The Vikings kept winning the hard way in Week 4, grinding out a 15-10 victory over Miami and staying unbeaten as one of just three undefeated teams left. It wasn’t pretty, but this group keeps leaning on the same two pillars: a defense that refuses to blink and a special teams unit that keeps tilting the field.
That formula has also created a pretty clear divide inside the roster. A few players are driving the whole operation right now, while others are searching for a role, any role, before the season keeps rolling past them.
Will Reichard is at the center of that story. His stock probably can’t get much higher, but the numbers are getting hard to ignore.
After another 5-for-5 day against Miami, Reichard now accounts for half of Minnesota’s total points scored this season. He has also been the only source of points in two of the four games.
For a franchise that has long treated kicker as a source of stress, that kind of reliability feels like a luxury - even if it says plenty about how much the offense is leaning on him.
The return game is giving Minnesota another edge, and Myles Price kept building on that momentum. After bringing back an 86-yard punt for a touchdown against Tampa Bay, he followed it up with a 47-yard kick return and a 36-yard punt return against the Dolphins. “All-Pro 4,” anyone?
Not everyone is climbing. Tai Felton had a quiet afternoon with just one catch for 14 yards while Justin Jefferson was out, and the wider picture looks even less encouraging.
Zemaiah Vaughn, in his first action of the season, flashed hard as a gunner and may be making a run at the role Felton has been trying to carve out. The message for the former third-round pick is getting louder by the week: his chances are shrinking.
There was more to like from the middle of the field, where T.J. Hockenson turned into a dependable target for Kyler Murray.
Murray connected with Hockenson 13 times in the win, and while it could end up being a one-game spike, it was still a positive sign that the two seem to have found some chemistry. The bigger hope is that Murray starts attacking downfield to receivers more often, but Hockenson stepping up without Josh Oliver was a useful development for the offense.
Up front, though, it was a rough afternoon. The offensive line allowed the Dolphins’ first, second, third and fourth sacks of the season, and the injuries to Donovan Jackson and Christian Darrisaw only made things messier.
Brian O’Neill took the brunt of it, getting bullied by Chop Robinson several times and allowing eight total pressures. Pro Football Focus had him down for three pressures allowed on the day after he had surrendered none over the previous two games.
It looks more like an outlier than a trend, but if his teammates are sidelined, O’Neill’s workload is about to get heavier.
One other note from the game plan: Kevin O’Connell finally seemed to lean into what works best for Murray, with Minnesota running 54 snaps from shotgun, the most in a game during O’Connell’s tenure, according to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. The Vikings also ran the ball 18 times from shotgun, and if that continues, it could keep pushing Max Bredeson farther out of the picture. The fullback played just 14 snaps this week after hitting 24 in Week 1, his high-water mark so far.
In Other News...
Vikings Suddenly Face Travel Uncertainty Before Saints Game
A weather system in the Bay of Campeche has suddenly put a wrinkle into the Vikings trip to New Orleans, with Invest 92L projected to strengthen into at least a tropical depression and possibly Tropical Storm Isaias. Early model guidance has the storm nearing the Gulf Coast by early Saturday, which is the kind of timing that can complicate travel for both Minnesota and the Saints before their game at Caesars Superdome.
For the Vikings, the concern is less about the matchup itself than the logistics around getting there cleanly and on schedule. The exact path and strength of the system are still uncertain, so the situation is being watched closely, but it is already the sort of developing weather story that can alter a teams weekend routine long before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Former Vikings Favorite Eric Kendricks Just Got Another NFL Shot
Eric Kendricks is getting another chance to extend his NFL career, with the veteran linebacker signing to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad. For Vikings fans, it is a familiar name back in the league and a reminder of how long Kendricks has remained a fixture in NFL circles since his days in Minnesota, where he built his reputation as one of the more dependable defenders of his era.
Kendricks had not played this season and had recently been co-hosting a podcast, but the move gives him a path back onto an active roster if the Rams need him. Since leaving the Vikings, he has moved through stops with the Chargers, Cowboys and 49ers, and now he gets another opportunity to make himself part of a teams late-season plans. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Jefferson Return Suddenly Feels Much More Real For Vikings
Justin Jeffersons path back onto the field suddenly looks a lot less distant. Kevin OConnell said the Vikings receiver has made progress in his recovery, and the possibility of a Week 5 return is now on the table if his medical status continues to move in the right direction and he can get in limited work during the week.
For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious, but so is the caution. The Vikings know the schedule is about to toughen up, and they are intent on protecting Jefferson for the long haul rather than rushing him back for a short-term boost. If he can keep trending the right way in practice, the next few days will tell a lot about how real this comeback chance actually is. [Read more 🡒]