Vikings make history in shutout win vs. Commanders, and it speaks volumes about what this team could have been this season
The Minnesota Vikings are the first team since 1992 to be on both ends of a shutout in back-to-back weeks.
The Minnesota Vikings have not had a great season, and it’s been frustrating for the fans and the team as a whole.
Last week was a tough one for the Vikings, as they had their worst performance of the season in a 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It was the first time they were shut out in nearly 20 years, and the offense was the worst single-game performance we’ve seen, possibly this century, even worse than the infamous Josh Freeman game.
Sitting at 4-8, the Vikings needed to win every game the rest of the season just to have a chance at the playoffs. They got off to a good start on a necessary five-game winning streak and, in doing so, achieved something no team had done this century.
Minnesota Vikings achieve NFL first in the 21st century
J.J. McCarthy did a great job on Sunday afternoon, conducting the offense efficiently, as he hadn’t all season, in a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders.
Getting a shutout isn’t something that’s out of the norm for the Vikings. It’s the second time they’ve done so with Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, with the other being the 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. It’s also the third this century, with the other being a 16-0 win over an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers team in 2016.
Getting a shutout isn’t that rare, but it is when you consider that the Vikings got a shutout the week after being shut out themselves. They were the first team to accomplish that since 1992.
The 1992 Denver Broncos were shut out 30-0 in Week 3 and did the same to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, winning 12-0. It’s pretty impressive to get a shutout, but doing so the week after getting blanked yourself is even more impressive.
It’s also another example of the Vikings’ inconsistency this season and a potential building block for 2026, as McCarthy had many positive moments on Sunday.
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