The Vikings didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard on Sunday, but their defense did enough to cover for another uneven afternoon on offense in a 16-10 win over the reeling Indianapolis Colts.
It was the fourth time in six games this season that Minnesota failed to reach 280 yards of offense. The passing game never found a clean rhythm, and the run-game totals got a boost from a 35-yard scamper by quarterback Kyler Murray.
Even with the offense missing some of its key pieces earlier this season, that explanation doesn’t carry the same weight anymore. Against the Colts, the full excuse package was mostly gone, aside from in-game exits by Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones, and the same questions kept hanging over the unit.
There were flashes Sunday. There were also missed chances and penalties at the wrong moments. The problem is that a defense like Indianapolis should have been more manageable than the results suggested.
After the game, Murray kept leaning into the idea that things are close.
" I felt like we moved the ball today. [I know] nobody wants to hear that.
We gotta put the ball in the end zone, but we did some good things. We’ll get better.”
That line has become a familiar refrain, and at some point it has to show up in the actual production. The optimism sounds a little worn now, especially when the results keep looking the same against opponents that are not the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded just as convinced the breakthrough is around the corner.
"There were nine explosives on offense, but we left a lot out there,” O’Connell said. “I think our guys are very confident that we’re not far off.
And the ‘far off’ changes a little bit as you go. But I’m very confident we’ll get it going.
I would’ve liked to run it a little bit better than we did.”
When asked what the final step is to move from “not far off” to actually getting there, O’Connell pointed to a few specific moments.
"[We had a pass] off the fingertips to Jauan [Jennings] on one play,” O’Connell said. "Obviously late there.
Some penalties. Just some inefficient runs....
Whether it’s pass game or run game, when we stack positive plays, we move the football. We got ourselves into some third-and-longers."
He then drifted into the kind of answer that said a lot without really landing on anything concrete before circling back to the same broad point.
"You can’t get down on it right now, just because it’s still relatively early enough that we’re catching our stride. But at the same time, we know, with the type of teams that are gonna be on our schedule the rest of the way and where we want to go with this team, we’ll keep progressing.”
There is still some room for patience because the Vikings have only had one full game through their first six with all the offensive pieces they expected to have. But the margin for error is shrinking. The near-misses and execution issues have to turn into cleaner football, and fast.
That urgency only grows with what’s coming next: road trips to Detroit and Green Bay, plus primetime games against the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. The offense has a short runway to straighten itself out.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy Is Making This A Tough Vikings Decision
Kyle Van Noy has turned a short-term Vikings signing into one of the more interesting roster conversations of the season. Brought in on a one-year deal, the veteran has given Minnesota useful snaps as both a pass rusher and run defender, and his strong play has shown up in the grading as well, with Pro Football Focus giving him high marks for what he has brought to the defense.
Even in a limited role, he has made his presence felt enough to complicate the team's plans for 2027. At about 32 percent of the defensive snaps, Van Noy has done enough to make a case that he should not be treated like a stopgap, and Minnesota now has a decision to make about whether it wants that kind of production around beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Undefeated Start Is Hiding A Bigger Offensive Concern
Minnesotas unbeaten start has been built more on the parts of the roster that travel well in January than on any sense that the offense is fully in rhythm. The special teams and defense have carried plenty of the load, and Harrison Smiths 40th career interception was another reminder of how much veteran playmaking still matters to this group. With a tough stretch ahead, the Vikings can enjoy being the NFLs last unbeaten team, but the margin for error looks thinner than the record suggests.
The concern is that the offense still has not matched the standard the rest of the team has set, and the scrutiny is beginning to settle on Kevin OConnells handling of that side of the ball as well as some recent roster decisions. Blake Cashman has been a bright spot in the middle, while Will Fries has yet to settle in after joining the team, leaving Minnesota with a little too much imbalance for a club trying to keep winning at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Just Showed The Vikings What They're Missing
The Vikings spent plenty of the afternoon seeing just how disruptive Jonathan Taylor can be when an offense is built around a true workhorse runner. Taylor was a steady problem for Minnesota, helping Indianapolis stay on schedule and convert third downs in a game that exposed a defense that had usually been better in those situations.
For Minnesota, the reminder is obvious: a back like Taylor changes the feel of a game and gives an offense a different kind of edge. It is easy to see why his fit would be appealing here, even if the reality around any pursuit is more complicated, with no indication the Colts are eager to move him. [Read more 🡒]