Sam Darnold leads Vikings to 3rd straight win, beating Titans 23-13

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Darnold lost a fumble on the Minnesota Vikings' third offensive play.

He more than made up for that turnover for the rest of the game.

Darnold threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score and the Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 23-13 Sunday.

The Vikings quarterback had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the first seven games of the season. Then his toss to Aaron Jones on the Vikings' third offensive play was fumbled and recovered by Jeffery Simmons for the Titans.

Darnold answered right back to help the Vikings (8-2) win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. He found Jordan Addison for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the Vikings didn't trail again as they scored 16 straight for a 16-3 halftime lead.

“How he played in those moments was a huge indicator of a guy that had put the work in and was confident and just going out there and do his job ... and then also overcome some things around him to make some plays, which was critical for us,” Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said of Darnold.

Andrew Van Ginkel had his two sacks on back-to-back plays as Minnesota finished with five. Pat Jones II also had two. Harrison Smith clinched the win with an interception with 1:50 left, giving the Vikings' fans that turned this into a near home game another reason to celebrate chanting “SKOL."

“Seeing all the purple when we’re on the road like that, it’s an awesome feeling knowing we got the best fan base in the National Football League,” O'Connell said.

The Titans (2-8) lost their second straight and went winless against the NFC North. They sure made it interesting.

Will Levis threw the longest TD pass in the NFL this season with a 98-yard score. He found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the right sideline for the catch-and-run, pulling the Titans within 16-10 midway through the third.

"Luckily put enough on it to get it behind the safety, and Nick made a good catch,” Levis said of making the completion when backed up.

It was the Titans' longest pass play since DeAndre Hopkins' 61-yarder on Oct. 29, 2023, against Atlanta in Levis' first NFL start. It tied the longest TD pass in franchise history matching Willard Dewveall's TD catch from Jacky Lee with the then-Houston Oilers on Nov. 25, 1962, against the Chargers.

Levis also had a 51-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley inside the final minute of the third wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on right tackle Isaiah Prince. They settled for Nick Folk's second field goal, this a 43-yarder.

Down 23-13, they went for it twice on fourth down near midfield. Levis was sacked by Jones on fourth-and-4, and he was forced to throw it away on fourth-and-7 with 2:23 left.

The Titans couldn't stop hurting themselves with too many penalties. Brian Callahan even drew a couple of flags tossed high in the air as the first-year Titans coach vehemently protested a penalty on safety Mike Brown for a hit on Addison in the end zone.

“I saw a hit that was level with the shoulder pads to the body,” Callahan said of Brown's hit that drew two flags. “That’s what I saw.”

Brown loved Callahan having his back: “Honestly, I love it, dog. That just shows how much he’s going to fight for us.”

Darnold easily scored on a 1-yard keeper. Parker Romo's extra point went off the right upright, but he made up for that with a 40-yard field goal late in the first half.

After Levis' big play, Darnold padded Minnesota's lead to 23-10 with a 3-yard toss to Cam Akers late in the third.

“This was a great win for us,” Darnold said.

The Titans just keep hurting themselves. They had nine penalties for 71 yards by halftime. Minnesota didn't draw its first flag until the Titans already had eight. Tennessee finished with 13 penalties for 91 yards compared to three for 35 yards by the Vikings.

Two illegal formation penalties on Prince alone wiped out a TD and a 23-yard reception in the fourth by Westbrook-Ikhine. Levis said Callahan reminded them to limit what they said about officiating and added: "That’s not going to help us at all."

Vikings: Addison dealt with cramping in the fourth quarter. TE Josh Oliver hurt an ankle that will be evaluated back in Minnesota.

Titans: LB Jack Gibbens was carted off the field with his right ankle in an air cast early in the third quarter that Callahan said likely will end his season. ... RB Tyjae Spears left in the second half being evaluated in the concussion protocol and didn't return.

The Vikings wrap up a three-game road swing at Chicago, while the Titans hit the road again visiting AFC South rival Houston.

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Tennessee Titans linebacker Jack Gibbens (50) is carted off the field after getting injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold greets fans after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates in front of Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown (44) after catching a pass for a first down during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr., left, breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan, left, questions a call with referee Clete Blakeman (34) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) is hit by Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown, right, while reaching for an incomplete pass during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates after sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (56) celebrates with teammate linebacker Harold Landry III (58) after a sack during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (15) celebrates with teammate quarterback Will Levis (8) after catching a 98-yard touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan reacts to a call during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers (27) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado discussed her country's future with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, even though he has dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela and signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s No. 2. Along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations and was set to deliver her first state of the union speech Thursday.

In endorsing Rodríguez so far, Trump has sidelined Machado, who has long been a face of resistance in Venezuela. She also had sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to the lunchtime meeting with Machado and called her “a remarkable and brave voice” for the people of Venezuela. But Leavitt also said Trump's opinion of Machado had not changed, calling it "a realistic assessment."

Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.

Leavitt went on to say that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.

Leavitt said Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. Machado previously offered to share with Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honor he has coveted.

“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”

Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she'd offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias."

After her White House stop, Machado plans to have a meeting at the Senate. Her Washington visit began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.

It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.

Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.

Rodríguez has adopted a less strident position toward Trump then she did immediately after Maduro's ouster, suggesting that she can make the Republican administration's “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, work for Venezuela — at least for now.

Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.

“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”

Even before indicating the willingness to work with Venezuela's interim government, Trump was quick to snub Machado. Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.”

Machado has steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize. She has since thanked Trump, though her offer to share the honor with him was rejected by the Nobel Institute.

Machado’s whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. She briefly reappeared in Oslo, Norway, in December after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.

A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. A photo showing her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office lives in the collective memory. Chávez considered Bush an adversary.

Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown by state security forces.

Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)