After 252 days away from meaningful football, the Vikings finally get a real test on Sunday when the Packers come to U.S. Bank Stadium for the season opener.
A lot has changed in that stretch. The team fired its general manager three weeks after last season ended, went through a months-long quarterback battle, navigated a draft run by an interim GM, hired Nolan Teasley, and then got a last-second boost with the return of franchise legend Harrison Smith. Add in the recent signing of outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and the roster now feels like it’s trying to live in two worlds at once: built to compete right now, while also developing the newest draft class.
That tension will be on display immediately.
The biggest spotlight is on Kyler Murray, whose path to this moment has already included a very public connection to Vikings pain. Murray said he cried “real tears” as a young Vikings fan after Brett Favre threw an interception to Tracy Porter in the 2009 NFC Championship Game.
He also had an uneven start to camp, flashing in two strong early practices while also putting together some rough days. Those highs eventually won him the starting job, and once he got there, he mostly settled in.
Still, three preseason pass attempts don’t tell us much. Sunday will be the first real look at what Murray and the Minnesota offense can actually be. And there’s plenty to work with: a home opener against a division rival, one still without Micah Parsons, plus Jordan Addison in a contract year and Justin Jefferson coming off a summer of media-driven skepticism.
If Murray wants to show he belongs among the top quarterbacks, this is his first checkpoint.
The run game is another area worth watching closely. Kevin O’Connell has spent his summers talking about getting the ground attack going more consistently, and this might finally be the year it sticks. A big reason for that is new assistant head coach Frank Smith, whose outside run scheme helped De'Von Achane post 7.8 yards per carry as a rookie in 2023 with the Dolphins.
Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason may not have Achane’s youth or explosiveness, but both looked energized in camp and each had multiple breakaway runs. The staff clearly believes the new approach can give the backfield real juice, and Sunday is the first chance to see whether that carries over into games that matter. The team will be looking to set the tone for that room through 2026.
Then there’s rookie fullback Max Bredeson, who has been one of the more striking camp performers. He’s been moved around and used in a variety of ways, and the Vikings appear convinced they may have found their C.J.
Ham successor. If this run game is going to work the way they hope, Bredeson may have to be part of the answer.
Demond Claiborne brings a different kind of intrigue. The sixth-round pick from Wake Forest has real speed and the kind of backfield burst that can turn into a long touchdown in a hurry.
But his ball security was a problem all summer, and that makes him a true boom-or-bust option. How many chances he gets on Sunday remains to be seen, but every touch could come with a little edge to it.
Defensively, the Vikings made a clear investment this offseason. James Pierre was brought in to start free agency, five of the team’s nine draft picks were used on defense, Kyle Van Noy was added recently, and Harrison Smith is back in the mix. The interesting part now is how Brian Flores blends the veterans with the younger players.
Flores’s scheme is not simple, and some of the more layered disguise-and-deception concepts may lean on experienced defenders to keep everything organized. At the same time, the younger names are not just along for the ride.
Domonique Orange looks ready to make an early impact up front, while Charles "Chuck" Demmings could bring a needed spark to the cornerback group. How Flores deploys all of them should offer an early hint at how many different pieces he plans to use as the season unfolds.
Special teams brings one final wrinkle. Will Reichard remains the trusted leg in the kicking game, and the source material makes clear there’s no reason to doubt him. But the bigger shift has been the arrival of Brett Thorson as both punter and holder.
Thorson, the 2025 Ray Guy Award winner from Australia and Georgia, beat out veteran Johnny Hekker to make the 53-man roster. He also had to handle holding duties for Reichard, something he had never done before. Through camp and three preseason games, that part went smoothly, which is exactly what the Vikings wanted to see.
Now the question is whether that comfort carries over when the pressure actually counts. If it does, the Vikings may have found a special teams pairing they can live with for years.
In Other News...
Vikings Suddenly Face A Bigger J.J. McCarthy Decision Than Expected
Sam Darnolds hip injury has turned what was already a delicate quarterback picture into something far murkier for the Vikings. Darnold left the game and is headed for an MRI, and the results could shape not just his immediate availability, but how Minnesota approaches a position that suddenly feels more fragile than it did a few days ago. It also puts a sharper spotlight on J.J. McCarthy, who has been sitting behind Darnold after the Vikings chose to keep him in the third-string role.
McCarthys place on the depth chart was already a talking point, but the ripple effects may extend beyond Minnesota. The Seahawks have long been linked to McCarthy, and the connection makes more sense when you consider both the interest they once showed and the familiarity he has with parts of that coaching tree. Seattles offensive setup is also viewed as a cleaner fit for him than Minnesotas, which adds another layer to a situation the Vikings probably did not expect to revisit so soon. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Real 2026 Aaron Jones Problem
The Vikings are already setting up the 2026 offense around a new quarterback in Kyler Murray, but the backfield may be just as interesting under Kevin O'Connell and his staff. ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the team hired Frank Smith as assistant head coach to bring more wide-zone running concepts into the system, a move that should give Minnesota more of the kind of run game it wants to build around as the offense keeps evolving.
Jordan Mason looks like the player best positioned to benefit. His past rushing success fits the schematic shift, and the changes could push him into a larger role than Aaron Jones Sr. in the Vikings' ground game. Nothing is settled yet, but Minnesota appears to be preparing for a real competition at the position, and the shape of that battle may say plenty about how the team wants to support Murray in his first season leading the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Add A Familiar Brian Flores Piece To An Unsettled Front Seven
The Vikings kept working to shore up their front seven by adding Jihad Ward, a veteran edge rusher who gives Brian Flores another familiar piece to plug into a defense still taking shape. Wards value has long been tied to his flexibility, since he can line up both on the edge and inside, and that kind of versatility matters for a group that needs help behind its established starters.
For Minnesota, the move is less about splash than about making the rotation sturdier and giving Flores more options as he mixes and matches personnel. Ward also arrives with a track record of generating pressure in previous seasons, which is exactly the sort of steady, usable production the Vikings have been trying to collect as they continue to add veteran bodies to an unsettled unit. [Read more 🡒]