The Minnesota Vikings are 3-0, and almost none of it has come easily. They closed with 29 straight points to beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, ground out a 9-3 win in Chicago and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-16 on Sunday.
The winless Miami Dolphins come to U.S. Bank Stadium next, and they’ll do it without De’Von Achane, who tore his ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here’s what’s real about Minnesota heading into Week 4.
The defense is the reason Minnesota is 3-0
Brian Flores’ unit leads the NFL with 14 sacks, and CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco wrote that Minnesota might be considered the best team in football with a better offense. The Vikings rank second in defensive EPA per play, according to Sumer Sports.
Chicago went 0 for 3 in the red zone in Week 2. Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield was sacked six times Sunday.
Miami’s biggest threat without Achane may be quarterback Malik Willis, who led the Dolphins with 56 rushing yards against Kansas City. Flores’ pressure packages have to keep Willis in the pocket.
The offense hasn’t earned the record
Minnesota has been outgained by 244 yards through three games. That’s the second-worst differential for a 3-0 team in NFL history, according to ESPN Research.
The Vikings haven’t topped 250 yards in any game. They gained just 230 yards Sunday and converted 2 of 16 third downs, and they rank 27th in offensive EPA per play, per Sumer Sports.
Miami’s defense ranks 29th in EPA per play. If Minnesota can’t move the ball against this group, the concern about the offense only gets louder.
Kyler Murray still has something to prove
Murray’s Vikings tenure started with a first-quarter concussion in Week 1, and he missed the Chicago game. Carson Wentz threw three touchdown passes in relief against Green Bay and beat the Bears.
In his first full game Sunday, Murray went 15 of 29 for 168 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The questions that followed him to Minnesota haven’t gone away.
This is the right week for answers. Miami allows 0.47 EPA per pass, the worst mark in the league, according to Sumer Sports.
Jordan Addison can carry the passing game
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Justin Jefferson left Sunday’s game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Kevin O’Connell said Jefferson avoided anything long-term, and his status depends on how the swelling goes this week.
Addison stepped in with five catches for 90 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown. He accounted for more than half of Murray’s passing yards.
Minnesota doesn’t need to rush Jefferson back against a 0-3 team. Addison proved Sunday he ca handle a No. 1 workload for a week.
Special teams have become a weapon
Myles Price returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter Sunday. It was the Vikings’ first punt return touchdown since Marcus Sherels did it in 2016, a span of 162 games.
Will Reichard made three field goals in the 9-3 win over Chicago, and Isaiah Rodgers blocked a field goal in the same game.
Miami’s offense ranks 26th in EPA per play. Against a team that struggles to sustain drives, every short field Price creates matters.
Dallas Turner is becoming a problem for quarterbacks
Turner had two sacks, five tackles and four quarterback hits against the Bears, and he ended the game with a sack on the final play. “DT just keeps showing up,” O’Connell said.
The 2024 first-round pick is giving Flores the edge rusher he needs to move pieces around. Turner’s speed matters most against a quarterback like Willis, who can turn a broken play into a first down.
The Vikings host the Dolphins at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX at U.S. Bank Stadium. Watch the practice reports for Jefferson’s status as the week goes on.
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