Minnesota Vikings 20-21 Denver Broncos: Courtland Sutton strikes late as Broncos edge out Vikings

Courtland Sutton's leaping 15-yard touchdown grab with just over a minute on the clock saw the Denver Broncos eke out a 21-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, ending their five-game win streak.

The Broncos (5-5) now replace the Vikings (6-5) in owning the league's current longest win streak, this their fourth win in a row.

Sutton outjumped Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, who had his eyes on intercepting Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson's high throw late in the fourth quarter.

Danielle Hunter's tackle of Javonte Williams on the resulting two-point try kept the Vikings within a point and needing a field goal to win it. But the stout Broncos' defense - which produced three more takeaways, giving Denver a dozen over its last three games - didn't allow the Vikings to get out of their own half of the field as they clinched victory.

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Vikings QB Josh Dobbs threw for 221 yards and a touchdown, and ran in for another score, but lost his first game with the team since they acquired him in an emergency trade with the Arizona Cardinals following injury to their season-starter Kirk Cousins. Wilson went 27 of 35 for 259 yards without an interception for Denver.

Stats leaders:

Minnesota Vikings

• Passing: Joshua Dobbs, 20/32, 221 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (and 1 rushing TD)
• Rushing: Joe Mixon, 18 carries, 81 yards
• Ty Chandler, 10 carries, 73 yards
• Receiving: TJ Hockenson, four catches, 55 yards
• Josh Oliver, four catches, 47 yards, 1 TD

Denver Broncos

• Passing: Russell Wilson, 27/35, 259 yards, 1 TD
• Rushing: Javonte Williams, 11 carries, 37 yards
• Receiving: Courtland Sutton, four catches, 66 yards, 1 TD

The Broncos started their go-ahead drive from their own 25-yard line with just over three minutes remaining after Greg Joseph's field goal made it 20-15 to Minnesota. That kick capped a seven-minute drive by the Vikings that featured a fake punt from their own 30-yard line.

Wilson drove the Broncos 75 yards in 10 plays and two minutes, hitting Sutton for the wide receiver's eighth TD of the season.

The Vikings had led since Dobbs' three-yard TD toss to tight end Josh Oliver in the second quarter which put them 7-3 up. His 10-yard scoring scramble in the third quarter made it 17-9.

After Josey Jewell recovered a fumble by Alexander Mattison, the Broncos settled for the fourth of five Wil Lutz field goals to make it 17-12 early in the fourth quarter.

Ja'Quan McMillian's interception of Dobbs set up the Broncos' offense just inside Minnesota's 10-yard line, but Denver had to again settle for a Lutz kick through the posts to pull to within two of the visitors.

Crucially, with the game on the line, the Broncos finally found the end zone when it mattered most, escaping with the win as Wilson tossed it up to Sutton.

Scoring summary

What's next?

The Broncos are next in action on Sunday when hosting the Cleveland Browns from 9.05pm, while the Vikings will look to get back to winning ways on Monday Night Football in Week 12 when they host the Chicago Bears - live on Sky Sports - in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, November 28.

Live NFL

Week 11 of the 2023 NFL season wraps up with a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, with the Philadelphia Eagles travelling to Kansas City to take on the defending-champion Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Watch live on Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event from 1.15am on Tuesday, or stream with NOW.