The Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers to start the 2026 season with a win, but 29 of their points came in the final 17 minutes of the game. Plenty of questions surround the Vikings, and they don't solely revolve around the quarterback position.
Brian Flores' defense overwhelmed the Packers in the fourth quarter, but there were far too many wide-open Green Bay receivers throughout the day. Minnesota's offense did enough to win, but it will need more consistency moving forward so it isn't clawing its way back late in games.
The next opponent further amplifies these concerns. Next week, the Vikings travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears, who beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 on Sunday. Minnesota will need to tighten things up
so that they aren't involved in a shootout they can't keep up in.
Questions after the Vikings win in Week 1
How long will Carson Wentz start?
Kyler Murray's long-awaited Vikings debut was cut short when he left the game with a concussion suffered in the first quarter. Carson Wentz replaced him, completing 12/19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns, doing enough to keep the offense on schedule.
But Murray's availability is already in question for next week. On Monday, Adam Schefter reported that "it looks like" Wentz will start next Sunday against the Bears, as Murray remains in concussion protocol.
And if Wentz leads the Vikings to victory next week? Then the question becomes whether inserting Murray back into the lineup is in the team's best interest.
Is the defense closer to what we saw in the first three quarters? Or is it closer to what we saw in the fourth quarter?
Minnesota's defense came alive in the final period of Sunday's win. They harassed Jordan Love, picking him off and forcing two fumbles (recovering one) in the fourth quarter.
But the Vikings struggled to slow Green Bay down before that. After a 39-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson cut the Packers' lead to 12-10 with 1:55 to play in the first half, Love swiftly marched the Packers' offense 74 yards down the field before finding Christian Watson for a two-yard touchdown with 14 seconds to play in the half. Watson also had an 81-yard touchdown reception on the second drive of the game.
Minnesota allowed 481 total yards on Sunday, which is still fewer than the Bears registered in their win over the Panthers (552). Can they plug the holes heading into Week 2? Or will Ben Johnson keep exploiting them?
Can the Vikings get the other receivers involved?
Lost in Justin Jefferson's return to glory (eight catches, 92 yards, 2 TDs) was that no other wideout on the Vikings' roster had a reception. Jordan Addison was targeted twice, although those incompletions were due to inaccurate passes from Wentz. Jauan Jennings had one target that fell incomplete.
So it's good that Jefferson got on track. Getting the tight ends involved helped, too. But taking advantage of defenses doing all they can to contain Jefferson should open up space for Addison and Jennings moving forward. It will be up to them to get open and for Wentz (or Murray) to hit them when the opportunities present themselves.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Questions from the Vikings' Week 1 win over the Packers
