It’s about Week 4 when you start to get an idea of what a team is going to be over the course of the season.
We certainly have an idea of what the Minnesota Vikings are probably going to look like in 2026, assuming health and no major shakeups in the starting lineup, after yet another close, defensively-led victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Vikings offense just isn’t going to look great at times (or maybe even most of the time), but their defense is elite enough to keep them in a lot of games. There was no clearer example of that than Sunday against an 0-3 Dolphins team that came in with the worst point differential in the NFL… and still the Vikings could only muster a five-point victory.
We have to be at least a little concerned about Kyler Murray and the offense as a whole at this point. The Vikings have mustered just one offensive touchdown in the past three weeks with two of those games featuring Murray under center.
Granted, Justin Jefferson has not been in the lineup for the majority of the past two games either, but when you’re going up against a defense that had allowed nearly 30 points per game coming into Sunday’s contest, this just isn’t good enough right now.
There are also concerns on the offensive line after Donovan Jackson was ruled out with a knee injury, and Christian Darrisaw, one of the best offensive tackles in the world, temporarily left the game after being evaluated for a concussion.
We’ll have to wait and see what the status of those two are going into Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints, but if they were to miss time, either Joe Huber or rookie Caleb Tiernan could be in line to make starts next week. Huber finished the game at guard following Jackson’s injury.
On a more positive note, T.J. Hockenson put together 13 catches for 119 yards, which is his best performance since his devastating knee injury down the stretch of 2023. He caught six of those passes during the final two drives to help Minnesota ice the game, which hopefully is a sign of more good things to come.
For any struggles on the offensive side of the ball though, there are no question marks regarding this Vikings defense. Dolphins fans will feel sick about Chris Bell’s would-be 68-yard touchdown pass if he hadn’t stepped out of bounds, but that was one of the few sparks their offense saw all game.
Ollie Gordon broke off another 53-yard run later on to set up a Miami field goal and the Dolphins put together one sustained drive for a touchdown, but that was about the end of their offense.
Dallas Turner looks like a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate at this point, racking up two more sacks to bring his total to 5.5.
Blake Cashman is constantly everywhere on the field all at the same time, totaling eight more tackles and a QB hit.
The secondary held Malik Willis to just 85 yards and nine completions on 17 pass attempts. It’s the third consecutive game opposing offenses have been held to less than 200 passing yards.
It is utterly ridiculous what this defensive unit comes out and does on a weekly basis, but honestly, the special teams might be even more insane at this point. Will Reichard hit five more field goals to bring his season tally to 12-for-12, including three makes from 50+ yards. He has been the best kicker in the NFL through four weeks.
Meanwhile, Myles Price has a real case for the title of best return man in the league at this point too. Every week, he makes kick and punt returns must-watch TV with his dynamic athletic ability. He flipped the field for the Vikings twice in the first five minutes of the game with a 48-yard kick return to start the day and a 36-yard punt return a few minutes later after Miami’s three-and-out. He also came into the game with more punt return yards and more kick return yards than anyone else in the league. That’s elite stuff, folks.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen if the Vikings’ strategy for winning games early on in the season is sustainable. They have some difficult tests coming up in a few weeks after their bye, including a road game against the Detroit Lions and a home matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
What matters right now though is that their strategy has gotten them to 4-0 as one of just three teams to remain undefeated four weeks into the season. They have the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they lead the NFC North, and they are 2-0 against divisional opponents.
Has it always been pretty? No. Have there been uncomfortable moments? You betcha. But it cannot be overstated that this Vikings team has earned each and every one of their wins to this point. We’ll just have to see if they can keep it rolling.
Editor’s Note: Information from ESPN and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.