Vikings Maintain High Ground After Bye Week

No. 2 (no change): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report

There hasn’t been a more surprising team in the NFL this year than the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

That’s a whopper of an understatement. There were more folks who predicted Minnesota would finish last in the NFC North than first. But with quarterback Sam Darnold playing easily the best football of his career and the Vikings defense entering Week 6 among the league leaders in both sacks and takeaways, Minnesota has peeled off five wins a row to open the year.

While talking to reporters, Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell insisted that the Vikings are going to come out of the bye week just as aggressively as they went into it.

“I just think it coincides with what I’ve been kind of talking about,” O’Connell said. “Long before the first win, second, third or fourth win ever came… I’m just really stating the obvious inside that locker room, confirming to them that I believe in them, I love them and we’re going to ride together and we’re going to stay aggressive while being smart. There’s always a line there, but I’m really proud of our guys.”

Week 7 will bring a stiff test for the surprising Vikings — Minnesota’s first game post-bye is a home tilt with the Lions.

“Frankly, we’ve already seen a bit of the shine come off Darnold and the Vikings — he completed just 45 percent of his passes in London in Week 5 and had a passer rating that barely cracked 50,” Bleacher Report NFL analyst Gary Davenport said. “But so far this season, Minnesota has found a way every week to pull out a win. If they can do so against the Lions next week, the Vikes won’t just be in first place — they’ll have the NFC North in a choke-hold.”