Beat the Giants? Big deal. The Giants aren’t even the best team in New Jersey.
Souhan: Are the Vikings the best team in the NFL? They sure look like it.
The Vikings’ 34-7 destruction of the Texans ended the need for rationalizations and opened the door to astonishment.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 23, 2024 at 4:09AM
Upset the 49ers? That can happen, especially when the opponent is missing a star.
Swamp the Texans? Houston was missing two running backs and …
Let’s stop right there.
The Vikings’ 34-7 destruction of Houston on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium ended the need for rationalizations and opened the door to astonishment.
A Vikings team that won seven games last year and wasn’t expected to do much more this season is 3-0.
They have beaten two outstanding teams and the Giants, who have played far better against opponents other than the Vikings.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who is with his fourth team, leads the NFL in touchdown passes, with eight, after throwing four against a good defense on Sunday.
Their defense has faced one quarterback who started in last year’s Super Bowl, one who was the offensive rookie of the year in 2023, and another who recently signed a contract worth $160 million, and has allowed just 30 total points.
Their rookie kicker, Will Reichard, has made all 15 of his attempts.
They have won without getting a single game from No. 2 receiver Jordan Addison, who has an injured ankle, and won on Sunday without first-round draft pick Dallas Turner and starting linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
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Even a jaded fan base is allowed to say this out loud: As of late Sunday afternoon, these Vikings looked like the best team in football.
A team that, if it were allowed, could forward two nominees for Coach of the Year: head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
In the NFC, only the Vikings and Seahawks are 3-0, and Seattle has had a much easier schedule, beating Denver and New England in close games before defeating Miami’s backup quarterback, Skylar Thompson, on Sunday.
The only team in the conference with a better point differential, New Orleans, lost at home to Philadelphia on Sunday while scoring just 12 points.
The only 3-0 team in the AFC, Pittsburgh, is only plus-25.
The Kansas City Chiefs are two-time defending Super Bowl champions and deserve all of the credit and admiration they have earned, but they haven’t looked as impressive as the Vikings in 2024.
At the beginning of the season, the Vikings’ bandwagon was virtually empty.
Now it’s full, and running like a Ferrari.
The NFL can fool you. Bad teams sometimes get off to good starts. Upsets happen every three days or so. Injuries can flip a season surely as a rolling tackle can flip a running back.
The future remains unknowable, but the Vikings’ current circumstances are obvious to anyone paying close attention:
They’re very good.
And what makes them good might make them reliable.
They are well-coached. O’Connell and his staff have already worked a minor miracle with Darnold, who looks more accurate and composed than ever as a pro, and Flores has flustered three very different quarterbacks.
They are deep. They allowed star pass rusher Danielle Hunter to leave for Houston and are much less predictable with a host of rushers attacking from various angles. Sunday, the star was former Texan edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who had three of the Vikings’ five sacks. Fellow newcomer Andrew Van Ginkel had another.
They can excel at running and passing. Darnold has been able to get the ball to Justin Jefferson, third receiver Jalen Nailor has played well in Addison’s stead, and new running back Aaron Jones has produced 325 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games in purple.
Jefferson said he could get used to resting in the fourth quarter of blowout victories; this was the Vikings’ largest margin of victory since 2019.
The last time they won a home game by this much, they defeated Cincinnati 34-7 in 2017, while fans chanted the first name of backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Sunday, Darnold toppled over, grabbing his left leg, and the crowd loudly groaned. When he returned after missing one play, he heard chants of “Sammy!”
“The fans’ reaction was everything,” Darnold said.
Veteran safety Harrison Smith spoke of his eagerness to get to work every day, saying Vikings’ coaches elicit “a purpose, and joy, and a determination mindset.”
The Vikings could lose in Green Bay or to the Jets in London, but through three weeks they’re as good as it gets in the NFL.
The Vikings let go of one of the few remaining players from their 2022 NFL draft class on Saturday morning, cutting cornerback Akayleb Evans after his role on defense had dissolved. He could return to the practice squad.
