The 3-0 Minnesota Vikings face a Miami Dolphins team in full rebuild mode, but as The Real Forno Show warns, this Week 4 matchup has trap game written all over it. — Tyler Forness and Dave Stefano sat down with Dolphins guy Kevin Fielder for the Week 4 preview, and this one is messier than a 7-point spread and actually it being double-digits. Miami, under Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley, is in an evaluation year. Not a tank. Fielder put it on Sullivan: “This is not going to be a rebuild in the sense
that we’re gonna tear this down.” They brought in Malik Willis to reunite him with two people who already coached him in Green Bay. Early returns are mixed. Fielder was honest about it: “I think we’ll be talking about the Miami Dolphins needing a quarterback at some point in the next few years.”
De’Von Achane tore his ACL in Week 3, so Bobby Slowik has to rebuild the run game around Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright. The Vikings have their own questions. Kyler Murray has one full game in purple. Justin Jefferson had not practiced all week when we recorded. Tyler watched that debut and said, “I think he saw too much flash of color and decided not to” throw it into those windows. Fielder pushed back: “He’s just missing things down the field… there were explosive plays to be had.”
Brian Flores’ defense is going to test that Miami line. Fielder likes the interior: “Kadyn Proctor at left guard, Jonah Savaiinaea at right guard, Aaron Brewer at center, has played incredibly well.” The Vikings’ run game is still a work in progress with Josh Oliver out for the year and Aaron Jones always nicked up. Spread says comfortable. The tape says do not overlook them.
Key Points from the Episode:
- The Dolphins are the NFL’s youngest roster but have been “oddly competitive” — pushing the Chiefs, 49ers, and Raiders
- De’Von Achane’s ACL injury forces a schematic shift toward power-gap running
- Chop Robinson, drafted to be a pass rusher, has struggled in year three — “he just has to figure something out”
- Miami’s defense is 30th in EPA per play and 32nd in EPA per dropback, but 9th against the run
- Brian Flores’ “blitz” numbers are inflated — his base is five rushers, which the NFL counts as a blitz complains Fielder
- Kyler Murray’s misses against Tampa were reads, not accuracy: “He’s missing things that he should be taking”
- If Justin Jefferson sits, Jordan Addison and Tai Felton take on larger roles
- Donovan Jackson has been a revelation at left guard: “That guy is a baller. I was wrong,” Fielder conceded
- Fielder called this the “quintessential trap game” — closer than fans expect
- Dave Stefano invoked the 2018 Bills upset: “We were so much favored and we got our [back sides] handed to us”
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The Real Forno Show is your go-to Minnesota Vikings podcast for film-room analysis, draft talk, and unfiltered takes — and this Week 4 preview is essential listening before kickoff. Tyler Forness and Dave Stefano leave no angle uncovered, from Brian Flores’ defensive wizardry to the Kyler Murray chemistry clock ticking toward a Week 6 bye. Whether the Vikings roll or the Dolphins shock the world, this is the conversation that frames your Sunday.
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Guest Kevin Fielder @TheKevinFielder joins Tyler Forness @TheRealForno of Vikings 1st & SKOL @Vikings1stSKOL and A to Z Sports @AtoZSportsNFL, with Dave Stefano @Luft_Krigare producing this Vikings 1st & SKOL production, the @RealFornoShow found at the @BleavNetwork.
So here’s a question for you:
Will the Vikings prove they can dominate a team they should beat, or is this the week Miami steals one nobody saw coming?
