The Minnesota Vikings escaped Raymond James Stadium with a 23-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. There were stretches (long stretches) of offensive ineptitude on both sides of the ball. Tampa Bay may be able to chalk its issues up to a strong Minnesota defense, although the Vikings may not have as many excuses.
Minnesota managed 230 yards of offense, converting only 2-of-15 third-down attempts. Kyler Murray, who returned for his first start since suffering a concussion in the first quarter of the Vikings' season opener, completed 15-of-29 passes for 168 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
But thanks to a special teams touchdown and six sacks, Minnesota won for the third straight game. They are one of five teams sitting
at 3-0 after Sunday, providing plenty of room for overreactions, both good and bad. And because they are undefeated, I won't focus only on the negatives.
There's no reason to bench Kyler Murray right now
A certain managing editor on this site may have suggested that Murray be benched for Carson Wentz during the second half of Sunday's game, but I'm not going to entertain that yet. Murray's lone interception was batted at the line and bounced into the hands of Buccaneers lineman A'Shawn Robinson for an unfortunate turnover. No, the play wouldn't have gone anywhere anyway. But this offense just can't be doing anything to give offenses short fields, and I'm not going to assume every batted pass at the line of scrimmage results in an interception.
A'SHAWN ROBINSON BIG MAN PICK! 🤯
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 27, 2026
📺: #MINvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/dZiVA7Q2Ul
Murray also connected with Jordan Addison for a 41-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 17-10 lead with 4:11 to play in the second quarter. On the next drive, Murray again threw a deep ball to Addison, who almost corralled the pass for another long gain. Addison caught five passes for 90 yards, the first receiver not named Justin Jefferson to get going this year.
Kyler Murray with a rocket to Jordan Addison for the TD 🚀@MINvsTB on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VaM63tFsfW
Kevin O'Connell is acutely aware of where this team is and isn't effective
O'Connell's playcalling will come under fire again this week from fans. But the first three games have been an extension of the final five games of the 2025 season, and O'Connell spent all offseason stressing how he was going to take the lessons learned during that five-game win streak into the future.
He may not have envisioned ranking dead last in total yards through three games, but even Murray's interception shows why this offense may not open up the playbook as we've seen since 2022. Despite getting the ball at Minnesota's 22-yard line after the turnover, the Buccaneers moved the ball only two yards and settled for a field goal the defense gifted them. This could be an ugly season offensively, but with a defense and special teams that are operating the way they are, playing close to the vest could be optimal for team success.
And let's remember that Aaron Jones spent last week on the injury report with a knee injury. Justin Jefferson left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury, affecting the entire offensive outlook after catching two passes for 22 yards on the offense's opening drive. Let's see this unit at full strength first.
This team will be 6-0 heading into their Week 8 matchup at Detroit
I still believe this offense will get off the ground sooner rather than later, and this defense is playing at a different level. The Vikings host the Dolphins next week and then travel to New Orleans before their bye week. Minnesota then hosts the Colts in Week 7, providing a runway to a 6-0 record.
The Vikings then head to Detroit to face the Lions, currently 2-1, on November 1. That could play a pivotal role in division tiebreakers. In 2024, the teams faced off in Week 7. Minnesota entered 5-0, and Detroit was 4-1. The Lions won 31-29 and controlled the NFC North the rest of the season. This year's matchup could potentially provide similar stakes.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Overreactions to the Vikings' 23-16 win over the Bucs in Week 3
