When the rabid crowd inside U.S. Bank Stadium heard Danielle Hunter’s number called as the pass rusher who was flagged for roughing the passer on the Vikings' Sam Darnold, their immediate reaction was to boo the man they used to cheer.

Hunter, a third-round pick out of LSU back in 2015, developed into a star with the Vikings. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his last four fully-healthy seasons between 2018 and '23, and his 87.5 sacks rank sixth in franchise history. Hunter might wind up in the Vikings' Ring of Honor someday.

Jonathan Greenard had three of the four sacks of Stroud, his former teammate, as the Vikings (3-0) intercepted the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year twice while rattling the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable scheme — and the crowd noise that cranked up with each stop.

In the process of falling apart against the Minnesota Vikings, the Houston Texans suffered an injury to a key offensive player and left the head coach fuming about penalties. Also, Danielle Hunter offered an explanation for his low blow on San Darnold that had Vikings’ fans booing.

The Minnesota Vikings avoided a big problem after quarterback Sam Darnold was limping and went down on the field after taking a low hit from Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter. It happened late in the third quarter with the Vikings leading 21-7.

At the end of the third quarter, quarterback Sam Darnold left the game with a knee injury caused by former Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter by hitting him below the knee. It prompted a roughing the passer penalty and had the fanbase worried.