Will Levis, meet the Vikings outside linebackers.

Minnesota toppled Tennessee 23-13 on the road Sunday, thanks in large part to the Purple’s pass rush group toppling the Titans quarterback.

Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones II flustered the second-year QB all afternoon, combining for four sacks and seven quarterback hits that earned game balls from Head Coach Kevin O’Connell after the game.

Jonathan Greenard also flashed multiple times and tied for third on the team in tackles with five.

“I think it just shows the versatility of that group,” O’Connell said postgame. “That group as a whole is really the strength.”

It was linebacker Blake Cashman, though, who set the tone early with the first sack of Levis.

During the Titans opening drive, Cashman got to Levis on third-and-6 for a monster takedown and loss of 10 yards, prompting a punt.

Tennessee got the ball back quickly after a fumbled pitch from Sam Darnold to Aaron Jones, Sr., and the team initially moved effectively downfield. But on third-and-4 from the Minnesota 6, Levis looked for a target on third down and saw Pat Jones charging.

The defender came across the line and took down Levis for a loss of 5, the first sack for Jones since he recorded five over the first four games, and the Titans had to settle for a 30-yard field goal.

Another pressure by Jones inside the final minute of the first quarter forced a Titans punt.

“We were just dialed in. Rushing together,” Jones said. “Working together. That was the main thing we were trying to do – just rush as a team.

“We were all just playing free out there. Just having fun,” he added.

Minnesota became the first in the NFL with three players who have at least 7.0 sacks this season (Van Ginkel has 8.0; Jones and Greenard each have 7.0).

Van Ginkel also became the third player since 1982 to have 8+ sacks and at least two pick sixes in a season (joining Jason Taylor in 2006 & Terrell Suggs in 2008).

The Vikings continued to make things difficult for Tennessee’s offense, which made some chunk plays but didn’t score a touchdown in the first half.

Van Ginkel seemingly was all over the field, blond locks flying beneath his helmet.

Levis and Company attempted to make something happen in the final minutes of the second quarter, knowing the Vikings would open the second half. But on second-and-10 from the Minnesota 49, Van Ginkel sacked the QB for a 5-yard loss.

Then he did it again.

The Titans lined back up for a third-and-long attempt with 37 seconds ’til halftime, and Van Ginkel screamed through for an 8-yard takedown.

“Gink” said consecutive sacks to force a punt might as well be a turnover.

“When you can stop them, anytime you get off the field and get the ball to your offense is a positive,” he said. “Our defense, that’s all we’re trying to do. Our offense, when they get the ball and they can get rolling, they’ll put points up.”

After Van Ginkel’s second third-down sack, NFL on CBS broadcast cameras panned to the sideline to show Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores raising his fist as a sly grin cracked initial stoicism.

“[Flores] always preaches about that [joy]. He wants us celebrating. He’s out there putting his fist up for big stops,” Jones said. “That’s what Flo’ wants, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Minnesota stifled the Titans offense again early in the third quarter, this time Greenard sniffing out a called run by Levis. The QB faked a handoff and darted to the left but immediately was tackled for loss in the backfield by Greenard.

Tennessee didn’t roll over after its fifth punt of the day, though.

The Vikings offense found themselves booting it away on the next series, and Trent Sherfield, Sr., made an excellent play to down the punt and pin the Titans at their 1. But the AFC South squad stayed scrappy and, after being stopped on two run attempts, took advantage of a Flores blitz.

As the Vikings rushed five, Levis quickly got a pass up and over the defenders to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who was off to the races. Safety Harrison Smith attempted to run the receiver down after he had gotten behind Joshua Metellus, but Westbrook-Ikhine got into the end zone for a 98-yard touchdown.

The score shrunk the Vikings lead to 6 and was a frustrating moment, to be sure, but no one lost focus. Darnold led the offense on a touchdown drive the next series, and Minnesota allowed just one field goal by Tennessee the rest of the day.

The Vikings played excellently against the run, allowing Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears to gain just 15 total yards on the ground. Levis added 18 yards on scrambles to increase Tennessee’s rushing yard total to 33 on 19 attempts.

Celebration Photos from Vikings Win Over Titans

View postgame celebration photos from the Vikings 23-13 win over the Titans during Week 11 of the 2024 season.

According to NFL Media research, the 1.7 yards allowed per carry were the fewest by Minnesota since Week 3 of the 2011 season.

Westbrook-Ikhine led the way in receiving with 117 yards on two catches, followed by Calvin Ridley with four receptions for 58 yards.

Levis was 17-of-31 passing for 295 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His passer rating was 84.7.

Minnesota’s lone interception of the day came in the form of a game-sealing pick by Smith. The takeaway seemed fitting for The Hitman after he’d missed a near-interception earlier, and making the grab in his home state of Tennessee likely made it even more special for the Knoxville native … not that he’d admit that, of course.

True to form, Smith focused more on the missed opportunity than the one capitalized upon.

“I was kind of mad at myself for not getting that one earlier,” he said. “So it was good to close the game out with one, but I’m still a little bit mad at myself for not getting a couple.”

Asked about lying face down on the field for a few seconds the first, Smith laughed and assured he was OK.

“That was in honor of Eric Kendricks,” he quipped of his former Vikings teammate. “He did that back in the day … when he dropped the easy one and laid there for a while, so I was thinking about him when I missed that one.”

Minnesota improved to 8-2 with the win and now will pivot to face Chicago in its third straight road game. The Bears were defeated 20-19 Sunday when the Packers blocked a last-second field goal attempt that would have won the game.

Regardless of Tennessee’s 2-8 record, O’Connell and Smith each emphasized the importance of celebrating a win against an NFL team that on any given Sunday can make things difficult for opponents.

“It’s great to have blowout wins, but two-score wins in the NFL are fantastic,” Smith said. “You obviously can watch the game and say, ‘We can do a ton of stuff better,’ but don’t forget about all the good stuff that we did. That’s how I approach it.”

O’Connell noted the team is “constantly chasing” improvement, “knowing we’re a good football team through 10 games.”

“We’ve won eight of them. We’ve got the right mindset,” he said. “But I do believe, you know, hopefully our best football is head of us, because we’re working towards that while also winning games. Proud of that, proud of our group, proud of our staff – but it’s time to go back to work.”