Vikings Fact or Myth: 4 things stand out in Minnesota’s 2-0 start, and it starts with Brian Flores’ defense
From the Vikings’ running game to Carson Wentz’s future to Brian Flores’ defense, there’s plenty to sort through after two weeks.
The Minnesota Vikings‘ 2-0 start on the season is a fascinating trip that resulted in back-to-back wins in the NFC North. Head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s team has done a great job in navigating the challenges presented to them against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.
As we continue on going into Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the overall themes of the 2026 season are starting to come into focus. Within that, I took a look at multiple different potential overreactions on what the Vikings are. What is real and what is a myth? Let’s break it down.
Dallas Turner is a star: Fact
This one is no longer up for debate. Dallas Turner has gone on a fascinating development arc over the course of his tenure with the Vikings. Some people wanted to call him a bust after his rookie year, but that was never fair. He was very raw and didn’t have the body yet to be an NFL edge rusher. At roughly 6-foot-3, 247 pounds coming out of Alabama, Turner needed time in the weight room and a nutritional plan requisite of an NFL player.
He did exactly that. Turner came out in 2025 at 255 pounds of chiseled muscle, and the difference was completely visible on the practice field. He put up 8.5 sacks as a second-year player with Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard both missing multiple games due to injuries. There were still questions about his technique, his strength profile, and whether those sacks were just cleanup opportunities. Was he generating quick pressure on his own?
He shut everybody up in Week 1. Turner posted 10 pressures per NextGenStats, seven of which came within 2.5 seconds, tied for the league lead with Blake Cashman. Then on Sunday, he logged 11 pressures per Pro Football Focus, two sacks, and four additional quarterback hits. Turner was a wrecking ball. On the final play of the game, Brian Flores dialed up a pressure package with Turner lined up over Colston Loveland. He bullied the tight end beyond repair, got to Tyson Bagent, and ended the game.
Turner already has three sacks on the year and should lead the league in pressures once the week is all said and done. He has become a star before our eyes.
There was a lot of discussion about the Vikings not drafting Jared Verse, the player who became the centerpiece of the Myles Garrett trade. Turner right now is younger than Verse was when Verse made his NFL debut in Sept. 2024. Turner has 15 career sacks before Verse ever played a single snap in a chronological fashion. That’s why teams draft young players, and Turner is proving it time and time again.
Carson Wentz should start moving forward: Myth
Wentz started his 100th game on Sunday, and it wasn’t pretty in improving to 50-49-1 as a starter. The weather conditions were rough, the surface was sloppy, rain was pouring, and it was ugly football. Fun if you love defense, but ugly.
Should Wentz be the starter? Absolutely not. There’s nothing within the profile of Carson Wentz that says he should be the guy. He was solid against the Green Bay Packers with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and 133 yards. On Sunday, he was at 143 yards with no touchdowns and no picks, though he tried to throw one to Devin Bush in the first quarter on the opening drive, where Minnesota settled for a field goal.
Wentz is what he is: a high-variance backup quarterback. He can fire the ball down the field, can move around, and is a big guy who sees the field well. When he runs, Wentz brings a physical presence and can you get high-level performances, which is great to have in a backup. The problem is that the more he plays, the worse it gets on an overall scale. You don’t want Wentz playing more than a couple of games at a time because it just does not end well.
The talent is still there. There’s a reason he was selected second overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. The ability just isn’t what it should be anymore. Kevin O’Connell alluded to Kyler Murray being cleared from concussion protocol by the end of the week. When Murray is fully healthy, Wentz needs to go back to the bench.
The running game is fixed: Myth
It’s an overreaction, and it’s not due to a lack of effort. The Vikings had a good run game on Sunday, and a good one against the Packers, but inconsistencies remain. Against Green Bay, they logged 34 carries for 107 yards. Against the Bears, it improved to 28 carries for 119 yards. They’re running the ball more than 60% of the time, a far cry from what it used to be under O’Connell, who would throw far more than 60% of the time.
O’Connell seems to have calmed it down on wanting to create explosive plays through the pass nearly every drive. The focus is on getting the run game going, and it should be. However, there are a few factors preventing it from being 100% fixed. Jordan Mason is hurt and Aaron Jones got banged up on Sunday. There’s nobody behind those guys you can trust, and it’s a problem.
Until those things get figured out, it’s going to continue to be an issue. The Vikings likely aren’t going to strike up a trade for a high-quality backup, and they’re not going to find someone on the free agent market who elevates the room. Maybe they bring back Cam Akers for a fourth time? It would be very funny to see O’Connell do that again.
The strides have been real. The scheme looks a lot better, and O’Connell’s willingness to run the football is stronger. The pin-and-pull toss against the Packers and then again against the Bears late in the game got 28 yards from Mason and 15 from Jones. Great stuff. More of that is needed. The run game won’t be fixed until the Vikings get better depth in the backfield, and that takes time.
The Vikings have a top defense in the NFL: Fact
Brian Flores is a madman. After allowing nearly 450 yards against the Packers, he turned it around on Sunday, holding the Bears to 163 yards through the air and 134 on the ground. It may be 297 total yards, but Minnesota allowed only three points, including an 0-for-3 mark in the red zone. The three red zone stops? A forced fumble, a stop on fourth down with a blocked field goal, and a stop on fourth down at the end of the game with the Turner sack.
This defense continues to find ways to thrive. They attack everyone by manipulating coverage rules, and protection rules. They do a fantastic job deceiving what the quarterback is seeing. They don’t have the most raw talent of all time, but they do have great communicators that are incredibly smart individuals who can do a multitude of different things. That versatility lends credence to the success of this unit overall.
Flores’ group has a chance to be something special. The early returns suggest the Vikings’ defense is among the best in the NFL, and through two weeks, that’s no overreaction.
