The Minnesota Vikings picked up two hard-earned wins in-division to begin the season. They head to Tampa Bay to face the winless Buccaneers on Sunday, rekindling an old-school NFC Central rivalry.
Can the Vikings avoid a letdown after a physical Week 2 game against the Bears? Minnesota has a chance to create some space between itself and the rest of the NFC North. The Packers got humiliated on Thursday night, falling to 1-2. Chicago faces the Eagles on Monday night with Case Keenum starting at quarterback. The Lions play the Jets, who have proven, if nothing else, to be a tougher matchup than in years past.
Of course, what the other teams do won't matter if the Vikings keep winning. Here are the main storylines heading into Minnesota's Week 3
matchup against Tampa Bay.
Storylines to watch between the Vikings and Bucs in Week 3
Kyler Murray's return
The Vikings have gone 2-0 to begin the season despite the absence of Murray, who exited their Week 1 game against the Packers after three offensive drives. He cleared the concussion protocol on Monday, giving him a full week of practice ahead of this Sunday's game.
Murray told reporters on Thursday that he never felt he got into the flow of the season opener. Will he be able to protect the football? Minnesota hasn't turned the ball over since Murray threw an interception on his first pass as a Viking. The balance between opening up the offense with Murray's skill set and protecting the ball will be intriguing.
How much will Aaron Jones play?
Minnesota has leaned on its rushing attack over its past seven games dating back to last season. But injuries have affected the running back room over the past two weeks, with Jordan Mason going on short-term injured reserve last week and Aaron Jones missing Wednesday's practice with a knee injury he sustained in Chicago.
Jones wasn't on the Vikings' final injury report on Friday, but how many touches will he get against the Buccaneers? He carried the ball 23 times for 105 yards against the Bears, his most carries in three seasons in Minnesota. But can he sustain that kind of workload while dealing with the knee injury? Or will the Vikings need to lean on DeeJay Dallas, Demond Claiborne, and potentially Jerome Ford to ease Jones' load?
Will the heat affect the Vikings?
Sunday's game couldn't look much different than last week for the Vikings. After a sloppy, rainy day at Soldier Field in Week 2, they will play under sunny skies with mid-80s temperatures, with the heat index potentially reaching 90 degrees.
The Buccaneers announced Friday that they will wear their white uniforms, meaning Minnesota will wear its purple home uniforms. Will the Vikings be able to handle the Florida heat after dealing with the fall-like Minnesota weather?
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Storylines to watch between the Vikings and Bucs in Week 3
