MINNEAPOLIS – The Colts were out-lasted by the Minnesota Vikings, 21-13, in a cagey primetime clash Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The loss drops the Colts to 4-5 on the 2024 season. It was the Colts' first loss by more than six points this year, but all nine games have been decided by one possession.

The Colts and Vikings traded turnovers on their opening possessions, with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Jonathan Taylor mis-handling a handoff that was recovered by Minnesota safety Harrison Smith. Linebacker Zaire Franklin, though, picked off Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in the end zone on the ensuing possession.

The only score of the first half – and what wound up being the Colts' only touchdown of the game – came on a remarkable play by defensive tackle Grover Stewart. Early in the second quarter, Stewart fired off snap and immediately knocked center Garrett Bradbury to the ground; Stewart then accelerated toward Darnold and knocked the ball out of the quarterback's hands. Cornerback Kenny Moore II scooped up the loose ball and dashed 38 yards for a touchdown.

Vikings kicker Will Reichard missed field goals of 53 and 31 yards, while Colts kicker Matt Gay missed a 53-yard kick over the first 30 minutes.

Minnesota tied the game to open the second half with Darnold finding wide receiver Jordan Addison for a four-yard, game-tying touchdown early in the third quarter. The Vikings took the lead on a nine-play, 80-yard drive sparked by a 41-yard completion from Darnold to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, with Darnold finishing the possession with an eight-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jalen Nailor.

The Colts quickly marched into Vikings territory on the ensuing possession, but after a spectacular Adonai Mitchell 21-yard catch canceled out penalties on Taylor and Braden Smith, Flacco was picked off when cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. undercut an out-breaking throw to Downs on third-and-eight at the Vikings' 35-yard line.

Safety Nick Cross, though, responded with an interception of his own on the first play of Minnesota's next drive, handing possession back to the Colts at the Vikings' 25-yard line. The Colts' offense only gained two yards, leading to Gay knocking in a 42-yard field goal to cut the score to 14-10 with just under 13 minutes left.

Pressure from defensive end Laiatu Latu forced Darnold to step up into the waiting arms of defensive end Kwity Paye for a drive-ending sack on Minnesota's following possession. The Colts took over down four at their own 21-yard line with just over nine minutes left.

The Colts drove into Vikings territory but were stopped twice on third and fourth down, with Flacco's passes to wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Ashton Dulin broken up, leading to a turnover on downs.

Minnesota then drove 60 yards, with Darnold finding tight end Josh Oliver for a 14-yard touchdown just before the two-minute warning to go up by what wound up being the final score, 21-10.

Gay connected on a 54-yard field goal with 28 seconds left, but the Colts couldn't recover the ensuing onside kick.

Flacco completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 63.7, while Taylor carried 13 times for 48 yards (3.7 yards/attempt). Downs led the Colts with six catches for 60 yards, while Jefferson caught seven passes for a game-high 137 yards. The Colts converted three of 10 third downs and one of two fourth downs and did not reach the red zone on offense.