The Minnesota Vikings are undefeated no longer? Not yet - but fans are already trying to pinpoint when that first crack might show.
That was the big takeaway from this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey. After ripping off five straight wins to open the 2026 season, the mood around Minnesota has shifted in a hurry. In the latest results, 79% of respondents said the Vikings are headed in the right direction.
That optimism makes sense. The Vikings are still one of three unbeaten teams in the league, and they’re one of only two sitting at 5-0.
Depending on how things shake out, they could remain in that small club for another week. Kansas City still has a say in that, and San Francisco could also leap ahead if it gets to 6-0 on Monday night.
Even so, Minnesota can’t be touched in the loss column just yet, and that’s a nice place to be.
The tougher question was when that first loss might arrive.
Fans were asked to look at the next four games and weigh whether Minnesota could stay clean through its trip to Mexico City against the San Francisco 49ers, or if the unbeaten run would end before then. The most popular answer pointed to the Vikings’ next prime-time test: a Week 9 Monday Night Football showdown at home against the Buffalo Bills. That game also lines up with Adrian Peterson’s induction into the team’s Ring of Honor, and 40% of respondents picked it as the spot where the first loss would land.
Another 31% said the Vikings will slip two weeks from Sunday at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions. Eighteen percent believe Minnesota can make it all the way to Mexico City without a loss.
Seven percent picked the Week 10 trip to Lambeau Field, while 4% said the first defeat will come even sooner, in the Vikings’ return from the bye week against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Bills game feels like the most obvious trouble spot, and that’s where the poll leaned too. Josh Allen and Buffalo are no small assignment, even in Minnesota. Brian Flores will have his hands full figuring out that offense, and of the next four matchups, that one looks like the strongest candidate to end the Vikings’ unbeaten start.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this week’s polls. There’ll be another round early next week.
In Other News...
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Vikings Face A Trade Deadline Call On Jauan Jennings
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For Minnesota, the discussion is less about nostalgia than about value and fit, especially with Jennings production this season not matching the level that would normally create a bigger market. The proposal attached to the idea is modest, which says plenty about how the league is viewing this one, but the more interesting part is whether the Vikings would consider moving on from a player who still has a clear connection to a contender before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]