Bookend INTs From Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum Spur Vikings to Win Over Jets
In this story:
First, Camryn Bynum picked up an assist.
Just over a minute into Sunday's game against the Jets, the Vikings' second-year safety anticipated and closed on a Mike White pass to Corey Davis over the middle of the field. Bynum timed his hit on Davis perfectly, causing the ball to pop up into the air and into the waiting arms of his teammate, safety partner, and mentor Harrison Smith.
It was career interception number 34 for Smith, the 11th-year safety who is nine years older than Bynum and the Vikings' longest-tenured player. That makes him the INT leader among active NFL players, breaking a tie with Patriots safety Devin McCourty. It was also Smith's fifth pick of the season, tying a career high.
"Hall of Famer right here," Bynum said after the game, crashing Ben Leber's interview with Smith. "Hall of Famer. Partner in crime. He's taught me everything I know. We saw it, we prepared during the week. He told me go get it, I went ahead and got it. All credit to Harry."
"He's lying," Smith said. "That was a great play by him. I just caught the tip."
The Vikings' offense couldn't do anything with the takeaway, but they were already in position to get on the board first via a Greg Joseph field goal. A 3-0 lead then ballooned into a 20-3 lead in the second quarter. That's when things got dicey.
Like they have all season, the Vikings let their opponent back into the game. The Jets kicked four field goals to make it a five-point game, responded to a Minnesota touchdown with one of their own, and wound up with multiple late chances to take the lead.
After nearly coming up with a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings' defense got it done with less than two minutes to play in the game. Two Jets runs gained a total of three yards, and they followed that with a couple incompletions from White for a turnover on downs.
"That’s what we live for, every single week, knowing that this game might come down to us and that’s how we want it," Bynum said.
But the job wasn't finished. The Vikings ran the ball three times on their ensuing possession that began at their own 1, forcing the Jets to use all three of their timeouts. They punted it away with 90 seconds still left on the clock. Three plays later, the Jets were already in the red zone again.
On second down, Smith nearly ended it. He jumped in front of a Garrett Wilson route, but couldn't quite come down with his second pick of the day.
That's when, finally, Bynum got one of his own. On fourth down, he read the play and jumped the route for a game-sealing interception.
"I know they're running double in cuts all game that got us a few times on that last series," Bynum said. "Mainly all the big plays are in-breaking plays, so I knew if I show inside a little, as soon as the quarterback's eyes come to (his No. 1 read) running that dig (route) it was going to be mine."
It was eerily similar to the end of the Vikings' win in Buffalo a few weeks ago, when Patrick Peterson came up with a game-ending interception right in front of his own end zone.
"Same thing, Pat came up with the game winner," Bynum said. "Same exact route, double digs, and he picked that off. Now it’s my turn."
The Vikings' two safeties were crucial in the win over the Jets — the team's tenth of the season — and not just because of the bookend interceptions. Smith had eight tackles and three total passes defended, including a big breakup of a deep ball intended for Wilson in the second quarter. Bynum had seven tackles and two passes defended; he nearly came away with a tipped interception in the first quarter but collided with teammate Akayleb Evans.
As a unit, the Vikings' defense gave up nearly 500 yards. But they played their best ball in the biggest moments, holding the Jets to a 3-of-16 mark on third down, 2-of-5 on fourth down, and only one touchdown on six red zone trips. And their two safeties — one a 33-year-old future Hall of Famer with over 150 career starts, one a 24-year-old converted cornerback making his 15th career start — were the ones who started and ended things in another dramatic win.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
