The Minnesota Vikings return from their bye week well rested and ready to try and extend their unbeaten run to start the 2026 season. They’ll do so with a home game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Know Your Enemy: Week 7 – Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are one of just 11 teams in the NFL that hold an overall winning record over the Vikings. They lead the series 18-9-1 including games when they were the Baltimore Colts between 1961 and 1971. There has then been the games since the team moved to Indianapolis from 1982 to present day. Kevin O’Connell has won both games against the Colts since becoming the Vikings head coach in 2022, which ended a six game losing streak for the Vikings.
Head Coach: Shane Steichen
Best Players: Jonathan Taylor (RB), Quenton Nelson (G), DeForest Buckner (DT), Laiatu Latu (DE), Tyler Warren (TE)
Current Record: 2-4
The Season So Far
The Colts season hit a low point with a home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. They would have expected to beat their divisional rivals and come into this game with a .500 record. Division games don’t always go the way they are supposed to and the Colts found that out on Sunday. Now they face the prospect of a loss in Minnesota putting their playoff hopes into the unlikely bracket. This is now a huge game for Indianapolis.
They started the season with back to back losses to the Ravens and Chiefs, before a big divisional win against the Texans was followed by a win over the Commanders. A loss to the Steelers was followed by the crushing defeat on Sunday that had the home crowd vehemently expressing their displeasure from the stands. That proved to be the end of the road for general manager Chris Ballard, who was fired on Monday.
Players to Watch
The Vikings run defense has been excellent so far this season and it will need to be again this week as they come up against one of the best running backs in the league.
So much of what the Colts do on offense runs through Jonathan Taylor, who has a pair of rushing touchdowns in three games so far this season and added one more against the Titans last week. It’s not just on the ground that the Vikings have to be wary of Taylor since he can be explosive in the screen game and I expect the Colts to try and use him to beat the blitzes that Brian Flores will send.
Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen has enjoyed himself against Minnesota in recent seasons. His ability to get free quickly in the middle of the field has caused Flores’ defense problems dating back to his 215-yard game back in 2023. He followed that up with 82 yards and a touchdown in 2024. Last season the Vikings limited him to just 44 yards, and now Allen is with a new team in Indianapolis.
Now 34, Allen isn’t the player he once was but he has found a bit of form this season and led the team with 82 receiving yards last week.
When it comes to interior defensive linemen, DeForest Buckner has few peers. He is a force up the middle in pass rushing situations with 16 pressures and 4 sacks already this season.
The Vikings interior offensive line are going to have their work cut out trying to stop him wrecking the game. Kyler Murray will also need to show some of that elusiveness that he is famous for from early in his career and we started to see again in the last game against the Saints.
Finally, a former Vikings favorite returns to Minnesota hoping to make a good impression. Camryn Bynum was a popular figure during his time in purple, always with a huge smile on his face. The safety spent four seasons with the Vikings after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. It’s questionable whether the Vikings have ever adequately replaced him, and now in his second season in Indianapolis, Bynum continues to be a solid safety.