It’s the first divisional matchup of the season for the Green Bay Packers. But the version of the Minnesota Vikings coming to town is completely different from what was widely expected before the season. The Vikings are 3-0, Sam Darnold is playing at the highest-level of his NFL career, and Brian Flores is leading the best defense in football by DVOA. With or without Jordan Love, it’s a big test for Matt LaFleur, Jeff Hafley, and the Packers.

So, we invited Tyler Forness, who covers the Vikings for A to Z Sports, to answer some burning questions about how the team is now and how sustainable it is.

How important has Aaron Jones been to the Vikings' offensive infrastructure?

He’s been incredibly important for the Vikings. One of the biggest issues last season was the running game. The run blocking was relatively fine, but Alexander Mattison wasn’t explosive enough to take advantage of the blocks they were getting. Ty Chandler is explosive enough, but he still needed some refining to be considered on an every down basis.

Jones has stepped in as what I call a “souped up” version of what Mattinson was and given the running game a real credibility. His understanding of how to attack the defense with his pass game acumen has taken this offense to another level.

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What has Sam Darnold done that is sustainable and what's not?

That’s a really good question. Everyone thinks of Darnold as this bust from the 2018 NFL Draft when he was the third overall pick. He faltered through three teams over his first six seasons, but the one thing that was always evident: the arm talent is still there.

What Kevin O’Connell has asked him to do is run the offense and harness the talent. He’s also playing with confidence, as the 2024 Vikings are unquestionably his team. Having the ability to not have to look over his shoulder and just play football has been huge for him. That is completely sustainable. What isn’t is Darnold’s turnover luck. He has thrown two interceptions but has gotten lucky a couple of times when he makes a bozo play. He’s going to get burned with that in time and it could be a big factor in the Vikings winning or losing a game down the line.

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The talent has improved. But schematically, what has Brian Flores done to adjust his defense after it got caught by the end of last season?

Brian Flores' scheme was based on either blitzing heavy or dropping eight. Because they had such a talent void in the front seven last season, Flores had to be really creative to get pressure on the quarterback. They used a lot of Bengal Hawk blitzes, which would have players like Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard. That would expose the flats and it unraveled the Vikings defense at the end of last season.

This year, the caliber of athlete has exponentially improved, and so have the rules. They are running a significantly higher rate of four-man pressures, including their four-edge rusher package. The flats are still where the Vikings want you to go with the ball, but they are swarming at a higher rate. They are also getting pressure with three and four rushers, making coverage on the back end easier, which is represented by the league-high 16 sacks the Vikings have. This defense is very hard to figure out but someone will. It just won’t be this week.

Matt LaFleur has strong words about Aaron Jones’ revenge game against the Packers

Running back has had career highs in yards after contact per attempt, yards per route run and elusive rating