There’s an old saying that, paraphrased, says that “once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern.” For the 2024 Minnesota Vikings, it was easy to ignore the team’s first win, over a rather hapless New York Giants team.
Then, the Vikings did it again the following week — in a rather convincing fashion — over a much better San Francisco 49ers team. Still, plenty of skepticism was warranted, as it’s still early in the season, and the 49ers were without some key players.
However, now that the Vikings have done it again and beaten an excellent Houston Texans team – and done so convincingly – it’s time to start accepting the idea that this might not be an accident. With three wins in a row, and two of them over two of the best teams in the NFL last season, it’s time to start accepting that this version of the Minnesota Vikings might just be “for real”.
Now, that’s not to say that the Vikings are a legitimate Super Bowl contender – at least not yet – but rather that it’s time to acknowledge that popular opinion on the team may have been wrong. Coming into the season, there was a lot of hesitancy to believe in the Vikings, largely due to the notion that famed NFL Draft bust Sam Darnold would helm them. Darnold was the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but famously flamed out with the Jets, before struggling even more with the Carolina Panthers and being relegated to a backup role with the 49ers.
However, through the first three weeks of the season, Darnold has arguably had the best season of his career. The offense that head coach Kevin O’Connell runs with the Vikings has lent itself well to Darnold, and in turn, he’s having successes the likes of which he’s rarely – if ever – seen in his career. Darnold had just his second career game with four touchdown passes on Sunday against the Texans. Through three games, Darnold has a passer rating of 117.3, nearly 25 points higher than at any other point in his career.
With just two more touchdown passes, Darnold will have double-digit passing touchdowns for the third time in his career. The yardage numbers he’s putting up aren’t spectacular, but he’s making the plays he needs to make when he needs to make them, and he’s being efficient with the ball. What’s more, those numbers will only get better as the Vikings get back to full strength with a healthy Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson down the road.
But the story of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings’ success isn’t just about the career resurgence of their quarterback. What makes the Vikings “for real” this season, and why their success can be sustainable, is the defense’s performance. Behind defensive mastermind coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings defense is giving quarterbacks fits. On Sunday, the Vikings managed to end C.J. Stroud’s league-leading consecutive passes without an interception streak, turning him over not once but twice daily.
They’re also bringing a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, disguising those pressures and the coverages behind them, and generally making life a nightmare for whomever they face.
It is still early in the season – just three games. There is plenty of time for Darnold to turn back into a pumpkin. There’s plenty of time for opposing offenses to figure out the Vikings’ defensive schemes, and the NFL season is a long and brutal one – injuries will happen and could take a dramatic toll on the team.
However, as things stand right now, and the outlook going forward, it’s time to start thinking about the 2024 Minnesota Vikings as not only a potential playoff team, but a team who could win a game or two when they get there.