Vikings news: Florio floats Darnold replacement, Jones clears up being carted off, Jefferson makes more history

It wasn't the prettiest of victories, but the Minnesota Vikings improved to 7-2 this past Sunday with an ugly 12-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings defense was superb, holding the Jags to just 143 total yards, the fifth-lowest total in Jacksonville's 30-year history.

From an overall standpoint, the Minnesota offense actually moved the ball exceptionally well, racking up 402 total yards, the third-highest total of the season. However, the Vikes simply couldn't find the end zone all afternoon, going 0-for-5 in the red zone — including two interceptions from Sam Darnold, whose three picks on the day tied him for the NFL lead alongside Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield with 10. Throw in the three fumbles he's lost in the Vikings' first nine games, and Darnold's 13 total turnovers are the most by any player in the league, putting him one ahead of Gardner Minshew.

As it goes in the NFL when a quarterback is struggling, many are calling for Darnold to be benched, arguing that Minnesota has no genuine chance to compete for a Super Bowl with him under center. But with first-round pick J.J. McCarthy lost for the season, the only other options the Vikings have on the roster right now are Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien.

As such, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has floated another option for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell to consider, which is where we'll kick things off.

Mike Florio suggests Ryan Tannehill as a replacement for Sam Darnold

During Sunday's game, one who we can only assume is Florio (it's his site, after all) took to Pro Football Talk's X account and had this to say:

While it's an interesting suggestion, it's never going to happen. Nor should it.

For one, with all due respect, Tannehill isn't Joe Flacco. He's not coming off the couch like Flacco did with the Cleveland Browns a year ago to put on miraculous performances. And even at his best with the Tennessee Titans, it's not as if Tannehill was lighting it up. In 10 appearances last season, he threw just four touchdowns against seven interceptions. How's that better than Darnold?

Has Darnold regressed in recent weeks? Absolutely. After earning NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors in September, he's thrown more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (six) in his last five games. But in no way, shape or form is he getting benched anytime soon.

O'Connell still has complete faith in his quarterback. When asked in his postgame presser if he had any thoughts about turning to Mullens against the Jags, this was his response:

"Not one,” O’Connell said. "Not one all day long. In fact, I was looking at it as a great opportunity to see growth and continue to move the team. We’re going to check back on this moment and use it the right way, and Sam is going to be better off for it. I truly do believe that."

Darnold will look to right the ship against Tannehill's former team on Sunday when the Vikings visit the Titans.

Aaron Jones clears up why he was carted off the field in the Vikings' win over the Jags

The Vikings got a big scare on Sunday when running back Aaron Jones sustained a chest injury after taking a brutal hit from Jacksonville linebacker Foyesade Oluokun. Jones immediately hit the deck and needed assistance walking off the field and into the blue medical tent. Things seemed okay as he was seen jogging on the sidelines a short time later, but business picked back up in the scary department when he was carted off the field early in the fourth quarter.

Jones did end up returning to the game and recorded a few more carries in the final minutes, ultimately ending his day with 88 rushing yards and another 13 yards on a pair of receptions. As it turns out, the former Packer didn't actually need a cart at all, which he cleared up in an appearance on the Up & Adams Show, telling host Kay Adams it was more of a logistical necessity.

"The only reason I got carted off was because the X-ray machine was on the whole other side of the stadium," Jones said. "If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have been carted off."

Disaster averted. While listed as questionable for the Vikings' Week 11 matchup at Tennessee, it seems as if Jones will be good to go.

Justin Jefferson passed Adam Thielen on the Vikings' all-time receiving yards list

Justin Jefferson didn't have the biggest day against the Jags. In fact, it was his worst performance of the season from a statistical standpoint, as he caught just five of nine targets for a season-low 48 yards. (And it should be noted that three of those targets resulted in all three of Darnold's interceptions.)

Nevertheless, Jefferson did make some Vikings history on Sunday. With his first catch of the afternoon, the three-time Pro Bowler passed Adam Thielen to take over fourth place on the franchise's all-time receiving yards list.

Thielen, who some thought might return to the team at the trade deadline but obviously didn't, played 135 regular-season games during his nine-year run in Minnesota, racking up 6,682 receiving yards. Jefferson now has 6,730 yards for his career in just 69 games, which is simply remarkable. He now begins his pursuit of Anthony Carter, who holds the No. 3 slot at 7,636 yards.