Vikings beat Saints on game-ending double-doink miss
Will Lutz narrowly missed hitting a 61-yard field goal as time expired and the Minnesota Vikings held on to beat the New Orleans Saints 28-25 Sunday in London.
The Saints tied the game 25-25 with 1:51 to play on a 60-yard field goal by Will Lutz, and then his 61-yard attempt as time expired double-doinked off the left upright and then the crossbar for a Vikings win by the narrowest of margins.
Tied 25-25, Kirk Cousins unleashed a deep ball to Justin Jefferson for 39 yards to the Saints 25. But three straight run plays netted zero yards, giving Greg Joseph a chance at a 47-yard field goal and he hit it for the 28-25 Vikings lead with 24 seconds to play.
Jefferson finished the day with 10 receptions for 147 yards after being held to 48 yards and 14 yards in his last two games, respectively. He also scored on a three-yard jet sweep to give the Vikings a 25-22 lead with 4:15 left in the game. But Greg Joseph missed the extra point – and the Saints tied the game on Lutz's 60-yarder.
The Vikings had the lead all game until Taysom Hill scored on a two-yard QB draw to put the Saints up 20-19 with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter, a lead that grew to 22-19 on a successful two-point conversation pass from Andy Dalton to Jarvis Landry.
Minnesota needed a 41-yard pass interference penalty, which NFL Network analyst Mike Pereira called "questionable," on a deep shot to to Adam Thielen in double coverage to set up Jefferson's touchdown run on the next play.
Adam Thielen had eight catches for 73 yards but will have to be monitored on the injury report after he was seen limping, with NFL Network reporting seeing his calf in a wrap at one point in the second half, although he did stay in the game.
Cook finished the day with 76 yards on 20 carries. As a team, the Vikings averaged 3.2 yards per rush. Alexander Mattison had just three carries for three yards, though he did score the opening touchdown of the game on a 15-yard screen play in the first quarter.
Greg Joseph made five fields in the game.
Up next: Vikings vs. Bears at U.'S. Bank Stadium, 12 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9.
Related: Lewis Cine taken to hospital after serious leg injury against Saints
