We’ve reached the halfway point of the season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium and your Minnesota Vikings trail the Las Vegas Raiders by a score of 20-7.

The Vikings got the ball first when Daniel Carlson took the opening kickoff into the end zone, giving the Vikings the ball at their own 30-yard line. The Vikings took the ball to the Raiders’ 4-yard line and attempted 4th-and-2, but Sam Darnold’s pass to Jalen Nailor was incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Raiders then took the lead and mounted an impressive drive that took them to the Minnesota 3-yard line. However, the drive ended with the NFL’s first sack… although it doesn’t count… as rookie Dallas Turner thwarted a scoring attempt. Carlson then kicked a 31-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.

On the Vikings’ second drive of the game, rookie JJ McCarthy made his NFL debut at quarterback and his first throw was an 18-yard pass to Jalen Nailor.

Unfortunately, his third pass attempt was not as successful as he was intercepted by Raiders’ defensive back Jack Jones at the Las Vegas 29-yard line as he attempted to throw the ball to the well-covered Trishton Jackson.

The Raiders took advantage of the short field: Garner Minshew came in at quarterback and found DJ Turner for a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend the Raiders’ lead to 10-0 midway through the second quarter.

McCarthy started the next drive with a 24-yard pass to Jackson that put the Vikings in Raiders territory, and from there, Kene Nwangwu did the rest. He got a handoff from McCarthy and sprinted 48 yards for the first Minnesota touchdown of 2024. Will Reichard kicked the extra point and the score was quickly 10-7.

The Vikings defense also struggled on the Raiders’ next drive, allowing a big play on third down from Minshew to Tre Tucker that took 44 yards into Minnesota territory. This led to another Raiders touchdown when running back Zamir White threw it down the field from two yards out, making the game 17-7 with about five minutes left in the half.

McCarthy then put the Vikings in position for a 36-yard field goal attempt by rookie Will Reichard, and his attempt was blocked by David Agoha, with the Raiders recovering the ball and taking it to the Vikings 40-yard line. The Raiders converted this into a 56-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson to make it 20-7.

That’s our halftime score as the defense hasn’t been doing well so far. The Raiders have had the ball four times and scored four times, which isn’t a desirable ratio. We’ll see if things change in the second half.

When you watch the game, come in, play along and see if anyone stands out!