After destroying the Houston Texans, there's no question that the 2024 Minnesota Vikings are for real

Opinions of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings were mixed going into the 2024 season. With a major change at quarterback from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy and the loss of multiple talented pieces like Danielle Hunter, nobody quite knew how to view the Vikings.  This wasn't just analysts who cover the NFL as […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Opinions of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings were mixed going into the 2024 season. With a major change at quarterback from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy and the loss of multiple talented pieces like Danielle Hunter, nobody quite knew how to view the Vikings. 

This wasn't just analysts who cover the NFL as a whole, it includes people like myself who cover the team on a full-time basis. There were multiple analysts who though the Vikings would fall under their 6.5 win total projections. I believed that they would win 7-8 games and compete for a wild card spot. I don't think anyone saw this kind of performance coming from the Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings are legit

It's time to admit it: everyone was wrong about this Vikings team.

There aren't any excuses right now to say that the Vikings aren't one of the best teams in the National Football League. Sure, after a convincing 28-6 win over the New York Giants there were doubters.

"Oh, it's just the Giants. Anyone can beat them."

"Beating Daniel Jones isn't impressive."

The Vikings were favored in the game, so it's to be expected that they get the win. Doing so in a convincing fashion wasn't something that was expected across the league. Everyone was still riding their preseason narratives that the Vikings wouldn't be more than a 6-7 win team that was set to finish fourth in the NFC North. After a 23-17 upset win over the 49ers, the narratives started to shift but they weren't all the way there yet. 

Multiple analysts, including Stephen A. Smith, weren't ready to commit to the Vikings' success.

It's understandable to have hesitation when it comes to believing in a Vikings team after one upset win. It's still early in the season and we are still trying to figure out what each team is, so it's understandable. 

What can they say about the Vikings now? They didn't just play well against the Houston Texans in week three, they dominated one of the presumed Super Bowl favorites 34-7. It wasn't even close from the start.

Not only did they win, they did so without multiple starters and major contributors.

  • WR Jordan Addison
  • TE T.J. Hockenson
  • OLB Dallas Turner
  • ILB Ivan Pace Jr.

This wasn't a fluke for the Vikings. They took it to the Texans from the first snap and controlled the game, including an interception of Stroud on the second play. The defense set the tone early and increased their NFL-high sack total to 16 with five on the day. The offense more than held their own putting up 34 points and scoring on all five trips to the red zone with 31 of their 34 points.

The Vikings' performance was so good that it got many analysts discussing whether or not the Vikings are one of the best football teams in the NFL. ESPN's Ryan Clark claimed both that and that Darnold is the frontrunner for NFL MVP.

So, what's the new narrative going to be to discredit the Vikings? Will the Texans be given too much grace for not having Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce available to play? How about Darnold not being able to keep up his level of play? Or Brian Flores' defense will eventually fall apart like it did in 2023?

Right now, the Vikings have proven to be a complete team without any glaring weaknesses. They are moving the ball effectively and wreaking havoc on the opposing quarterback. This isn't a mirage or an aberration. It's now a trend thanks to a great general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coaches lead by head coach Kevin O'Connell and Flores.

Make no mistake, the Vikings are here and they aren't going anywhere for quite awhile. 

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