Vikings stay undefeated with 34-7 dismantling of Texans behind fierce defense, Darnold's 4 TDs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With the Minnesota Vikings savoring the unfamiliar vibe of being in full control in the fourth quarter, Justin Jefferson climbed on the bench to repeatedly wave his arms in encouragement of the home crowd to roar even louder for a defense that had the Houston Texans on their heels all afternoon.

The ovations were well-deserved.

Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Vikings intercepted C.J. Stroud twice and sacked him four times in a 34-7 victory over the Texans on Sunday.

“That’s something I could get used to for sure,” Jefferson said. “We just dominated all around. Defense is definitely the number one reason.”

Jonathan Greenard had three sacks of his former teammate Stroud, the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, as the Vikings (3-0) rattled the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable scheme — and some help from the fans at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I couldn't hear myself talk out there, so imagine for the offense having to check their protections and do certain things like that up front,” said Cam Bynum, who picked off Stroud in the fourth quarter.

Darnold connected with Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter. In the second half, he delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and got Johnny Mundt one, too.

Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards for the Vikings, who were a trendy pick for last place in the NFC North but have beaten back-to-back contenders to start their home slate against San Francisco and Houston. This was Minnesota's largest winning margin in five years.

“I think we’re made of the right stuff,” coach Kevin O'Connell said. “We’ve just got to keep proving it.”

Darnold went 17 for 28 for 181 yards without a turnover, and the 2018 third overall draft pick also tied his career best with a three-game winning streak as a starter. Darnold left the game to get his left knee checked after a late hit penalty on former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, but he came back after one play to a loud roar.

The Vikings improved to 6-0 all time against the Texans, who finally scored with 3:56 left in the third quarter on a pass from Stroud to Cam Akers, who spent part of last season with the Vikings and got his first start with the Texans with Joe Mixon injured.

Stroud went 20 for 31 for 215 yards. This was the first time in 10 starts he'd been picked off.

Stroud's first pass was swatted at the line by Harrison Phillips, sending the ball straight back to linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill for a gift-wrapped interception he returned to the 21. Darnold scrambled left six plays later and found Jefferson open in the front corner of the end zone for the early lead.

The Vikings had full respect for the talent the Texans presented, starting with the 2023 second overall draft pick in Stroud as the centerpiece of this on-the-rise team, but they were confident their aggressive and unpredictable defense would present problems of its own.

“The Texans helped the Vikings a lot,” coach DeMeco Ryans said.

The Texans were clearly off-kilter with the crowd noise that fed off the pressure generated by defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his protegees, with six of seven first-half penalties coming prior to the snap.

Four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil had three of them, one an illegal formation call that erased a third down throw that would've moved the chains to near midfield. Another one was the last of three straight false starts by the Texans after they had third-and-4 at the Minnesota 25. Tunsil got flagged again for illegal formation, which was declined by the Vikings so they could force a punt.

Darnold could relate to Stroud's difficulty navigating the pre-snap disguises and unorthodox alignments, having faced the Flores-run defense during training camp.

“It can cause a lot of thinking at the quarterback position," Darnold said, "and that’s always hard.”

Stefon Diggs led the Texans with 10 catches for 94 yards in his first game in Minnesota since leaving the Vikings four years ago.

“I played here for a long time, and I saw lots of offenses struggle when I was on the other side," Diggs said. “Obviously, it was a tough atmosphere, but a lot of it was self-inflicted.”

Nico Collins, the NFL’s leading receiver entering the week with 252 yards in the first two games, was mostly a nonfactor with four receptions for 86 yards thanks to some late padding. His 34-yard catch on third down set up Houston’s only touchdown.

Texans: In addition to the absence of Mixon (ankle), backup RB Dameon Pierce (hamstring) missed his second straight game.

Vikings: WR Jordan Addison (ankle), LB Ivan Pace Jr. (quad, ankle) and OLB Dallas Turner (knee) were all inactive. Grugier-Hill took Pace's place in the first down defense.

