Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings needed a bit to get going on Sunday afternoon, but their quest to keep up with the Detroit Lions in the NFC North is alive and well.

Darnold led the Vikings in the second half to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22 on Sunday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He started a late game-winning drive, converting a fourth-and-long and finding Aaron Jones for a 5-yard touchdown with about 70 seconds left. That put Minnesota ahead by one point, marking their first point of the entire game and ultimately giving them the win.

This brings the Vikings to 10-2 this season, which puts them just one game behind the Lions in the standings. While it would take a blowout from Detroit – which has looked like one of, if not the best team in the league all season – and a win over the Lions in January in their regular season finale, the Vikings still have a legitimate chance to secure it took first place in the NFC and earned a bye in the first round of the postseason.

Although the finish was great, the competition was incredibly slow at the start. Both teams combined for six straight field goals to start the game, and Darnold managed just 79 yards on nine completions for most of the third quarter.

After making two field goals on either side of halftime to take a 12-6 lead, the Cardinals took the lead late in the third period. Kyler Murray hit Marvin Harrison Jr. for a perfect 15-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to give them a 19-6 lead. This came after a deep pass interference call on Fabian Moreau put the Cardinals in the red zone.

This trip, for whatever reason, triggered the first sign of life in Darnold up to that point. He responded by leading the Vikings with a quick, six-play, 70-yard drive that ended less than four minutes later when he hit Johnny Mundt for a 4-yard touchdown pass. This kept them within one score until the final period.

Just four plays later, after the Vikings defense was seconds away from throwing Murray deep, Byron Murphy made an easy interception to give them the ball right back. This set up a 31-yard field goal that brought the Vikings back to within three points.

While Murray marched the Cardinals into the red zone almost immediately, their drive stalled after he was called for an intentional grounding. Instead, they had to settle for a short field goal, which gave the Vikings the victory. The Vikings are now 7-1 in one-score games this season.

Murray went 31 of 45 for 260 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss for Arizona, which marked its second straight loss and reduced the score to 6-6 on the season. James Conner had 68 yards on 17 carries and Trey McBride had 96 yards on 12 carries.

Darnold went 21 of 31 for 235 yards and threw two touchdowns in the win. He also had 22 yards on the ground, tying both Cam Akers and Jones and leading the team in rushing yards. Justin Jefferson had 99 yards on seven receptions. Jefferson also officially passed the 1,000-yard mark this season. He is now just the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first five seasons in the league.

The Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons next weekend for their sixth straight win before a divisional game against the Chicago Bears on December 16th. While that might have seemed like a ridiculous sentiment just a few months ago, after both games the Vikings lost their rookie quarterback to a knee injury, and given the Lions’ good start, Minnesota is on track for their second NFC North title in the last three seasons.