VIKINGS GAME NOTES compiled by communications

Week 15 | Minnesota Vikings at | December 15, 2019

GAME NOTES

• Vikings Captains: TE Kyle Rudolph, T Riley Reiff, QB , DE • The Vikings recorded seven takeaways for the 13th time in franchise Everson Griffen, DT Linval Joseph, LB Anthony Barr history. With the victory, the Vikings are 8-5 when reaching seven-plus takeaways in a single game. • Coin Toss: The Vikings called tails and lost the toss. The Chargers deferred to to the second half and the Vikings received the opening • With S ’ interception in the fourth quarter, Vikings kick. safeties have recorded 10 interceptions this season. The total ranks first in the NFL among safety groups. • The 29-point margin of victory against the Chargers is tied for the seventh-largest margin of victory on the road in franchise history (49- • Minnesota has scored defensive in two of the last three 20 victory over Tampa Bay on 10/23/1988). weeks with DE Ifeadi Odenigbo taking a by LAC QB 56 yards to the house. Odenigbo’s fumble return ranks as the • For the fifth time this season, the Vikings scored an opening-drive . The score came on a one-yard pass from QB Kirk Cousins fifth-longest by a defensive lineman in team history. to rookie TE Irv Smith Jr. • Nine separate Vikings recorded a rushing attempt in Sunday’s game, a new season-high. Minnesota surpassed 100 total rushing yards in a game for the 10th time this season.

PLAYER NOTES

• Rookie TE Irv Smith Jr. caught his second touchdown of the season, • Hunter strip-sacked Rivers for his second forced fumble of the game, a one-yard pass from QB Kirk Cousins on the first drive of the game. a career high, with 23 seconds left to play in the second quarter. DE Cousins was a perfect 6-of-6 for 45 yards on the drive. Ifeadi Odenigbo recovered the ball and returned the fumble 56 yards for his first career defensive touchdown. The last Vikings’ fumble • Cousins rushed for a season-long 14 yards in the third quarter to put recovery touchdown was scored by Hunter, a 32-yard return, vs. Detroit the Vikings in the red zone for the fourth time in the game. The carry on 11/4/18. was his second-longest as a Viking. He previously rushed for 19 yards on a fourth quarter play against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 of • DT forced a second fumble by Gordon on the first the 2018 season. play of the second half. The loose ball was recovered by Hunter at the LAC 30 and returned four yards to the LAC 26. • With his 19-yard catch on Minnesota’s second drive of the first quarter, WR became the seventh player in franchise history with • CB forced the second fumble of his career with 3:13 left multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons, joining Cris Carter (eight), to play in the second quarter. Randy Moss (six), Jake Reed (four), Anthony Carter (three), Ahmad Rashad (two) and (two). • In the fourth quarter, LB forced his second fumble of the season, setting a single-season career high. The fumble was • Diggs is now tied for the NFL lead with eight receptions of 40+ yards recovered by Waynes and returned 20 yards to the LAC 10-yard line. It this season, thanks to a 46-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Diggs was Waynes’ first fumble recovery of his career. is the first Vikings player with eight 40+ yard receptions since Moss finished with eight in 2000. • CB Mike Hughes intercepted Rivers at the MIN 20 with 7:20 left to play in the game. The interception was the first of 2019 for Hughes • RB finished with 13 carries for 56 yards and two and second of his career. His first interception came in his NFL debut touchdowns against the Chargers, setting single-game career highs in Week 1 against San Francisco in 2018. in all three categories. The Florida native recorded his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter, capping a seven-play, 85-yard drive • DT Jaleel Johnson sacked Rivers for a loss of nine yards in the second with an eight-yard score. quarter. Johnson has 1.0 sack in three of his last four games and 3.5 sacks on the season. • Boone found the end zone a second time with 8:48 left in the game. The two-yard rush finished a three-play, 10-yard drive following a • S Anthony Harris recorded Minnesota’s third interception of the game forced fumble by the Vikings defense. with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. It was his fifth of the season and eighth for his career. Harris’ five interceptions • On the fourth play of the opening drive, rookie WR this season are tied for second-most in the NFL in 2019. recorded his first career rushing attempt, a six-yard carry to the left side. • P booted two punts inside the 10-yard line for an average of 51.5 yards per punt on Sunday. Colquitt is the only • S Harrison Smith recorded four tackles in the first half to bring his qualifying punter in the NFL to not record a touchback this season. career total to 771, surpassing Antoine Winfield (769) for third-most by a Vikings defensive back in franchise history (according to team • K Dan Bailey went 4-of-4 on field goal attempts in Sunday’s game, stats). Smith finished the game with six tackles, one tackle for loss, connecting on attempts of 26, 44, 38 and 27 yards. He finished the an interception, a pass defensed and a fumble recovery. game with 15 points to surpass 100 points on the season for the seventh time in his career and first since 2016. • With 2:06 left to play in the first half, Smith intercepted QB Philip Rivers at the Chargers’ own 49-yard line. It was Smith’s second • Bailey made four field goals in a game for the third time this season, interception in as many games and his third in 2019. The Tennessee marking the first time since 2017 he’s done so. native has five seasons with at least three interceptions since entering • His 15 points in the game are the third-highest total of his career. the league in 2012. Bailey recorded 18 points against both Green Bay (12/15/13) and Washington (9/26/11) while with Dallas. • At the end of the first quarter, DEDanielle Hunter forced LAC RB to fumble at the LAC 11 and Smith recovered it. The recovery was Smith’s second of the season and eighth of his career. He has three seasons with two fumble recoveries for his career.