“There were definitely opportunities there that I missed,” Darnold said. “We’ll watch the tape and get better that way. But again, there’s a lot of opportunity out there to be had.”

O’Connell has talked recently about how his aggressive play-calling reflects his confidence in his players, and Sunday, he said the deep shots were a countermove against a Jets secondary that continued to play tight coverage and take away quick throws.

“We’re live in a world where we can maybe use that against them and get the ball downfield,” he said. “We took some shots, and what happens is, when those are incomplete, a lot of times you’re either falling into second-and-long or third-and-long. You throw in a couple presnap penalties, it’s going to be tough sledding, a play or two away from looking differently.”

With the ball in Rodgers’ hands late in the game, the Vikings were a play or two away from a loss. Gilmore came up with the one play that would take them to 5-0 and maintain their perfect record in London.

“It’s easy to say that [you know what’s coming], but to go out there and make the play, that’s a different deal, man,” Smith said. “There aren’t many people in the world who can do that. That’s why he’s here.”

After the interception, O’Connell hugged Flores on the sideline. “I just love doing football with him, simple as that,” O’Connell said.