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Justin Jefferson bounced back from two quiet games and Greg Joseph made amends for a missed extra point.
The Vikings star receiver scored a touchdown and beat Marshon Lattimore on a 39-yard reception to set up Joseph’s 47-yard field goal with 24 seconds left and Minnesota hung on for a 28-25 win over New Orleans on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Many of the Vikings (3-1), though, thought they were headed to overtime when Saints kicker Wil Lutz lined up for his 61-yard tying attempt. And why not? Lutz had hit a 60-yarder on their previous possession.
This one had the distance but hit the left upright and then the crossbar before bouncing out as time expired.
“When it left his foot I thought it was going in,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It felt like that thing had a real good chance to go through and obviously a couple of bounces later we’re able to walk off as the winning team.”
Joseph’s go-ahead kick came after he had missed an extra point earlier in the quarter after Jefferson ran it in from 3 yards with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter.
The missed kick left the Vikings with a 25-22 lead.
The Saints then had an eight-play drive and Lutz made a 60-yard field goal with 1:51 left to tie the game for the Saints (1-3), who have lost three straight games.
“I thought they were both in,” Lutz said. “I hit them both on the screws. The second one just moved a little more left. So kind of shocked it didn’t bounce in.”
Jefferson had 10 receptions for 147 yards after being limited to a total of nine receptions and 62 yards in the past two games, He was pleased to finally see some single coverage.
“Lattimore pretty much followed me the whole game, pretty much was a one-on-one battle the majority of the game,” Jefferson said. “I was telling (O’Connell) the whole game we should throw it up, give me a chance to go up and make a big play.
