The Minnesota Vikings have already done the hard part: they opened with two wins, both against NFC North opponents, and both in very different fashion. The opener against the Green Bay Packers brought the kind of excitement that sticks with you.
Week 2 in Chicago, in the rain, had its own texture and its own set of pressure points. Different games, different conditions, same result.
That matters now, because the schedule is about to change in a big way.
Over the next five weeks, Minnesota moves away from the division and into a stretch that includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts, with a Week 6 bye mixed in. None of those opponents is a divisional rival, and half of them aren’t even conference opponents. However the danger is sorted, the consensus around those teams is that they sit well below Minnesota.
The power rankings reflect that. ESPN has the Vikings at 12th, with their next four opponents ranging from 19th, for New Orleans, to 32nd, for Miami. NFL.com is even cooler on Minnesota, placing them 15th and putting the Saints one spot ahead at 14th.
That’s where the challenge shifts from surviving to staying sharp.
Yes, the quarterback situation remains part of the conversation at U.S. Bank Stadium, as it has since the building opened in 2016.
Kyler Murray starting in Tampa Bay in Week 3 brings real risk, and Carson Wentz continuing as “game manager” does too. If something goes sideways in the next five weeks, that position will draw the loudest attention.
But the first two weeks were won by more than one player and more than one unit. Minnesota got through a nightmare scenario because the whole roster pulled together.
If the Vikings want to reach Detroit on November 1 with a chance to put the division away early, they cannot let that edge slip, even for one game.
That does not mean they need to run the table. Getting to Ford Field 6-0 is too much to ask, and it is not necessary in the NFL.
Early losses can reveal flaws, expose blind spots, and give Kevin O’Connell and his staff time to adjust. And O’Connell has never been shy about the details; he loves situational planning, and the next month should give him plenty to study.
Still, some games matter more in the standings than others, and some games matter more in how a team carries itself. The Green Bay and Chicago wins count as division games, but Minnesota has to treat the next four like division games too if it wants to prove it belongs in the upper tier of the league.
That is easier said than done. Good teams do not always resist the temptation to play down to the opponent, and that habit has buried plenty of playoff hopefuls.
So the task is simple to say and hard to pull off: keep the edge.
Minnesota needs to set the tempo, not react to it. Murray’s return should not change the Vikings’ approach.
The defense has to keep attacking until it runs into a front that can blunt it. The offense has to trust Aaron Jones Sr. to take the ball on third down and run through defenders, not around them.
Through two weeks, the Vikings have not just found a way. They have made one.
And that is the point as they leave the division behind and enter the league-wide shuffle. Football is too often described like a war, but this is still a game.
The Vikings are not fighting for the division or the conference. They are playing to win them.
After two weeks, power rankings aside, they are playing better than almost everybody. Now they have to keep doing it by their own rulebook.
In Other News...
Vikings Suddenly Face A JJ McCarthy Decision They Didn't Expect
With Kyler Murray back from a concussion, the Vikings are heading into their matchup with the Buccaneers in a much more familiar spot at quarterback, but the ripple effects around the position have created an unexpected subplot. Carson Wentz is still in place as the backup and JJ McCarthy remains third on the depth chart, yet McCarthys name has started surfacing in wider league chatter because teams are always scanning for quarterback help when injuries hit.
One recent suggestion from NFL reporter Gary Myers had the Giants weighing a possible trade for McCarthy after concern around Jaxson Darts status, a reminder that even a teams developmental quarterbacks can become part of bigger conversations quickly. Nothing has been confirmed on that front, and Minnesota is still sorting its own depth chart for the immediate future, but the buzz adds another layer to a week that already had the Vikings focused on getting ready for Tampa Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Fans Face A Frustrating Week 3 TV Problem
The Vikings Week 3 trip to Tampa Bay is set up to be a little more annoying than usual for fans trying to follow along on Sunday. The game will land in FOXs late afternoon window, but the over-the-air broadcast footprint is limited, with coverage centered mainly in parts of the Midwest, Florida, Houston, New England, Pittsburgh and the Indianapolis/Cincinnati market.
For Minnesota viewers outside those pockets, the lack of an early FOX game in the local window makes this one harder to find on a traditional channel, since CBS has the doubleheader this week. So unless the game happens to fall into your local market, the live option will likely be a streaming service such as YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket, which is a familiar inconvenience for fans who just want a straightforward way to watch their team on Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Face A Bigger Offensive Problem Than Fans Expected
The Vikings backfield took another hit this week, and it comes at a time when the offense was already looking for stability. Jordan Mason landing on injured reserve with a fractured thumb thinned the group before the preparation for Tampa Bay really got going, and Aaron Jones was absent from practice with a knee issue, leaving Minnesota with fewer reliable answers than it expected entering the matchup.
Kevin OConnell said Jones is not certain to play and is still getting treatment, which adds a layer of uncertainty to a position group the Vikings have had to reinforce quickly. DeeJay Dallas was promoted to the active roster, and Jerome Ford and Jaret Patterson were added to the practice squad as insurance, a sign the team is bracing for the possibility that it may need to piece together its rushing plan on short notice. [Read more 🡒]