The Minnesota Vikings’ offense had its worst performance of the year, but Brian Flores’ defense came through to stave off a New York Jets comeback to remain undefeated. 

With the 23-17 win over New York in the NFL’s first London game of the year, the Vikings are 5-0, while the Jets move to 2-3 on the year. 

Aaron Rodgers had a brutal first half with multiple interceptions thrown, including one to Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who ran it back 63 yards for the pick-six. 

But, as the Vikings stalled most of the second half, Rodgers found himself with less than three minutes to play in his final drive looking to mount a comeback from 17 or more points for the first time in over a decade.

Rodgers was working his way down the field, using Garrett Wilson, who finally had a breakout game with his quarterback, as well as other targets to find himself in Vikings territory with more than enough time to score a touchdown with an extra point needed for the victory. 

But, on third-and-10 from the Minnesota 26-yard line, Rodgers wanted to throw a contested ball to Mike Williams on the right sideline. However, it was veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore who made the tough interception to seal the victory. 

JETS KICKER’S PRE-GAME WARMUPS INTERRUPTED BY VIKINGS CHEERLEADERS IN HILARIOUS SCENE

It marked Rodgers’ third interception of the game, as he was 29-for-54 for 244 yards with two touchdowns. 

Sam Darnold went into this game saying all the right things about his bad tenure with the Jets in press conferences leading up to the game. The Jets selected him third overall out of USC six years ago. With the Vikings, Darnold has looked like what Jets fans hoped he would be, but the Gang Green defense made it hard on him in this one. 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold throws against the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Darnold had his worst game as a Viking, going 14-for-31 for 179 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. 

Justin Jefferson was his top receiver with six catches for 92 yards, but he had 14 targets in this one, though many flags were called on the cornerbacks trying to keep him at bay for holding and pass interference. 

It’s also worth noting that veteran running back Aaron Jones had to leave the game due to an injury in the first half, which took a big piece out of this red-hot Vikings offense. 

Still, the Vikings proved they are a true contender because, despite the offense’s shortcomings, the defense stepped up and made the plays needed to head back across the pond with the victory. 

Minnesota Vikings’ Andrew Van Ginkel celebrates as he scores after an interception against the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in London. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

As for that Rodgers connection with Wilson, the speedy receiver had 13 receptions for 101 yards with his core on 22 targets. If there is any positive to take from a tough loss, Jets fans should feel good knowing Rodgers and Wilson look to finally be on the same page. 

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If you need someone to get rid of ghosts, you call Ghostbusters. If you need someone to clean up a mess in Catholic education, you call the Jesuits.

Father Travis Russell, a 39-year-old Jesuit priest, is in his third year serving as president of Verbum Dei, the iconic all-boys Catholic high school that opened in Watts in 1962 and was almost shut down for lack of funds in the late 1990s until the Jesuits took over and created a corporate work study program to help each student pay for tuition.

The school has a long, proud history of producing quality athletes, with the 1970s particularly remembered for its powerhouse basketball teams that featured the likes of Raymond Lewis and David Greenwood. Football also has had its share of stars, including Hardy Nickerson, who played 16 seasons in the NFL after graduating in 1983.

So it might have come as a shock to Verbum Dei alumni and community supporters when Russell announced last month the suspension of the football program after four games this season because of safety concerns from lack of players. The team was 0-4 and down to less than 19 healthy players.

“We were everybody’s homecoming game,” he said. “We had injuries. Kids were dropping. I, in good faith and with our values, couldn’t put our kids out there.”

Russell was expecting an angry reaction from alumni. Instead, he’s been getting calls from people offering support.

“Hardy Nickerson gave our AD a call. ‘I want to help,’” he said.

The school of more than 300 boys faces a big obstacle — the work study program that students must participate in. Practices are affected, former coach Kevin Smith said. It’s a balancing act that requires patience and persistence.

Russell said he will look for a new coach who understands Verbum Dei’s mission.

“We’re the only school in Los Angeles where the students go to school, work a full-time job and play sports,” he said. “It is hard, but Verbum Dei’s history is always about overcoming adversity.”

Russell, who grew up in rural Oregon and first worked at Verbum Dei when he was 23 and beginning to study to become a priest, is one of those Jesuit-trained leaders who isn’t afraid to be blunt.

“I believe every kid in Los Angeles is born with the same potential but not the same opportunities,” he said.

He said 94% of his students are accepted to college programs. He said the school has eight students at Notre Dame on academic scholarships. Verbum Dei has always attracted students from nearby Nickerson Gardens, the federal housing project. Verbum Dei tries to make it financially feasible for a family of four making $49,000 to allow a son to receive a private education.

He reminds everyone that Verbum Dei made it through the Watts riots of 1965 because students protected the campus from burning. By 2000, enrollment had plunged to 186 students. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles turned to the Jesuits to use a corporate work study program employed at a Chicago high school to subsidize Catholic tuition. It saved the school.

Now Russell is starting a $30-million fundraising campaign to improve the campus facilities. And he’s committed to making sure football rises again.

“I love an underdog and I’m a fighter,” he said.

In regards to the sports program, he said, ‘We have standards we won’t compromise.” That means he’s not participating in this era of Catholic schools taking transfers for sports reasons. Verbum Dei doesn’t accept senior transfers. The school does take transfers for other grades.

“They need to be good in the classroom and have a good behavior record,” he said.

He said there’s no reason Verbum Dei can’t become the “Harvard-Westlake” of South Los Angeles, featuring academics and athletics.

“Verbum Dei’s history has been one of resilience, getting knocked down, getting back up,” he said. “It’s the best-kept secret.”

Now he needs to find a new coach willing to take on a big challenge, starting from scratch.

“We want to rebuild with purpose,” he said.

A national search for a new coach will begin when this football season is completed.

