The Minnesota Vikings are a franchise that has started every season with high hopes of rising to the top of the football world. It is a franchise that has seen every season end in disappointment.
The Vikings struggled in their very early years after joining the NFL in 1961, but once Bud Grant became the head coach in 1967, things quickly changed. The Vikings were a playoff team in 1968 and they were NFL champions the next season.
That’s no misprint. The 1969 season was the last year when the NFL and AFL were separate entities. The Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-7 in the NFL championship game, and that gave them the right to represent the NFL in Super Bowl IV against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings were double-digit favorites, but suffered a 23-7 defeat to Hank Stram, Len Dawson and the AFL rival Chiefs.
They were good enough to get to three more Super Bowls through the 1977 season, but they lost each time. The years that followed were a mix of good and bad, but they have not been back to the Super Bowl and have rarely been close.
Every coach that has been hired since Grant certainly has had Super Bowl aspirations, and that includes current boss Kevin O’Connell. He has taken the Vikings to the playoffs twice but they have failed to win a game either time.
Last season was largely a disappointment, but when the team reached its nadir at 4-8, the team reversed course and won its last five games. A 9-8 record did not mean much to the outside world, but it meant quite a bit to O’Connell and his players.
Since the start of the season, the Vikings have reeled off four straight victories with a far-from-perfect team. The Vikings have placekicker Will Reichard and brilliant special teams and a defense that has shown itself capable of shutting down its first four opponents.
There are only three undefeated teams in the NFL, and the Vikings are one of them. They have joined the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, and both of those teams are far more accomplished offensively.
But Reichard has made all 12 of his FG attempts this season, including 7 of 7 from 40 yards and beyond. He has made 31 straight three-pointers dating back to last season, and he is arguably the best placekicker in the league.
The defense is also at the top of the charts as the Vikings are allowing 12.8 points per game and that ranks first in the league. Dallas Turner has 5.5 sacks and is the closest thing to a star for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Turner is surrounded by excellent teammates who have proven to be a cohesive stop unit through the early part of the season.
At least that’s how it looks from the outside. The five wins in a row at the end of last season means that this is a 9-game winning streak.
As a result, this is a team with a dream that is living and breathing. There certainly is a major weakness on the offensive side that must improve, but the Vikings are a team that has found a way to string nine wins together — and that’s something that few teams are capable of doing.
