ESPN Pumps the Brakes on Vikings

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Because of an unblemished 5-0 start and a schedule that’s about to lighten up, Minnesota Vikings fans have started to dream big about the 2024 season — and playoffs.

ESPN Pumps the Brakes on Vikings

But according to ESPN, nominating the Vikings as a frontrunner to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl is an “overreaction.”

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Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

Each week, ESPN publishes an “overreaction v. not an overreaction” piece, and heading into Minnesota’s bye, Dan Graziano claimed it’s a bit too early to crown the purple team.

“The good news about the Vikings’ 5-0 start is that 71 of the 85 teams that have started 5-0 in the Super Bowl era have gone on to make the playoffs. The bad news is that the last team that didn’t was … the 2016 Vikings, who crashed to an 8-8 record after a 5-0 start,” Graziano opined.

“So, Vikings fans know all too well not to party just yet. We’ll know more in two weeks after Minnesota has played the Lions, but this team already banked a huge division road win against the Packers. The Vikings absolutely, positively can win the NFC.”

Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images.

Through five games, the Vikings showcase the NFL’s top-ranked defense per EPA/Play and 14th-ranked offense, a relatively balanced operation, particularly to start the season.

Graziano also questioned quarterback Sam Darnold’s sustainability.

“Their out-of-division schedule isn’t overly terrifying, and if they get playoff home games, they’re going to be very tough in their very loud building with that defense. It’s just still too soon, and the NFC North is still too tough, to say something like this with certainty, especially with Darnold having looked a bit more turnover-prone the past couple of games. Let’s let this one cook a while longer while everyone’s enjoying it,” he wrote.

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When the schedule was released in May, onlookers identified the first six or seven games as a murderer’s row, with the gauntlet softening up after Halloween. And once the “easy” part of the schedule arrives, Minnesota will have a 7-0, 6-1, or 5-2 record.

Graziano didn’t publish the article without a little praise, however: “An NFC North that looked in the preseason like a two-team race between the Lions and Packers has a surprise leader through five weeks, and the Vikings have looked like the best team in the NFL on both sides of the ball.”

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

In 2003 and 2016, Minnesota sprinted to undefeated starts of the season — 6-0 in 2003 and 5-0 in 2016 — and later collapsed, missing the postseason altogether. Since 1990, in addition to 2003 and 2016, the Vikings have started 5-0 thrice and later reached the NFC Championship (1998, 2000, 2009).

It’s all or nothing, to an extent, when beginning a season with an unbeaten record for Minnesota.

And ESPN doesn’t really think the prosperity will last all the way to February.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.