MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings stayed undefeated with more dominance by their defense and five field goals from Will Reichard, sidestepping their early passing game problems to secure a 15-10 victory over the winless Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
T.J. Hockenson had a career-high-tying 13 receptions for 119 yards on 13 targets from Kyler Murray, including the game-sealing 8-yard catch on third-and-5 from the 10. Hockenson was wide open and could’ve coasted into the end zone, but he wisely slid in front of the goal line to drain the clock down to the two-minute warning.
With the Dolphins out of timeouts, the Vikings had Murray take three straight kneel-downs to move to 4-0 for the second time in three years.
The Dolphins, who are 0-4 for the first time since 2019 in their first season under coach Brian Flores, were crushed by a combination of unforced mistakes and a bit of bad luck.
New Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis went just 9 for 17 for 85 yards, losing a fumble during one of the two sacks by Dallas Turner. Willis thought he had escaped the relentless Vikings pass rush to float a 68-yard touchdown pass to Chris Bell early in the second quarter, but Bell was flagged for illegal touching after stepping out of bounds as he moved to get open while Willis scrambled toward the sideline.
The Vikings had 11 penalties for 85 yards, but they dodged a costly flag when Ivan Pace Jr. had a call for roughing the kicker waved off when the video replay assist system determined he tipped Bradley Pinion’s punt and therefore didn’t commit a penalty.
After netting just 76 yards on 21 plays in the first half and failing to finish any possession across midfield, the Dolphins finally found a couple of creases in Minnesota’s otherwise-suffocating defense directed by Flores, who’s in his fourth year as coordinator.
Ollie Gordon, in an elevated role following the season-ending knee injury to star running back De’Vone Achane, ripped off a career-long 53-yard run on third-and-5 to set up Riley Patterson’s 27-yard field goal. Gordon had a 12-yard touchdown run on the next drive to pull the Dolphins within 12-10 late in the third quarter.
Reichard, who stretched the NFL ‘s longest active streak to 31 consecutive made field goals, drew a loud roar from the otherwise restless crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium when he was shown on the videoboard during the two-minute warning.
Murray finished 27 for 37 for 247 yards without a turnover, but he took four sacks for 34 yards against a Dolphins defense that had none in the first three games and was often tentative and unsteady in the pocket until Hockenson helped him open up the field with a handful of clutch and difficult catches.
Aaron Jones also carried another heavy load with 20 carries for 94 yards and four receptions for 34 yards, with the Vikings missing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson (ankle) for the first time since Week 12 of the 2023 season and running back Jordan Mason (thumb) for the third game in a row.
Injury report
Miami: Starting safety Dante Trader (knee) was hurt in the second quarter and returned after halftime.
Minnesota: LG Donovan Jackson (knee) was sidelined in the first quarter. LT Christian Darrisaw (neck) was hurt in the second quarter after going head-first into the pile at the end of a run, returning after halftime only to be pulled again in the fourth quarter for concussion evaluation.
Up next
Miami hosts Cincinnati next Sunday.
Minnesota plays at New Orleans next Sunday.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
