All four touchdowns came inside the red zone: a 6-yard pass to Justin Jefferson and an 8-yard pass to Jones in the first quarter that gave Minnesota an early 14-0 lead, then a 4-yard pass to Jalen Nailor in the third quarter and a 2-yard toss to Johnny Mundt in the fourth.

Darnold pointed to the team’s preparation during the week and especially on Friday, where the offense focused specifically on the red zone.

“And even on Saturday we were able to repeat some of those plays (in the walk-through),” Darnold said. “It’s the preparation we do all week that allows us to go out there and play fast and with confidence.”

Minnesota started its first offensive play at Houston’s 21-yard line after linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill intercepted a pass from CJ Stroud on the first official play of the game.

“They helped us tremendously. They gave us energy,” Jones said of the Vikings’ defense. “We just stepped up and went from there. Any time you get your first possession at the 21, how do you feel as an offense – the score is 0-0 and you touch the ball for the first time? In our minds, we’re scoring points – nothing less. And no threes. We’re scoring seven points.

“That’s our mindset when the defense hands you the ball on a silver platter, and they did that a lot,” Jones continued. “So we just have to keep playing complementary football in all three phases.”