The Minnesota Vikings beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 at U.S. Bank Stadium, holding Indianapolis to 64 net passing yards. The Colts also gave back 44 yards on 4 sacks.

Indianapolis ran for 154 yards, held the ball longer and converted 8 of 15 third downs. It reached the red zone only once and came away empty.

How It Happened

The Colts struck first. Jonathan Taylor broke a 38-yard touchdown run with 9:13 left in the first quarter, and Spencer Shrader's extra point made it 7-0.

Minnesota chipped back with field goals in the second quarter. Will Reichard hit from 28 yards early in the period and from 47 yards with 6:37 left to make it 7-6. Shrader answered with a 43-yarder as the half expired, sending the Colts to the locker room up 10-6.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Vikings took the lead early in the fourth when Kyler Murray found T.J. Hockenson for a 5-yard touchdown with 14:36 to play, putting Minnesota up 13-10.

Reichard closed it with a 52-yard field goal at the 1:39 mark. That stretched the lead to 6 and meant Indianapolis needed a touchdown, something it had not managed since its opening score.

Key Performers

Will Reichard (MIN): 3 FG – 28, 47, 52 YDS; 1 XP
Kyler Murray (MIN): 1 TD pass – 5 YDS to T.J. Hockenson
Jonathan Taylor (IND): 1 rushing TD – 38 YDS
Colts passing: 13-22, 64 net YDS, 0-1 (TD-INT), 4 sacks for 44 YDS
Vikings passing: 14-24, 139 net YDS, 0 INT, 3 sacks for 11 YDS

Reichard accounted for 10 of Minnesota's 16 points. On a day the Minnesota offense converted just 3 of 11 third downs, the kicking game supplied most of the scoring.

The Vikings' pass defense held the Colts to 2.5 yards per pass attempt and only 6 first downs through the air. Indianapolis moved the ball on the ground, but its passing game gave it little support.

Minnesota also won the turnover battle cleanly. The Vikings gave the ball away 0 times, while the Colts threw 1 interception. In a game decided by less than a touchdown, that margin mattered.

What It Means

Minnesota is 6-0 and perfect both at home and on the road, 3-0 in each. This was not a dominant win, and the third-down numbers are a concern. Still, it is the kind of game an unbeaten team finds a way to close.

Indianapolis falls to 2-5 and 1-3 away from home. The Colts ran the ball as efficiently as Minnesota did, matching the Vikings' 4.7 yards per carry. Until the passing game produces more than it did here, that running game will be left to carry too much of the load.