EAGAN, Minn. — There's a long way to go — the distance this week, as well as 13 games remaining in the 2024 season — but the Vikings (4-0) are trying to keep it rolling when they play the Jets (2-2) Sunday at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Minnesota and Kansas City are the only teams who haven't suffered defeat this season, and the Vikings also have a three-game win streak against the Jets, as well as a reputation to uphold in the London Games, where Minnesota secured regular-season victories in 2013, 2017 and 2022 at three different venues.

Coincidentally, the 2017 and 2022 Vikings recorded 13 wins in those seasons, building off success in the United Kingdom.

Vikings Uniform

For the second time in as many international appearances the Vikings will wear the rare combination of purple jerseys and purple pants.

This is just the 14^th time in team history the Vikings have worn purple jerseys and pants, a look that debuted — by accident — nearly 60 years ago in Week 5 of the 1964 season. Minnesota wore white jerseys and purple pants in home games early that season, but Detroit only brought white jerseys to Minnesota. After a confusing first quarter, the Vikings changed into purple jerseys on their sideline before the second quarter.

4 Storylines

1. Success across the pond

Minnesota is 3-0 outside the United States since NFL regular-season contests became part of the league's International Series of London Games in 2007.

In 2013, the Vikings "hosted" Pittsburgh and won 34-27, with big performances by Greg Jennings and Adrian Peterson. The club "visited" Cleveland in 2017, and Kai Forbath kicked four field goals in the 33-16 win to go with two touchdown passes by Case Keenum. Justin Jefferson had 10 catches for 147 yards and Greg Joseph converted the go-ahead FG for the Vikings in 2022 to win 28-25 over the "home" Saints.

Minnesota is tied for the most wins without a loss in international games (also Giants, 49ers and Chiefs).

The Jets have competed once in London, losing to Atlanta 27-20 in 2021.

2. Sam Darnold's first team

Darnold's three seasons with the Jets seems like a distant memory now.

The 2018 No. 3 overall pick experienced lows and highs, like an interception returned for a touchdown on his very first play and a comeback demolishing of Detroit in that same game. Darnold's stint of 38 starts in New York ended when he was traded to Carolina for a 2021 sixth- and 2022 fourth-round pick. He had some higher highs on the Panthers from 2021-22 before landing in San Francisco as the 49ers backup in 2023.

Through four games in Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's system, Darnold has played at an MVP level.

Entering Week 5, he leads the NFL in touchdown passes (11) and passer rating (118.9), and he is on the cusp of the top 10 in completion rate at 68.9 percent. Darnold's 10.4 TD% is 3.5 points higher than anyone else. Also, he's the first NFL QB in the Super Bowl era (1966 season) to go 4-0 with 2-plus TD passes in each game.

In Darnold's only previous game against his original team – the 2021 season-opener – he lifted the Panthers to a 19-14 victory, passing for 279 yards at a 68.6% clip with a passing and rushing touchdown.

3. Home-field advantage?

The passionate crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium was so impactful in Week 3 at home that the Texans offense committed four pre-snap penalties in a row.

While Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores might not have quite as much help from a more neutral crowd, he is accepting of the circumstances.

"I'm very happy to go to London and have that experience," Flores said. "I like the environment out there. I think maybe [for] me, it's just being across the pond and just being in a different environment and playing football, you know, it's the game we all love – and enjoy playing, coaching. I expect their crowd to be into it, like they normally are. And whether [or not] they are as rabid fans as we have here at U.S. Bank, or here in this country, I know they enjoy watching the game."

There's optimism the Vikings still will experience some type of home-field advantage, given the support shown in games in 2013, 2017 and 2022.

Vikings fans in the UK have a strong presence, and this being the team's fourth trip there in barely more than a decade, a sea of Purple is likelier than a gang of Green. Plus, Vikings Legend Jared Allen is part of the inaugural London Games Ring of Honour. He'll be there to help tilt the crowd in the Vikings favor.

4. Strong defenses

The Vikings and Jets defenses rank Nos. 4 and 5 in fewest points allowed through the first four games.

New York surrendered 32 to San Francisco in Week 1 but has buckled down since, giving up 10 per game. Minnesota, technically, is on the other track, allowing 10 per game until the Packers dropped 29 in Week 4 – granted, that division win included a near first-half shutout and a furious comeback by Green Bay.

