Nov 3, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) warms up before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings have a 6-2 win-loss mark through eight games and head to Jacksonville for a date with the Jaguars on Sunday.
The NFL regular season reached a midpoint after Week 9, and Minnesota is in control of reaching the playoffs if it finishes at least 3-6 or 4-5.
So, with half the season left, these are the top three storylines for the Vikings’ season remainder.
When Minnesota owned a spiffy 5-0 record, folks daydreamed about Hockenson’s return as the feature that could immortalize the team.
Then the Vikings lost two straight, and everyone merely wanted them to avoid a 2016-style collapse.
Well, Hockenson is back, Minnesota snapped its losing skid, and onlookers are curious about Hockenson’s upside in the offense. He’ll have a monster game at some point, and that will likely coincide with the world nominating Minnesota as a true-blue contender once again.
In 2023, Minnesota’s defense became the best in the league from Week 4 to 14. However, in a Week 15 showdown at the Cincinnati Bengals, the purple defense inexplicably fell off a cliff and never recovered. The rest of December and January played out woefully for Minnesota on defense, and the Vikings missed the postseason.
Conventional logic suggests the 2024 defense has more talent, possibly disqualifying fears of another defensive faceplant. But when the defense performed subpar in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions and Week 8 at the Los Angeles Rams, some of the 2023 anxiety reemerged.
So, are Brian Flores’ scheme’s regressive qualities due to make an ugly reappearance? Or did Minnesota get that “out of its system” against the Lions and Rams?
Kevin O’Connell’s team started the 2024 season with a blisteringly good 5-0 record, dominating opponents and leading the NFL in point differential entering Week 6. Folks couldn’t help but daydream about the Vikings as a Super Bowl contender.
Then, the aforementioned two losses occurred, and Minnesota returned to the territory of a Wildcard contender.
The Vikings have nine games to prove the first five weeks were closer to reality. Blowout wins would suggest they can win the chip. Losses or squeaker wins might suggest otherwise.
By the time we get to Christmas, will the Vikings feel like a bonafide Super Bowl contender — or a playoff one-and-done type?
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.