As Howie Rose’s call of Pete Alonso’s season-saving home run began playing over the public address system on the New York Mets’ joyous charter flight out of Milwaukee, the veteran broadcaster briefly cupped his hands to his ears.

From his seat on a plane full of Mets players and staffers, Rose, 70, was embarrassed. No broadcaster, he’d later say, wants to be present as people listen to their words. It’s weird. Uncomfortable. That’s true no matter how good the call was, and Rose’s call was epic.

“I wanted to crawl under the seat when that thing was playing,” Rose said.

They played @HowieRose’s call on the plane and it was EPIC! #LGM pic.twitter.com/JBU3udddBl

— x – New York Mets (@Mets) October 4, 2024

Instead, Rose got up. You see, had Rose continued to cover his ears with his hands, he may have succeeded in blocking out his words. But he had no chance against the accompanying raucous ovation from the players in the back of the plane. They hooted and hollered, clapped so loudly for Rose and gave him a standing ovation.

“I wanted to acknowledge it,” Rose said. “I really wanted to embrace Pete because he’s a guy I’ve known since he came up.”

After Rose stood from his seat and looked toward the back of the plane, he saluted the players. He pointed in Alonso’s direction. Then Rose did something he had never done before. He wandered to the back rows, where the players reside.

Generally, on a baseball team’s plane, players and the traveling party (which includes the radio and television broadcasters) are cordial, but there’s an inherent understanding of space. As Rose put it, the parts of the plane might as well be different zip codes. Not late Thursday night.

“Under normal circumstances, it would never ever, ever happen,” SNY’s Mets field reporter Steve Gelbs said. “But in this instance, it would’ve actually been weird if it didn’t happen.”

With each row Rose passed, he received a pat on the back or a high five. When he reached Alonso, Rose leaned in and told him, simply, “I’m really, really happy for you.”

“With one sentence,” Rose said, “I wanted him to know that I’m in his corner.”

That’s Rose. He doesn’t overdo it. He doesn’t have to. He understands moments. And he nails them with a tasteful blend of the right words, observations and emotions.

“It was Pete’s and the team’s night, but Howie enhanced it,” Gelbs said. “There was so much genuine love and appreciation for Howie’s ability to provide the perfect soundtrack to an all-time moment for the franchise.”

With the Mets oozing Team of Destiny vibes, Rose delivered Thursday night, presenting a how-to in the art of calling a big play.

Rose got it all. And that’s saying something. A few days earlier, on another astounding call, Rose captured the aura of Franciso Lindor’s home run that helped the Mets clinch a playoff spot. As fans replayed it over and over in awe, Rose was somewhat irked he neglected to mention Michael Harris II climbing the wall. Yes, that’s the kind of detail, kind of level Rose strides for when making these calls. He’s a perfectionist.

The Alonso call may have been perfect. Before the home run, Rose had introduced the idea of the Mets’ season as a “fairy tale.” He’d remember to use that word again. On the call, he mentioned Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick jumping at the wall. The emotion came out raw. He accurately called it Alonso’s most memorable home run. He captured Alonso’s emotion running the bases. He relayed the score within the pandemonium. He acknowledged the rarity of everyone “pouring out” of the Mets’ dugout. He shared the scene at home plate. Then Rose capped it off, saying, “Pete Alonso keeps this fairy-tale season going with the fairy-tale swing of his career — 3-2 New York!”

This might be the most perfect radio call I’ve ever heard, via the great Howie Rose. pic.twitter.com/AepTdRqm2c

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 4, 2024

Alonso helped send the Mets to the National League Division Series, which starts against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. The moment instantly joined the list of all-timers for the franchise. Behind so many of them has been Rose.

“It’s very much a case of being a reporter,” Rose said. “I’m charged with the responsibility of doing it succinctly, accurately, and hopefully, in the best-case scenario, somewhat eloquently. And you know, when I listened back, I think as emotional as I was, I think I checked all the boxes I wanted to check.”

A predictable understatement, to be sure. Rose crushed it. Within hours, clips of the call had ricocheted throughout social media, racking up thousands of shares.

More than any other sport, baseball gives team broadcasters the most chances to connect with audiences whether at home, in an office cubicle or the car.

The connection starts in the spring and lasts through the entire summer. Then, come October, that link is abruptly severed. For the playoffs, national broadcasts displace the ones produced locally, and the voices that guide fans through most of the season go silent. That’s the case on television.

But not so on the radio. This is why Rose, a familiar voice to New Yorkers, was behind the mic for one of the most memorable moments in franchise history.

“When it’s done right,” Rose said, “it’s art.”

Before Rose’s call replayed over the plane’s public address system, so many people, including Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza, approached him, not just to congratulate him on the call, but to thank him as well.

Rose has endured as one of radio’s most polished practitioners. He has called Mets play-by-play on radio or television since 1995. In 2022, Rose began to cut back his schedule, following health issues. Rose, a native New Yorker who grew up a Mets fan and basically doubles as a walking encyclopedia of the franchise, views this year’s run as special. The Mets keep rising to the occasion. Rose keeps matching them. Fans of the club would have it no other way.

“They know that I’m invested, and that makes us kindred spirits,” Rose said. “And what’s more important than that, though, is that I think, over time, and, obviously I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ve built the kind of trust that enables me to say something, whether it’s critical or opinionated in any way, and know that the listener understands where I’m coming from. I’m not trying to short-sell them or sell them a bill of goods. I’m just saying it as I see it, and they trust me. And the added advantage I have is that I’m emotionally invested in this team because I was a fan of theirs from day one. And a lot of those fans will say they’ve been fans since their earliest baseball memories. So again, I like to use the phrase we are kindred spirits.”

(Photo of Pete Alonso after his Game 3 home run: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)