2024 Week 3 · Sun, Sep 22, 2024 · U.S. Bank Stadium
Houston Texans
7
Minnesota VikingsWinner
34
Minnesota Vikings 34–7 — never really in doubt late. Biggest swing: Q1 14:35, HOU +17% win probability on one snap.
The game in one curve — scrub to replay it
Win probability
(14:35) (Shotgun) 7-C.Stroud pass short middle intended for 3-T.Dell INTERCEPTED by 54-K.Grugier-Hill (97-H.Phillips) at HOU 26. 54-K.Grugier-Hill to HOU 21 for 5 yards (12-N.Collins; 22-C.Akers).
Highest-leverage plays
- Q1 · 14:35HOU +17% win prob(14:35) (Shotgun) 7-C.Stroud pass short middle intended for 3-T.Dell INTERCEPTED by 54-K.Grugier-Hill (97-H.Phillips) at HOU 26. 54-K.Grugier-Hill to HOU 21 for 5 yards (12-N.Collins; 22-C.Akers).
- Q1 · 4:36HOU +8% win prob(4:36) 15-K.Fairbairn 54 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-46-J.Weeks, Holder-6-T.Townsend.
- Q1 · 6:51MIN +8% win prob(6:51) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Stroud pass short right to 86-D.Schultz to MIN 35 for 3 yards (44-J.Metellus).
- Q1 · 5:25HOU +8% win prob(5:25) 7-C.Stroud sacked at MIN 36 for -10 yards (58-J.Greenard).
How the points landed
Scoring summary
- Q1 · 12:10MIN Touchdown
(12:10) (Shotgun) 14-S.Darnold pass short left to 18-J.Jefferson for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. (kick good)
Score after this play: HOU 0 — MIN 7 - Q1 · 1:13MIN Touchdown
(1:13) (Shotgun) 14-S.Darnold pass short left to 33-A.Jones for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. (kick good)
Score after this play: HOU 0 — MIN 14 - Q3 · 10:26MIN Touchdown
(10:26) (Shotgun) 14-S.Darnold pass short right to 83-J.Nailor for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. (kick good)
Score after this play: HOU 0 — MIN 21 - Q3 · 4:00HOU Touchdown
(4:00) (Shotgun) 7-C.Stroud pass short right to 22-C.Akers for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. (kick good)
Score after this play: HOU 7 — MIN 21 - Q4 · 14:57MIN Field goal
(14:57) 16-W.Reichard 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-17-R.Wright.
Score after this play: HOU 7 — MIN 24 - Q4 · 10:16MIN Touchdown
(10:16) (Shotgun) 14-S.Darnold pass short middle to 86-J.Mundt for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. (kick good)
Score after this play: HOU 7 — MIN 31 - Q4 · 4:48MIN Field goal
(4:48) 16-W.Reichard 58 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-42-A.DePaola, Holder-17-R.Wright.
Score after this play: HOU 7 — MIN 34
Down-to-down truth
Situational splits
| Metric | Texans | Vikings |
|---|---|---|
| Offensive plays | 62 | 59 |
| Total yards | 296 (edge) | 274 |
| Yards per play | 4.8 (edge) | 4.6 |
| Expected points added / play | -0.22 | 0.11 (edge) |
| Success rate | 31% | 47% (edge) |
| Dropback rate | 82% | 54% |
| Dropback efficiency (EPA/play) | -0.19 | 0.16 (edge) |
| Rush efficiency (EPA/play) | -0.34 | 0.04 (edge) |
| Third downs | 4/14 | 6/13 (edge) |
| Red-zone trips → TDs | 0 → 0 | 0 → 0 |
| Explosive plays (10+ rush / 20+ pass) | 2 | 4 (edge) |
| First downs gained on snaps | 16 | 17 (edge) |
| Sacks taken | 5 | 4 (edge) |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 (edge) |
Texans outgained Vikings 296–274 but lost the turnover battle 3–0. That was the game.