We've harped recently on the Vikings success defensively. The unit ranks first with 17 sacks – Pat Jones II and Jonathan Greenard are responsible for nine, the second most among teammate duos in the NFL – tied for first with eight interceptions, second in takeaways, with 10, and second in rushing yards allowed.

With Flores, the Vikings lead the NFL since 2023 with five games of 5-plus sacks and 1-plus takeaways.

The Jets are stout but in different ways. New York boasts a single interception and has allowed 128.5 rushing yards per game. To the group's credit, they're tied for second in yards permitted per play (4.4) and passing touchdowns against (2).

3 Things 'Bout the Jets

1. Reconfigured offensive line

New York revamped its front five by bringing in All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith along with veteran tackle Morgan Moses and guard John Simpson. Combined, they added 365 games of experience to the o-line.

It's a work in progress. (Moses was absent in Week 4 with a MCL sprain and bone bruise.)

Rodgers has been sacked 10 times this season, tied for 12^th most in the NFL (same as Darnold, for what it's worth) and pressured on 40 dropbacks in total according to Pro Football Focus. Smith has yielded 12.

Rodgers' cadence was mentioned after the Jets were flagged for five false starts (15 penalties overall; 13 accepted) in their sloppy 10-9 loss to the Broncos.

Rodgers has shown an incredible knack in his career for drawing defenses offsides and making them pay on free-play throws. In a perfect world, it's a freak one-game occurrence and non-issue moving forward.

Flores expects the Jets to get their miscommunication corrected.

"Rodgers is the king of trapping the defense out there and trying to get you to jump and trying to get 12 men on the field," said Flores, explaining how the Packers offense was able to get certain looks in last Sunday's game by going tempo and preventing personnel changes. "I'm sure we'll see it again this week."

2. Rodg-tober

Here's some fairly common knowledge:

Rodgers is awfully tough to intercept – he's tied for the lowest interception rate (1.4%) in NFL history; He's thrown one this year; not since Week 1 when a 49ers defender gathered a ricocheted pass intended for Garrett Wilson.

Rodgers is climbing the all-time passing charts – he needs 96 yards to reach 60,000 for his career and needs 74 more to leapfrog Hall of Famer Dan Marino for the seventh most all-time (including playoffs).

But did you know how dang good Rodgers has performed in the month of October? At least, historically.

Rodgers has the most TD passes in the spooky month among active players and the fourth most in football history. He's thrown 125, trailing Tom Brady (185), Drew Brees (138) and Peyton Manning (134).

The Jets QB has a 106.9 October passer rating, which is six points higher than Brady and Russell Wilson.

3. Dangerous backfield

The Rodgers-Wilson connection is one to watch in the passing game, although it's not hit its stride yet.

New York has two other young stars on offense that can affect both types of attack. Running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen have combined for 495 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns so far.

Hall is the home-run hitter of the two; Allen inflicts pain with his pads. But they both can do everything. The former has rushed 56 times and is adding 4.5 receptions per game. The rookie Allen is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has contributed seven catches for 57 yards and a score – on a fraction of Hall's snaps.

Most recently, the Jets had next-to-zero success running the ball against Denver. Rodgers actually had the team's long run of 14 yards, while Hall was held to four yards on 10 tries and Allen had 34 on eight.

Minnesota has been quick to square up ball carriers this season, contacting opposing rushers behind the line of scrimmage on 51.3% of carries, tops in the NFL – the Vikings have only allowed 20 yards before contact.

2 Vikings to Track

Justin Jefferson: Vikings Legend Jake Reed is in London for the festivities, and he's up next on Minnesota's all-time receptions list. Jefferson needs two catches to pass Reed (413) for seventh in team history. Jefferson also could pass Steve Jordan with 51 receiving yards and Ahmad Rashad with another touchdown catch. Jordan and Rashad are currently in seventh in those categories. And, if Jefferson records at least one touchdown catch, he'll tie Randy Moss' team record of a scoring catch in five consecutive games to open a season.

Kamu Grugier-Hill: The veteran linebacker has been opportunistic in filling in for Ivan Pace, Jr. He has recorded interceptions in the past two weeks, becoming the fourth Vikings linebacker since 2000 to record interceptions in consecutive games, joining E.J. Henderson, Chad Greenway (twice) and Eric Kendricks (twice). None of those players was able to hit a trifecta.

1 Key Matchup

WR Justin Jefferson vs. CB Sauce Gardner

"Jets" Jefferson and Gardner are star pupils of PFF, grading second and first at their positions since 2022.

Don't just take PFF's word, either.

