Minnesota is 2-0 after a sloppy 9-3 win at Chicago, and on The Real Forno Show Tyler Forness and Dave Stefano argued that the real story is belief: a Flores defense that can close, a run game that is finally getting volume, and enough luck to survive a backup-QB weather game. Forness opened with the question that framed the hour: “Have the Minnesota Vikings built themself a Super Bowl foundation? I think they have.” He was careful not to crown anyone. “I’m not saying the Vikings will win the Super Bowl,
but they have started a foundation.”
That foundation, in their telling, is not Kevin O’Connell’s vertical offense. It is winning when the script dies. “Two years ago, this team loses that game,” Forness said of the old Soldier Field nightmares. Chicago went 0-for-3 in the red zone. Isaiah Rodgers recovered a fumble and later blocked a kick. Dallas Turner finished Tyson Bagent when Colston Loveland was left alone. Forness called Brian Flores’ last call “a genius actual play design,” then added the Super Bowl caveat: “This play doesn’t happen if it’s Caleb Williams.” Luck is part of the pitch. “You have to have luck in order to win a Super Bowl.”
The offense is the open question. “I can’t tell you if the offense is good or not because we haven’t seen the offense actually play, other than 11 plays,” Forness said of Kyler Murray. Carson Wentz “proved who he is”: high variance, a few lasers to Josh Oliver and T.J. Hockenson, and the misses that keep him a backup. O’Connell has cleared Murray for Tampa. On the ground, Aaron Jones went 23-for-105 with Jordan Mason out; Forness still called the backfield “abysmal” if Jones goes down, with Demond Claiborne “borderline unplayable,” DeeJay Dallas dinged, and Jerome Ford on the practice squad. Ben Goessling’s True Media note: Minnesota is No. 1 in first- and second-down run rate (62%+). Forness: two games is not a fix. “How do these tendencies manifest with Kyler Murray?”
Key points from the episode:
- Winning ugly builds confidence: The Vikings leaned on a 62% run rate (number one in the NFL on first and second down, per Ben Goessling) and a defense that covered while blitzing — a combination Forness called “disgusting” in the best way.
- Dallas Turner’s emergence: Despite criticism for not winning enough one-on-ones, Turner has 20 pressures in two weeks and is being schemed into favorable matchups. “Brian Flores continues to be a creative mastermind,” Forness said. “I think Dallas Turner is primed to have an elite season.”
- Defensive line depth paying off: Jalen Redmond “might be the best player on the team not named Justin Jefferson or Christian Darrisaw.” Levi Drake Rodriguez, a seventh-round pick, has become a starter. Caleb Banks and Dominique Orange are flashing elite potential. “As much as we can criticize Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for a lot of things, that calculated bet is paying humongous dividends.”
- Run game concerns: Aaron Jones is banged up and sore, Jordan Mason has a broken thumb, and Demond Claiborne is “borderline unplayable.” Forness flagged the backfield depth as the biggest red flag going forward.
- Carson Wentz is who we thought he was: “He is who we thought he was,” Forness said of Wentz, who delivers highs and lows with no consistency. Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol just in time.
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If the Vikings keep finding different ways to win — and the good proves repeatable — this team has the foundation for a deep playoff run. “If it’s repeatable, then you can expect it to happen again.” Catch The Real Forno Show every Monday night on Vikings 1st & SKOL for the kind of film-level breakdown you won’t get anywhere else. Subscribe, leave a five-star review on iTunes, and join the Discord for live commentary.
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So here’s two questions, Vikings fans:
Are the Vikings legitimately building a Super Bowl foundation, or is it too early to buy in?
And… What part of this 2-0 start actually travels to Tampa — the front, the run rate, or Murray coming back?
