Minnesota has looked like a different team since the bye week.
The Vikings went into the break after a blowout loss to the Falcons. There was reason to believe that, after trading Yannick Ngakoue, the team would simply ship off more players and punt on this year.
However, Minnesota’s deals before the trade deadline ended there. With the roster relatively locked in, the Vikings have shown that this team can be good in the short term — for the last two games at least.
Since the bye, Minnesota has wins over Green Bay and Detroit. The Vikings still have work to do at 3-5, but that record doesn’t guarantee no playoff berth this season.
For the Vikings, the Lions game was mostly good, so let’s start with the good first: