Sunday’s Game Is the Hinge for Vikings

Theory on Harrison
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The Minnesota Vikings hope to snap a two-game losing streak on Sunday Night Football this weekend, dropping recent contests to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams.

Sunday’s Game Is the Hinge for Vikings

Minnesota began the season with an unforeseen 5-0 record, but after a Week 6 bye, the bottom fell out, at least temporarily.

And in Week 9, the Vikings will encounter the almighty hinge experience. The result of the contest versus the Indianapolis Colts will dictate everyone’s enthusiasm and opinion of the purple team henceforth. Here’s how and why.

Win = Time to Get Reinvigorated

Listen, if Minnesota, in theory, dismantled the Colts by two scores or more, every onlooker would immediately forgive the sins of losses to the Lions and Rams. That’s just how sports work — what have you done for me lately?

sunday
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The Vikings must repair an ailing defense that was exposed — thoroughly — by Detroit and Los Angeles, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has the horses for the fix. Last year, Flores’ defense died in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and never resurrected. December and January defensive operations for Minnesota turned woeful.

But it doesn’t have to be that way this year.

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added gobs of talent during the offseason, featuring newcomers Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Jerry Tillery, Blake Cashman, Stephen Gilmore, and Shaquill Griffin. The 2023 team didn’t have the talent to respond when adversity hit.

It does now — and a win would propel the Vikings to a 6-2 record and approximate playoff odds in the 80%. They just have to win, and fans will be back on board with visions of playoff participation.

Loss = Time to Prepare for a 2016 Collapse

Conversely, a loss to the Colts — especially at home — would spell dread. Utter dread.

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.

Much of this generation of Vikings fans have lived through two 5-0 season meltdowns, most recently in 2016 and 2003 before that. If Minnesota loses to Indianapolis, it will seem the Vikings are the only franchise that habitually faceplants after fancy starts.

No other team does so this frequently, and thrice in 21 years would be unholy.

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Of course, Minnesota could still lose on Sunday Night Football and battle back thereafter, but nobody will believe that’s on the agenda. Losing to the Colts would feel like an exact 2016 replica, with little exception.

To determine expectations for the 2024 season on the whole, Vikings-Colts is the undeniable hinge event.


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.