The Vikings took a 20-6 lead into halftime on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, and with the second-half kickoff coming their way, they seemed in position to pull away from the Jets and get their first comfortable victory since Week 1 against the Packers.
They ended the day doing everything they could to contain a frantic Jets rally in a 27-22 win, holding New York to 10 points on four fourth-quarter drives that all reached the red zone. The Jets posted 221 yards in the fourth, and 336 total in the second half, as the game morphed into another one the Vikings would have to pull back from the brink.
The fulcrum on Sunday, as it has been so often this season, was the third quarter.