage through the air in the second quarter.

Then the Vikings’ passing game came to life. Murray found Addison for a 30-yard toe-tap catch on the left sideline. Three plays later, Murray launched a deep ball for Addison, who made a great adjustment and rolled into the end zone for a 41-yard score. The Vikings had a chance to add to their lead before halftime, but this time Murray’s deep ball was underthrown and Addison couldn’t quite come down with it.

The third quarter was where the game got really ugly for both offenses. Not including penalties, the Vikings gained 25 yards on 13 plays, punted three times, and had a pass batted and intercepted. The Buccaneers gained 20 yards on 15 plays, punted three times, and kicked a field goal after the interception.

It remained that way into the fourth quarter, but the Buccaneers cut their deficit to 17-16 with a field goal that was set up by an unnecessary roughness penalty on Josh Metellus. The Vikings responded with a 56-yard field goal from Reichard, even after going backwards due to a couple penalties.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.