I don’t know if I have ever been less inspired by a 3-0 start than I have been this NFL season. I love the Vikings, and want nothing more than for this team to succeed. The narrative of our incredible, potentially historic defense and our deflated, stagnant offense has pretty much run its course already. Everyone and their mama knows that this formula for winning is not sustainable. When you are three games in and your kicker has accounted for more points than your starting quarterback, that’s a problem
in my eyes. Thank goodness we have future Hall of Famer Will Reichard. Funny enough, the pick we received from the Jets, in our trade to move up one spot to draft J.J. McCarthy, was Will the Thrill.
Herein Lies the Power
Speaking of trading J.J. McCarthy, I think we saw a shift in power within the Minnesota Vikings organization. That shift went from Kevin O’Connell being a major contributor to offensive draft selections and free agent signings to Nolan Teasley asserting his authority as the personnel decision-maker. I really don’t mind this, because I think KO’s strengths lie in his coaching ability. I can’t help but get the feeling that Kevin O’Connell is on the hot seat more than any other 3-0 head coach has been on the hot seat. I know Brian Flores is on this staff, but there has not been an instance in NFL history, from what I’ve been able to find, of a coach with a strong winning record being fired or demoted mid-season. As strong as Teasley’s grasp on this franchise might be, it’s not strong enough to “elevate” Brian Flores to head coach (much to the chagrin of some Daily Norseman Faithful).
Is KOC’s Future in Jeopardy?
I’ve had this take before, but I don’t think I have shared it here, and if I have, it’s been a while. The take is this: Kevin O’Connell will not be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 2027 if he fails to WIN a playoff game this season. I think that is where the standard lies, and there are historical circumstances of winning coaches being fired due to postseason ineffectiveness. Most notable was Marty Schottenheimer in 2006, who was fired after a 14-2 season with MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, which culminated in a divisional-round collapse against the New England Patriots. That being said, I think O’Connell is a good head coach. His job entails so much more than calling plays and game planning for the offense. Maybe he has too much on his plate ,and it’s time for him to lean on his offensive coordinator, Wes Phillips, a little bit more.
The Recipe for Success
Yes, watching our offense, at times, makes me want to drink water from a stagnant pond and line my stomach and intestines with bacteria and amoebas, just so I can be so debilitated that I can’t even look at a TV screen. Every time Aaron Jones touches the ball, I think about how I get sore (as a 36-year-old man) after sleeping on my neck funny. This dude is getting popped, smacked, and crushed multiple times a game.
The commitment to the run game is refreshing. We have been running more on this 8-game winning streak dating back to last season, but why is that? Is it because the run game is so effective that we are grinding teams down and asserting our dominance on offense? No, however, the running game is effectively eating up the clock in hopes that we can maybe score 13 points and keep the other team’s offense off the field for as long as possible. The longer we hold the ball on offense, the stronger the defense becomes.
The passing game isn’t in shambles, per se, but there is massive room for improvement. Kevin O’Connell mentioned in a press conference that it seemed as though the Buccaneers had a very deliberate plan to swat down Murray’s passes. I’ve seen Cardinals fans commenting on social media posts about how we are learning about Kyler what they’ve known for years. Yes, he is incredibly short in stature for an NFL quarterback, and yes, that means he can’t always see what’s happening down the field. We are not seeing the scrambling generator of yards that I think NFL fans are used to seeing with Kyler Murray. There is definitely an emphasis on taking care of the football and trusting the processes and play calls. I think Kyler did a fine job protecting the football against Tampa Bay, and his interception was mainly caused by Blake Brandel’s questionable decision to bat the ball up in the air to make the interception that much easier for the defensive lineman.
Halfway to Competent Quarterback Play
On a promising note, we did see some success from Kyler Murray on deep balls that we were desperately missing last season. Although this is promising, we also saw Murray struggle on shorter passes. According to NFL Next Gen Stats:
Murray completed three of four passes over 20 air yards in that half for 93 yards, the most deep completions by a Vikings quarterback in a first half since Sam Bradford in 2016. Murray completed just 12 of 20 passes under 20 air yards for 75 yards and an interception.
This makes me hopeful that we will start to see things click and maybe our offense can score more touchdowns. When this team was struggling last season, it was because we either A. couldn’t protect the quarterback or B. our quarterback was throwing the ball to the other team on a regular basis. The Max Brosmer start versus the Seattle Seahawks will always haunt my memory. Murray has only played one full game in this system. Even the great Sam Darnold took a couple of games to get going in his first and only season with this team. It wasn’t until that 49ers game with that huge pass to Justin Jefferson that the offense really started clicking.
There are Still 14 Games to Play
At the end of the day, the Minnesota Vikings are winning football games in 2026. They are currently the first seed in the NFC if the playoffs started today. They have a trap game test on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. If they’re able to come out with a convincing win, I will be able to breathe a little easier. I guess we will see.
Until Next Skol.
