The frustration was palpable as young quarterback C.J. Stroud hung his head and slowly walked off the field following a turnover on downs. A supernova who has quickly turned the Houston Texans into a contender, Stroud hasn’t experienced much failure to this point in his career. He has been anointed as the next star quarterback in the NFL, and for good reason.

On Sunday afternoon at U.S Bank Stadium, however, the Vikings provided Stroud with a hard lesson, making his life miserable en route to a 34-7 win over Texans.

The final stat line for Stroud didn’t even begin to tell the story of how uncomfortable he looked throughout the tame. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 215 yards before being subbed out late in favor of backup quarterback Davis Mills.

That was the result of dominant display by the Vikings defense. Though edge rusher Jonathan Greenard led the way with a trio of sacks, and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and safety Cam Bynum each added an interception, everybody on the defense gets credit for turning Stroud into a puddle in the blowout.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings got another impressive showing from veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, who completed 17 of 27 passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns to continue to rewrite the narrative that previously hounded him.

The struggles for Stroud were on display from his first pass of the game as Grugier-Hill intercepted a tipped ball to put the Vikings in good position.

A few plays later, Darnold bought some time with his legs, then found star receiver Justin Jefferson wide open in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 7-0. On the following drive, Darnold led a 6-play, 56-yard drive, capping it off by finding Aaron Jones for a touchdown pass that stretched the lead to 14-0.

That would have been more than enough for the Vikings with the way their defense was playing. A microcosm of the dominance came just before halftime as edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel sacked Stroud to run out the clock.

On the opening drive after halftime, Darnold marched the Vikings down the field, and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor to stretch the lead to 21-0.

After struggling for most of the game, Stroud showcased his arm talent with a deep pass to star receiver Nico Collins. It was a perfectly placed ball by Stroud along the sideline, and he threw a  touchdown pass to running back Cam Akers shortly thereafter to cut the deficit to 21-7.

That was as close as the Vikings let the Texans get as they continued to confuse Stroud with a bunch of different looks before the snap.

After a field goal from rookie kicker Will Reichard made it 24-7, Bynum intercepted a pass, which paved the way for Darnold to throw another touchdown pass to make it 31-7. The score was finalized when Reichard nailed a 58-yard field goal to make it 34-7.

Related Articles

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 3: Last-minute moves

Vikings will be without Jordan Addison, Dallas Turner and Ivan Pace Jr. against Texans

Vikings vs. Texans: What to know ahead of Week 3 matchup

Brian Flores has his fingerprints all over this Vikings defense

Texans at Vikings picks: We vote 3-0 for Vikings’ 3-0 start