National Football League
Minnesota 24, Baltimore 16
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 22, 2017
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 66751

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Baltimore Ravens' defense did its part, holding the Minnesota Vikings to just one touchdown on Sunday.

But they couldn't contain Minnesota's kicking game.

On a day that belonged to the kickers, Minnesota's offense did just enough to spur the Vikings to their third consecutive win, 24-16, over Baltimore.

Kai Forbath kicked six field goals for the Vikings (5-2) while Baltimore (3-4) got a trio from Justin Tucker. It was the fourth loss in five games for the Ravens.

It was a game dominated by defense on both sides as the teams combined for just two touchdowns, and the Vikings sacked Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco five times.

"I told the team all week that this was going to be a grind. I knew it was. I know how the AFC North teams play. I was in that division for six years," said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals before coming to Minnesota. "It was nice to see Latavius Murray get some runs against this stout defense and I thought we played pretty good defense most of the day."

Murray, the Vikings' top running back, was the rare offensive standout, picking up 113 yards on the ground and scoring Minnesota's lone touchdown. Coupled with the Packers' home loss to New Orleans, the Vikings are alone atop the NFC North Division and face the winless Cleveland Browns next Sunday in London.

Flacco finished 27-of-39 passing for 186 yards, and hit Chris Moore for a 13-yard touchdown on the final play of the game. It broke a streak of nearly 11 consecutive quarters without a Ravens touchdown. Vikings quarterback Case Keenum was 20 of 31 for 188 yards and an interception.

"We knew it was going to be that kind of game, and we planned for that kind of game," Flacco said of the defensive struggle. "We went in here thinking they had a good defense and we had a good defense. We knew that both teams saw each other in a similar fashion and felt we were going to be the offense to break through and score a couple touchdowns and get ourselves ahead. It didn't turn out that way."

The Vikings tried to go long on their first play of the game, but Keenum's pass intended for Laquon Treadwell was tipped and intercepted by cornerback Brandon Carr. It was the game's only turnover.

The Ravens got a field goal on the ensuing drive to take a 3-0 lead, but lost wide receiver Mike Wallace for the game to a concussion. Wallace was hit hard after catching a pass across the middle, losing his helmet and fumbling in the process. The turnover was negated when the Vikings were flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play. In addition to pressuring Flacco, Minnesota's defense held Baltimore to just 64 yards rushing.

"We came into the game wanting to stop the run first. If we were able to stop the run, then we're able to rush the passer," said Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter. "The main game plan was getting the tackles on (Flacco's) feet. We knew he would try and scramble, so once we got the tackles on his feet, he wouldn't throw the ball. That was part of the plan."

Neither team found the end zone in the first half, with Minnesota up 9-6 at halftime via a trio of Forbath field goals, answered by two Tucker field goals for the Ravens.

After settling for another field goal on their opening drive of the second half to go up 12-6, the Vikings finally broke through when Murray rumbled into the end zone from 29 yards out with 7:58 to play in the third. Forbath's extra-point attempt hit the right upright leaving it an 18-6 Minnesota lead.

"The reality is what it is. We need to find a way to go do what we need to do," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. His team hosts Miami on Thursday night. "We didn't turn the ball over, which was a goal in this game and we thought that would give us a chance, but we didn't do enough of the other things we needed to do to win the game."

Tucker hit a 47-yard field goal late in the third quarter, while Forbath added two more in the fourth.

NOTES: In an interview on the field during a timeout, former Vikings and Ravens C Matt Birk got a round of cheers when he said, if he were NFL commissioner for a day, he would require all players to stand for the national anthem. ... Run-stopping Ravens DT Brandon Williams, who had missed the previous four games due to injury, tackled Vikings RB Latavius Murray for a 3-yard loss on Minnesota's first run of the game. ... The 57-yard field goal by Ravens K Justin Tucker in the second quarter was his longest of the season. His career long is a 61-yard shot he hit in 2013. ... The Vikings' receiving corps was thin on Sunday, with both Stefon Diggs and Michael Floyd inactive due to injury.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Baltimore   Minnesota
Alex Collins Player Latavius Murray
10 Attempts 18
30 Yards 113
3.0 Avg Yards 6.3
0 Touchdowns 1
8 Long 35
Receiving
Baltimore   Minnesota
Benjamin Watson Player Jarius Wright
5 Receptions 3
38 Yards 54
7.6 Avg Yards 18.0
0 Touchdowns 0
20 Long 30
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Baltimore 208 64 144 1 3 1 0.0 0
Minnesota 357 169 188 1 6 0 5.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Vikings have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Baltimore will play their next game at home against Miami. The Ravens have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .333 after a loss.