Vikings Assigned the J-Word
Remember the day that rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was put on the shelf for the entirety of the 2024 season, and wide receiver Jordan Addison mounted a cart to be driven off the practice field?
Vikings Assigned the J-Word
Did you think the Minnesota Vikings would be coined a “juggernaut” about seven weeks later?
That’s where the Vikings are after a Week 4 win at Lambeau Field, according to The 33rd Team, after Minnesota edged the Green Bay Packers 31-29 on Sunday. An NFL analyst for that site, Tyler Brooke, ran an article titled Minnesota Is a Juggernaut fresh off the 4-0 start.
“The Minnesota Vikings might be the NFC’s most dangerous team. Despite a spirited comeback for the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings came away with a 31-29 win to stay undefeated,” Brooke wrote one day after the Vikings defeated the Packers. “Along with a 28-0 lead to start Sunday’s game, the Vikings have come away with statement wins against the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans to start the season. With a 4-0 record, the Vikings now have firm control of the NFC North, and coach Kevin O’Connell has his team looking like the NFL’s biggest surprise.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold has totally revived his career through four games in Minnesota, leading the NFL in touchdown passes (11) and ranking third leaguewide per EPA+CPOE, an efficiency metric measuring expected wins added. He’s played tremendously, keeping the Vikings in front of the scoreboard for all but three minutes of the 2024 season.
Meanwhile, Brian Flores’ defense is excelling, too, somehow allowing oodles of yards, stiffening when it matters, forcing turnovers, and emulating a “bend but don’t break defense” — that never feels like a “bend but don’t break defense.” Minnesota ranks 23rd in yards allowed to opposing teams but still has the NFL’s second-best defense per EPA/Play.
“The MIN D is absolutely unhinged. The scheme is batshit crazy, and they’re also getting awesome individual efforts. Last week Blake Cashman looked like the best player on the field. This week, Jonathan Greenard went off,” Brooke continued.
The Vikings now have the eighth-best odds to win the Super Bowl in four months, a statement that would’ve sounded comical about four weeks ago.
Brooke concluded, “With big wins against the 49ers, Texans, and Packers, things get a bit easier for the Vikings going forward. No game is a guaranteed win in the NFL, but the remaining schedule bodes well for Minnesota. They’re one of the only remaining undefeated teams in the league, and a handful of wins in the next few weeks could already secure their spot in the postseason by the tail end of November.”
Minnesota now has a 90% chance of reaching the postseason, according to DVOA — and is a juggernaut per The 33rd Team.
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.
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