With the abundance of talent on the team, the Minnesota Vikings’ record of 5-1 going into their bye week could make perfect sense to fans not watching the games.
For those tuning in, it is clear that it is not that simple.
While there have been a few consistent bright spots, the team looks as though it is not playing nearly as well as it should be.
After the 23-7 blowout win over the Green Bay Packers, it seemed like the team was already destined to take over the NFC North for the first time since 2015. Quarterback Kirk Cousins had success in the air similar to last season, Justin Jefferson started the year off hot like expected, and the defense forced multiple turnovers and sacks respectively.
Immediately after was a tough challenge in Philadelphia, in which the Vikings looked like the complete opposite of themselves from the previous week. Cousins threw three interceptions in the 24-7 loss to the Eagles, showing a big turnaround from just seven thrown all of last season. Minnesota allowed 486 total yards, including 301 from Eagles QB Jalen Hurts in the first half alone.
Since the loss to now 6-0 Philadelphia, every Vikings game so far has been an emotional rollercoaster.
A rollercoaster that keeps ending with Minnesota on top.
The Vikings have won each of the last four games after the lone loss, all of which were one-score games. In some games, Minnesota found itself up multiple scores and proceeded to let the opponent back in it. In others, the team started slow and waited until late in the game to make it competitive. At times the offense has stalled out and the defense has looked non-existent, so what should people think of the team’s impressive record?
There are essentially two outlooks on the season so far. Either the Vikings have pulled out lucky wins and are bound to fall off due to their mistakes– or they are winning games regardless of not playing at their full potential and will look like a contender after ironing out the mistakes.
The week after the bye is against the underperforming Arizona Cardinals at home, so a win may not prove much about the team, but a loss very well could.
