For Minnesota, this had all the makings of a disappointing defeat.
The Vikings were at home against an inferior opponent, reminiscent of the Falcons and Cowboys games. Minnesota lost arguably its best defensive player, Eric Kendricks, to an injury very close to kickoff.
Jaguars quarterback Mike Glennon isn’t by any means top tier, but he has his days, just like Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton. It was Dalton’s day against the Vikings and that seemed like the case for Glennon.
The Jacksonville quarterback led two unanswered scoring drives to give his team a 9-0 lead. Just when the Vikings climbed back into having a shot at the postseason, it seemed like their hopes were slipping away against one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Minnesota (6-6) held off the upset and it has its defense to thank. The group forced five turnovers from the Jacksonville offense and held the Jaguars to 17 points (the Vikings offense threw an interception returned for a touchdown).