Jefferson is closing in on Torry Holt's mark of 6,784 receiving yards, needing 528 to pass Holt for the most in a player's first five seasons; Gardner is one of three defensive players since 1970 to earn first-team All-Pro decoration in each of his first two seasons (Cowboys' Micah Parsons and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor).

They're in the upper echelon of players drafted in the past five years – and maybe all-time.

There's a brief history, as well.

In Week 13 of 2022, Gardner won the individual battle, limiting Jefferson to two catches for 14 yards on three targets as the nearest defender in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. Overall, Jefferson caught 7 of 11 targets for 45 yards – his 6.43 yards per reception represented his second-lowest mark that year.

It's your move, Jets!

Friday Updates …

The following content was added Oct. 4 after initial publication.

Status Report

The only Vikings player ruled out for the game is tight end T.J. Hockenson, who returned to practice Friday to open his 21-day evaluation window.

That means linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., has recovered from an ankle injury that has sidelined him the past two games.

Veteran Kamu Grugier-Hill filled in well with more snaps in place of Pace, recording an interception in Week 3 and 4.

Memorable Week 4 Quotes

O'Connell on the Vikings defensive players implementing Flores' defense

"The scheme is one thing; the player ownership of that scheme, and how Flo' and his staff coach, it is a totally different thing, the connection he has with those players, and just how on game day, sometimes it feels like, you know, you're kind of handing the keys over. My oldest [child] isn't old enough to drive yet, but in many ways, handing those keys over to a first-time driver, and that opener, and these guys are now ready to, maybe we buy them a nicer car week-in and week-out. … We've still got to go do it on a week-in and week-out basis, playing, you know, one of the best quarterbacks to ever do it this week, so it's going to be a challenge for sure."

Darnold on if he has sympathy for other quarterbacks when they face Flores' defense:

"No, because I dealt with it all offseason. It's a challenge in itself. And, yeah, I'm glad I don't have to go against it this year."

Aaron Jones, Sr., on compliments that Aaron Rodgers shared about him on the Pat McAfee Show:

"It speaks volumes of him because he didn't have to go out of his way to talk me up like that, but I have nothing but love and respect for Aaron. I owe him a lot of credit for my career. There are times they weren't playing me in Green Bay, and he would say to the sideline, 'I want 33 in the game.' Sometimes he'd be in the huddle and would signal it to the sideline. I remember my first time running on the field to take a snap and he said, 'I'm probably your biggest fan in this organization. It's your time.' That meant a lot coming from a future Hall of Famer. Me being a rookie, it did a lot for my confidence, 'I've got to go out and live up to the standard.' He sees it in me, so I'm obviously capable. He brings everybody around him up."

From the Inbox

This season is going so great! I can't wait for when Hockenson is back, because if this our offense without one of our top targets, I think the sky might be the limit. Though, I get nervous to get too excited because of 2016's start and finish.

— Macie in Iowa

The 2024 Vikings are attempting to go 5-0 for the first time as a franchise since the 2016 season did so.

I've shared with some colleagues who are newer to the organization what the start of that season was like — and how the house of cards came tumbling down. That 2016 team encountered some incredibly rare adversities before the 5-0 streak began and even more as the season grinded its gears.

There's so much football ahead, and so many things can happen, but the depth throughout the roster has already been tested and displayed.

NFL Media's Rich Eisen will be handling play-by-play duties on Sunday's NFL Network broadcast of the Vikings-Jets game. Eisen participated in a production meeting shortly after Minnesota landed in London, and then joined the show that bears his name while it was guest-hosted by Tom Pelissero. Check out the video below for Eisen's impressions from that meeting.

What a fun start to the year! The Vikes are playing true complementary football that is fun to watch. Great coaching has been a big difference maker on both sides of the ball. My question is, Is there any scenario where Brian Flores stays with the Vikings? There is a prestige with being a head coach, and Flores has definitely shown he deserves it. Could salary and a winning organization win out over the prestige of being a head coach again? Are there any salary caps for coaches? It seems like he's a talent worth the investment!

— Wade K.

Let's start with the fact there are no salary caps implemented toward coaches' salaries.

Again, we don't know where this season is going, but Flores has certainly shown the ability to innovate scheme, identify players who will fit, maximize impacts of players and lead a group.

All those qualities could lead to Flores being interviewed if teams have a head coach position next offseason. The rarity of that opportunity could be an enticement too alluring to pass up, or there could be a desire to remain in a place where things have been going so well.