EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings have reached their bye week of the 2024 season with a 5-0 mark that includes trips to Lambeau Field to visit the Packers and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to "host" the Jets.
It's been an electric start for Minnesota that has exceeded external expectations yet supported the belief that the coaching staff and personnel department had in putting together a deep roster in the spring and continuing to add key pieces as the offseason progressed — i.e. the signing of Stephon Gilmore, who walked off New York on Sunday with a clutch interception.
Minnesota has a 48-3 edge in its five first quarters, consistently building leads early and protecting them late.
View postgame celebration photos from the Vikings 23-17 win over the Jets in Week 5 of the 2024 season.
Sam Darnold slinging the football with confidence | by Craig Peters
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah projected what quarterback Sam Darnold could be in this offensive system when they signed him at the start of free agency.
Darnold has delivered, especially through the first four weeks of the season to win NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September, and he battled through Sunday's game despite a strong day by the Jets defense.
Darnold's confidence has shown up during games, like when he fired four touchdown passes in the red zone against Houston, and during critical drives that put away the 49ers and Jets.
The latest examples of plays that demand confidence from a QB were a 25-yard strike to Justin Jefferson on second-and-9 with less than six minutes in the fourth quarter and a 20-yard completion to Johnny Mundt on second-and-12 a couple plays later, moving the ball within field goal range.
Prior to the pass to Jefferson — his first throw after an interception — Darnold was 11-of-26 passing with 128 yards. He finished the day by going 3-for-5 with 51 yards.
"I'm always comfortable with the decisions that I make. You have to be as a quarterback," Darnold said. "If you're ever doubting yourself out there, which is kind of some things that I did early in my career, it can be a long day. So I think just having that confidence in myself to be able to let it rip whenever I see something or when I'm confident, I feel like I can just continue to stay patient that way.
"Wherever the coverage, wherever the defense, wherever they go and whatever guy is open, just throw it to him. It's as easy as that," Darnold continued. "But for me, I think it's just continuing to see the field and just go through my reads and time my feet with my eyes, and if I can do that and stay patient that way, we'll be good."
Aaron Jones undeniable impact | by Lindsey Young
The Vikings signed Aaron Jones, Sr., in free agency, and the running back has made an immediate impact with his new team.
Jones impressed early on in OTAs and throughout Vikings training camp, and he hit the ground running (literally) for Minnesota in Week 1, racking up 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
"When he was released [by Green Bay], I honestly felt, 'Hmm, that could be a guy that could fit our system,' and the next day, it pops up on my [social media] feed," Vikings fullback C.J. Ham said about adding Jones to the roster. "I've competed against him for so long and had mutual respect, after every game dapping each other up and telling each other to keep going, keep ballin'.
"Now to be on the same team, the sky's the limit. I'm excited for him, excited for our room," Ham added.
The 2023 Vikings didn't score a rushing touchdown until Week 8, when Cam Akers scored on a 6-yard run at Green Bay. This year, Minnesota's first rushing touchdown occurred in its first quarter, and the Vikings haven't trailed in a game since.
Through the first five games last season, Minnesota was averaging just 80.8 rushing yards per game, ranked 28th in the league with 404 total rushing yards and was one of just two teams (Steelers) to have no rushing scores.
The Vikings at the same point this season have 115.4 rushing yards per contest and rank 16th with 577 total rushing yards. Their 142 total attempts thus far are the NFL's ninth most.
Prior to leaving last weekend's game in London with a hip injury, Jones had totaled 71 carries for 350 rushing yards and a touchdown, in addition to 17 catches for 167 yards and a receiving touchdown. O'Connell said Jones is "week to week" but early evaluations are indicating Jones avoided anything too major.
The offense has been dynamic without all pieces | by Craig Peters
Minnesota entered Week 6 ranked sixth in points for (includes points scored on Andrew Van Ginkel's two pick sixes) with 27.8 per game.
The offense is in the middle of some rankings but has excelled at key parts of the field.
Minnesota is tied for fifth with a red zone percentage of 68.8 percent and ranks ninth in goal-to-go situations, having scored touchdowns on 81.8 percent of such scenarios.
And, the group has found success despite not yet having its fullest complement of playmakers.
Josh Oliver and Mundt have filled in admirably with increased roles during the absence of T.J. Hockenson, whose 21-day evaluation window opened Oct. 4. Hockenson is one of the best mismatch creators at the tight end position, so getting him back in the fold will offer another way Minnesota can attack.
The Vikings also were without Jordan Addison for parts of Week 1 and all of Weeks 2 and 3, but the second-year pro was impactful in his return to action in Week 4, becoming just the sixth Vikings receiver to score a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game.
Jalen Nailor stepped forward with increased opportunities in Addison's place, showing his versatility and threat as a scorer, and he and Jefferson each scored receiving touchdowns in Minnesota's first three games.
While the skill players have been missing pieces, the Vikings offensive line has delivered continuity so far in 2024 that was intended but not realized in 2023.