Texans: Host Jacksonville next Sunday.

Vikings: Visit Green Bay next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) slides to the turf in front of Minnesota Vikings linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (54) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones celebrates after catching an 8-yard touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell questions a call during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) talks with an official while walking to the locker room at halftime of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) scores on an 8-yard touchdown reception over Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a pass over Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — As world leaders meeting in the United Nations this week discuss the future of efforts to rein in the gangs strangling Haiti, Haitians are expressing hopelessness that an international response can turn the tide of violence.

Thus far, a UN-backed force of 400 police from Kenya and about two dozen Jamaican officers have done little to quell the country's gangs, which have terrorized the country since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. World leaders have been discussing the next steps in a convoluted efforts to restore order to the Caribbean nation, and Kenya this weekend pledged 600 more officers.

The United States has floated the idea of a U.N. peacekeeping force, but the idea was considered too controversial given the introduction of cholera and sexual abuse cases that occurred the last time U.N. troops were in Haiti.

The deployment of Kenyan forces was, in part, to avoid tensions that may be sparked by sending another U.N. peacekeeping mission.

But in a visit to Haiti by Kenya's President William Ruto over the weekend – on his way to the United Nations General Assembly session, which began on Sunday – Ruto said he would be open to expanding Kenya's operations into a larger U.N. peacekeeping mission.

“On the suggestion to transit this into a fully U.N. Peacekeeping mission, we have absolutely no problem with it, if that is the direction the U.N. security council wants to take,” Ruto said.

While Ruto hailed the successes of the Kenyan forces on Sunday, a recent report by a UN human rights expert said gang violence is spreading across Haiti and that Haitian police still lack the “logistical and technical capacity” to fight gangs.

The ongoing violence has left Haitians like 39-year-old Mario Canteve disillusioned with further international efforts to quell the gangs, saying he no longer believes promises by world leaders that they'll be able to change anything in the crisis-stricken nation.

“No one is coming to save Haiti. Nothing is changing," he said. “A new mission cannot save Haiti.”

Canteve sells cellphone chips and repairs electronics in the capital of Port-au-Prince, 80% of which is estimated to be controlled by gangs. Facing brutal gang violence, some Haitians have organized vigilante groups to battle the gangs themselves.

Such groups underscore to the lack of hope many Haitians have that an international solution can mark a shift in Haiti.

Moise Jean-Pierre, a 50-year-old school teacher, recalled past U.N. missions in Haiti and said such efforts were a “waste of time.”

“It would not be the first time we've had U.N. missions in Haiti,” he said. “What difference will it make?”

Sentiments on the ground speak to the bind world leaders are in as they've spent years looking for a larger solution to Haiti's woes.

The current security mission is expected to reach a total of 2,500 personnel, with the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad also pledging to send police and soldiers. Though it still is not clear when that would happen.

Few at the U.N. have an appetite for a larger peacekeeping mission in part due to the abuses in past missions, but also because many Haitians have an aversion to foreign interventions. Experts say three previous interventions by US and the UN have not improved crises in Haiti.

Some harbor hope that elections planned next year will pave the path to a Haitian-born solution.

The country has not held general elections since 2016 as the crisis has dragged on.

Last week, Haiti took its first steps in creating a provisional election council to prepare the nation for elections. Haiti still has many hurdles ahead of it to get there. Chief among them is violence.

While Canteve, the cellphone chip salesman, called for unity and said “a new mission cannot save Haiti, the children of Haiti need to save themselves,” he also expressed doubts the country was safe enough to facilitate elections.

“How can you hold an election when everything is so violent. Everyone is shooting," he said. "When police cannot even go into certain areas, what kind of election are going to get?”

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Find more AP coverage of the United Nations at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations

Associated Press reporter Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

Kenya's President William Ruto speaks to Kenyan police officers, part of a UN-backed multinational force, during a visit to their base in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Kenya's President William Ruto, center left, visits Kenyan police, part of a UN-backed multinational force, at their base in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)