Despite starting out at 5-0, all national media can talk about is how the Minnesota Vikings aren’t as good as their record. Even with that narrative being what is, the numbers say otherwise. Minnesota has earned its unbeaten start, and even with a schedule that isn’t overly daunting, the Vikings own a stronger strength of schedule than the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, who are also 5-0.

The conversation has to start with Brian Flores’ defense. It has been fantastic, and it doesn’t matter how you slice it.

Brian Flores’ defense is aggressive, not reckless

When it comes to the Vikings’ defense, everyone points to the blitz first. Quantifying the blitz is another challenge, as each outlet tracks a blitz differently. Even so, the Vikings’ blitz rate is high no matter where you look, whether it’s Next Gen Stats, FTN Fantasy, or Pro Football Reference. For this, I’m deferring to Pro Football Reference, which has Minnesota first in blitz rate at 65.6%.

That number can swing wildly from week to week. At one point against the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings were blitzing on more than 90% of plays. They aren’t afraid to be aggressive. However, they aren’t being reckless. They’re careful and calculated, and that’s the key to understanding this unit.

Flores’ defense is built on five-man pressure. He wants to send five over the traditional 3-4, and he will keep sending five. With so many bodies crowding the line of scrimmage, offenses don’t know who’s coming. Pass protection rules are relatively simple and similar across the league, unlike coverages and disguises, which can be mixed up endlessly. The Vikings focus their efforts on manipulating those rules, which is how they got Dallas Turner isolated on tight end Colston Loveland on the final play to beat the Chicago Bears.

The best part is that this defense lacks household names. It isn’t necessarily by design, but it also is. Minnesota is identifying players who fit the system, and it’s doing a great job of it. Here’s where the Vikings rank:

• First in blitz rate and pressure rate 
• First in scoring defense (12.8 points per game)
• Third in passing yards allowed per game
• Second in rushing yards allowed per game
• First in third-down conversion percentage (22.2%)
• First in red zone percentage (25%, just three touchdowns on 12 trips)
• First in drives allowing a touchdown (24.1%)
• First in turnover percentage (16.7%) 
• First in points per drive allowed (1.09)

That points-per-drive figure puts this group in the echelon of elite defenses. The Vikings are also one of the few teams playing zone behind their blitzes, something college teams do often. Early on in Flores’ tenure, they struggled against in-breaking routes. They have since cleaned that up by putting linebackers in the A gaps and dropping them back to take away intermediate in-breakers. Offenses will eventually adjust, and how they do it will be worth watching, but for now, it’s an elite defense and projects to stay that way.

Kyler Murray’s offense is doing its part

The offense isn’t explosive, but it is complementing the defense very well. Kyler Murray has played only three full games, and he, Jordan Addison, and Justin Jefferson have been available together for just 18 snaps. If you heard that number in a vacuum, you’d assume Minnesota was 2-3 or 3-2.

The unit hasn’t scored a ton of points, and it hasn’t ranked well in success rate or EPA per play. The one thing it has done is control the ball. The Vikings are second in time of possession at 33:37 per game. Over the last two games, they’ve held the ball for more than 79 minutes, and the defense has been on the field for only 84 plays. That pace works out to 714 plays over a 17-game season, and it would equate to a 311-play decrease from last season.

Even so, it’s been ugly at times. That being said, the offense keeps finding ways to move the ball and win. With Addison and Jefferson expected to be back on the field Sunday, this offense should take another leap forward. If the Vikings can add some explosiveness and climb into the 16-20 range in EPA per play and success rate, this team gets a lot scarier.

Special teams deserve credit too

Even with the defense playing like it has, you could argue that the Vikings’ special teams unit has been the best on the team. Its starts with kicker Will Reichard who still hasn’t missed. He’s gone nearly 60 attempts, including extra points and field goals, without a miss since the end of the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers. That kick came from more than 50 yards, barely missed, and allegedly hit the cable for the SkyCam. A kick also allegedly clipped that cable in the Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns.

Brett Thorson’s punting has been strong, and the Andrew DePaola long-snapping operation has been fantastic. Myles Price already has a return touchdown, along with multiple long returns to set the offense up. Penalties are down too, which was a massive problem in 2025.

Field position tells the biggest story. Minnesota is ninth in the NFL in allowed starting field position to opponents at the 29.1-yard line, while its own drives start at the fourth-best average, the 33.4. Defensive turnovers help, but several of those came in the red zone, where they don’t produce great starting spots. Special teams have done the heavy lifting.

Will there be regression? The Vikings have had some luck, and turnovers and red zone defense likely won’t stay at this level. All three phases stack together, and it’s hard to poke holes in how Minnesota got to 5-0.