Starters Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram and Brian O'Neill have played 100 percent of Minnesota's offensive snaps in at least four games. Brandel, Bradbury and Ingram have gone the distance in each outing. Darrisaw played 90 percent of snaps against Houston, and O'Neill played 95 percent of them against the Texans.
Creating tremendous pressure | by Rob Kleifield
The Vikings pass rush is cooking quarterbacks on high heat. Last year's defense ranked tied for 19th in the NFL with 43 sacks. The 2024 squad has 20 already. That's a seismic shift in opponents' backfields.
The group enters Week 6 ranked first in hurries (34), knockdowns (30) and pressures (84) and second in sacks, with two fewer than the Giants. The Vikings 32.6% pressure clip is tied with Kansas City, behind Seattle's blue-ribbon 35.4%. Minnesota has the top blitz rate (41.1%), like 2023 (51.5%), but it's getting to the QB more frequently.
So, what's working? First and foremost: smart, versatile and extensive personnel.
Minnesota's pressures leader, Jonathan Greenard, has 29, which is tied for second in the NFL behind Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson. Minnesota's sacks leader, Pat Jones II, has five, which ties his three-season total from 2021-23. Minnesota's depth is outstanding – nine different players have recorded a sack; only the New York clubs (Giants 11; Jets 10) and the Texans (10) offer a greater wealth of sack-sters entering Week 6.
Two interior defensive linemen (Harrison Phillips, Jalen Redmond) have a sack. So do both starting inside linebackers, Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, Jr., as well as four outside 'backers, including rookie Dallas Turner. Safety Harrison Smith does, too. One aspect of the team's pass-rushing success is positional flexibility.
Players are winning 1-on-1 matchups in addition to blitzing frenetically.
In Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores' scheme, disguised pressures are routine. Defenders cunningly rotate, giving the appearance of a pass rush by crowding gaps before snaps. Keys dictate whether they commit to attacking or decoying the offense by dropping into coverage assignments. It's mental warfare.
The 1989 Vikings are the only group in franchise history, by the way, with more sacks (21) through the team's initial five games. That defense finished with a franchise-record 71 sacks in 16 contests (4.4 avg.)
Pacing the NFL in picks | by Rob Kleifield
Heating up quarterbacks is helping the Vikings clamp down on receivers.
The defense has intercepted 11 passes, two more than any other team and as many as it did all of 2023. Eight players have contributed with at least one pick. It's another sign how differently Flores' designs are coming to life in 2024, how comfortable returning players are executing Flores' Year 2 vision, and how new arrivals have seamlessly understood concepts, meshed with each other and elevated performance.
Just like Flores has a knack for disguising pressures, his coverage calls have put quarterbacks in a bind. The Vikings have confounded quality opponents their first five games – the foes are 13-12 overall – and turned a gauntlet of accomplished passers into mere mortals, which the league is not used to witnessing.
The Vikings have thwarted four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, perhaps an eventual MVP in Jordan Love, second-year sensation C.J. Stroud and arguably the most relevant Mr. Irrelevant in history in Brock Purdy.
They've done it sequentially. They've done it aggressively. They've done it early — and in the clutch.
The Vikings and Bills are the only teams so far with a pair of picks in the same first quarter. Minnesota has four in the opening and closing frames each, which demonstrates its starter and finisher mentality.
The Vikings 11 interceptions are tied with the 2019 Patriots for the most in a team's first five games since at least 2018. Unbelievably, Flores called defensive plays for that New England unit. If you're wondering, the Vikings highwater mark for interceptions in a single campaign is 36, achieved over 16 games in 1988.
Of course, picks and sacks work in harmony. Pressure is the best method for generating turnover-worthy throws. The connectivity so far is special, as Minnesota is the fourth team in 35 seasons with 10-plus interceptions and 20-plus sacks in Games 1-5, joining the 2019 Patriots, 2017 Jaguars and 1991 Eagles.
Spectacular specialists | by Lindsey Young
The Vikings remain undefeated thanks to playing complementary football, which has included top-tier play by the team's specialists.
Minnesota returned long snapper Andrew DePaola and punter Ryan Wright, who outlasted veteran Seth Vernon in the punting competition during training camp. The Vikings drafted former Alabama kicker Will Reichard 203rd overall.
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels said shortly after drafting Reichard, "he's a guy that you can count on in the biggest moments." Even through just five games, it's clear Reichard plays with confidence – and his teammates exude that same confidence in him.
Through the first five games, Reichard is 9-for-9 on field goals, including three of 50-plus yards, and is 16-for-16 on extra points.
"To say he's coming in as a new guy and making field goals left and right, and especially from the length that he's making it, it's definitely something that we need," Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson said following a Week 5 outing in which the offense struggled to find its rhythm.
The Vikings are one of five teams at this point in the season to be 100 percent on field goal attempts; the only team to attempt and make more is Tampa Bay, with 10.
Wright also has been admirable through five games, landing 11 of his 20 total punts inside the 20-yard line and logging just two touchbacks. He is currently averaging 46.1 yards per boot.
