The Minnesota Vikings are one of three teams sitting at 4-0 as Week 5 approaches. Dominant defense and special teams have carried the team to its four wins. The offense, however, has yet to match that pace.
Through four games, the Vikings rank 31st in total yards and offensive DVOA. That lags behind a defense that ranks first in points allowed, second in DVOA, and fifth in points allowed.
Minnesota's special teams unit also ranks first in DVOA, with Myles Price scoring the league's only punt return and Isaiah Rodgers blocking a key field goal in a 9-3 Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears.
Because of the offense's deficiencies, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon struggles to fully believe in this team. When asked to provide one sentence describing the Vikings
after September, he wrote the following:
"Three wins mask a glaring deficiency in an offense averaging a league-low 4.3 yards per play," Gagnon wrote. "This is an offensive reality that is not sustainable beyond a soft October slate."Minnesota's win over the Miami Dolphins didn't suggest the offensive struggles will disappear. The Vikings settled for five Will Reichard field goals in the 15-10 win over the winless Dolphins. Although Minnesota recorded a season-high 336 yards, they still have yet to score an offensive touchdown since Week 1.
Kyler Murray continues to settle into the offense. He was efficient if unspectacular against Miami, completing 27/37 passes for 237 yards. In the game's final two drives, he completed 13/14 passes for 120 yards.
If he builds on that and gets more comfortable, the Vikings' offense will take enough pressure off its spectacular defense. But if he can't, this team's ceiling may not suggest they will go far in the playoffs.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: What sentence best describes the Vikings month of September?