Who moved the needle
Top performers
Passing · HOU
20/31, 215 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
-8.8 expected points added · -5.7% completion over expected
Passing · MIN
17/28, 181 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT
5.3 expected points added · +1.0% completion over expected
Possession by possession
Drive chart
| # | Team | Start | Plays | Scrim yds | Clock | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOU | HOU 30 | 2 | 0 | 0:36 | Interception | |
| 2 | MIN | HOU 21 | 7 | 21 | 2:21 | Touchdown +7 | |
| 3 | HOU | HOU 30 | 14 | 39 | 7:32 | Missed field goal | |
| 4 | MIN | MIN 44 | 7 | 56 | 3:23 | Touchdown +7 | |
| 5 | HOU | HOU 30 | 5 | 7 | 1:18 | Punt | |
| 6 | MIN | MIN 16 | 4 | 1 | 1:30 | Punt | |
| 7 | HOU | HOU 39 | 8 | 36 | 4:43 | Punt | |
| 8 | MIN | MIN 20 | 6 | 32 | 2:51 | Punt | |
| 9 | HOU | HOU 16 | 7 | 36 | 3:55 | Punt | |
| 10 | MIN | MIN 13 | 8 | 26 | 1:17 | Punt | |
| 11 | HOU | HOU 13 | 3 | 4 | 0:34 | End of half | |
| 12 | MIN | MIN 23 | 10 | 42 | 4:38 | Touchdown +7 | |
| 13 | HOU | HOU 30 | 5 | 2 | 1:20 | Punt | |
| 14 | MIN | MIN 33 | 4 | -10 | 1:35 | Punt | |
| 15 | HOU | HOU 28 | 8 | 67 | 3:31 | Touchdown +7 | |
| 16 | MIN | MIN 40 | 11 | 38 | 4:03 | Field goal +3 | |
| 17 | HOU | HOU 30 | 4 | 3 | 0:52 | Interception | |
| 18 | MIN | MIN 47 | 8 | 53 | 3:47 | Touchdown +7 | |
| 19 | HOU | HOU 30 | 6 | 30 | 2:25 | Turnover on downs | |
| 20 | MIN | MIN 45 | 6 | 15 | 3:06 | Field goal +3 | |
| 21 | HOU | HOU 25 | 14 | 72 | 3:56 | Turnover on downs | |
| 22 | MIN | MIN 3 | 1 | 0 | 0:47 | End of game |
7 of 22 drives ended in points. Longest march: Texans gained 72 scrimmage yards over 14 plays for a turnover on downs.
Full stat lines
Box score
Houston Texans
Passing
| Player | C/Att | Yds | TD | INT | Sacked | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | 20/31 | 215 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -8.8 |
| Davis Mills | 7/12 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1.3 |
| Stefon Diggs | 1/1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Akers | 9 | 21 | 2.3 | 0 | -3.1 |
| C.J. Stroud | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 0 | -2.5 |
| J.J. Taylor | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | -0.3 |
| British Brooks | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | -0.3 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Tgt | Yds | TD | Tgt share | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stefon Diggs | 10 | 12 | 94 | 0 | 28% | 3.6 |
| Nico Collins | 4 | 10 | 86 | 0 | 23% | -2.7 |
| Tank Dell | 5 | 6 | 62 | 0 | 14% | 0.3 |
| Dare Ogunbowale | 2 | 2 | 28 | 0 | 5% | 0.9 |
| Robert Woods | 2 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 5% | -0.5 |
| Dalton Schultz | 2 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 12% | 1.2 |
| Cam Akers | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 7% | 0.5 |
| J.J. Taylor | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5% | -1.9 |
| Xavier Hutchinson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2% | -1.0 |
Defense (top contributors)
| Player | Solo | Ast | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azeez Al-Shaair | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmie Ward | 2 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Lassiter | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derek Barnett | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Folorunso Fatukasi | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Settle | 2 | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
Minnesota Vikings
Passing
| Player | C/Att | Yds | TD | INT | Sacked | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Darnold | 17/28 | 181 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Jones | 19 | 102 | 5.4 | 0 | 2.2 |
| Ty Chandler | 7 | 13 | 1.9 | 0 | -3.0 |
| Jalen Nailor | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 2.0 |
| Nick Mullens | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Tgt | Yds | TD | Tgt share | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Jefferson | 6 | 8 | 81 | 1 | 32% | 4.8 |
| Aaron Jones | 5 | 6 | 46 | 1 | 24% | 4.6 |
| Jalen Nailor | 3 | 4 | 31 | 1 | 16% | 2.8 |
| Brandon Powell | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8% | -0.5 |
| Trent Sherfield | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 4% | 0.3 |
| Johnny Mundt | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12% | 0.0 |
| Josh Oliver | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4% | -0.8 |
Defense (top contributors)
| Player | Solo | Ast | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Van Ginkel | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Smith | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Metellus | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blake Cashman | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Greenard | 3 | 1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Camryn Bynum | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Stephon Gilmore | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamu Grugier-Hill | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jonathan Bullard | 1 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Closing number vs result
Betting context
- Closing spread
- HOU -2
- Closing total
- 46
- HOU moneyline
- -135
- MIN moneyline
- +114
Texans closed -2 and lost outright — an upset against the closing number.
Total closed 46; the game landed 41 — under by 5.0.
Conditions and crew
Game environment
- Venue
- U.S. Bank Stadium
- Roof / surface
- dome · sportturf
- Kickoff weather
- Indoors — weather neutralized
- Referee
- Shawn Hochuli
- Rest
- HOU 7 days · MIN 7 days
- Coaches
- DeMeco Ryans vs Kevin O'Connell