Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) does a Lambeau Leap with fans following a 31-29 victory against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, September 29, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings will put their unbeaten streak on the line in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. In the meantime, the club has appreciated a bye week.
Kevin O’Connell’s squad has a 5-0 record to begin the 2024 campaign, in command to reach the playoffs and perhaps tunnel deep in the tournament.
And with the bye expiring in a couple of days, these are the three big questions facing Minnesota, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important).
Most onlookers forecasted the Vikings for a 7-10 or 8-9 record, with optimistic exceptions by some that would plop Minnesota in the playoffs as a Wildcard participant.
Few expected Minnesota to be a buyer at the trade deadline — 3.5 weeks from now — but that’s the reality of a 5-0 record. If they so choose, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can scour the trade market for players like Amari Cooper (CLE, WR), Miles Sanders (CAR, RB), or Jonathan Jones (NE, CB), among others. The trade market will come into view within the next few weeks.
Of course, the Vikings don’t have much 2025 draft capital to send elsewhere, but the 2026 piggybank is untouched if Adofo-Mensah is in the mood to make deals and pursue a Super Bowl this season.
So, will Minnesota morph into a buyer when many thought of it as a seller about two months ago?
The Vikings opened Hockenson’s practice window one week ago, meaning he will return on Sunday, October 20th, against the Detroit Lions — the team that injured him 10 months ago — or Thursday, October 24th, on Thursday Night Football at the Los Angeles Rams.
He should take the offense to new heights and make the enterprise more dimensional if, for example, Aaron Jones’ injury lingers. Minnesota could’ve used Hockenson last weekend when the offense sputtered due to Jones’ absence.
Hockenson usually sees between eight and nine targets per game. For an offense that has already experienced five wins to no losses, eight to nine targets of change is a major upheaval.
Aaron Jones hurt his hip in London in the win over the New York Jets — and the Vikings’ offense promptly turned to garbage. Jones is apparently that important.
Minnesota battled one-dimensional offense tendencies in 2023 that were recently cured by Jones’ six yards per touch this season. It doesn’t want to return to those naughty habits. Unless general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah fires off a trade for a player like Travis Etienne or Javonte Williams, Jones’ presence in the offense is mandatory.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell claims Jones’ recovery is “week to week,” and his health will remain the top storyline until he returns. He’s that damn important.
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 MIN 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.