John Parker Romo’s NFL debut could not have gone much better for the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s a good thing, too, on a brutal day for Minnesota’s offense.
Sam Darnold tossed three interceptions, running back Aaron Jones was carted to the locker room with a chest injury late in the third quarter, and the Vikings failed to score a touchdown for first time all season.
It didn’t matter, thanks to a defense that smothered backup quarterback Mac Jones and a kicker the Vikings just signed to the 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Romo made all four of his field goal attempts, and the Vikings survived a potential disaster in Jacksonville with a 12-7 victory. Fans had some fun on social media, praising a player no one had ever heard of a week ago.
Romo, who was signed and released by the Vikings this offseason, was brought back due to a quad injury that sent rookie Will Reichard to injured reserve. He most recently played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, leading the league in scoring with 51 total points in 2023.
Very important XFL note: The record for longest field goal in the history of the Seahawks' stadium doesn't belong to an NFL kicker, it belongs to the XFL's John Parker Romo (@Romo_HKA), who drilled a 57-yarder for the @XFLBrahmas over the weekend. pic.twitter.com/3MqZo5Pvnw
— John Breech (@johnbreech) March 13, 2023
He drilled his first official NFL attempt from 45 yards out to open the scoring in the first quarter. He added chip shots of 33, 34 and 29 as Minnesota scored the game’s only nine points in the second half to salvage an ugly win and improve to 7-2.