Sep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings edged the rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday, surviving a 2nd-half advance from the cheese team and winning 31-29.
Next up is the New York Jets, a 2-2 club that might be a bit desperate across the pond.
Along the way in England, the Vikings will put three undefeated streaks on the line. There are those ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important streak).
Vikings’ Record under Kevin O’Connell,
Breaking Even or Winning Turnover Battle:
21-0
Vikings’ Record under Kevin O’Connell,
Losing Turnover Battle:
3-14
That’s right — Vikings football is just one big fat turnover referendum under O’Connell. Here’s the easiest way to digest it: if Minnesota protects the ball or forces turnovers on defense, it wins. Plain and simple. The game ends unkindly 88% of the time when it loses the turnover battle.
Should fans see Vikings interceptions or fumbles right and left in London, the purple team will likely lose.
Otherwise, it can extend this bizarre stat to 22-0.
Minnesota won an exhibition showdown in London 41 years ago — and then never stopped winning in the city.
Since that dub, various iterations of Vikings have won three more times, knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013, the Cleveland Browns in 2017, and the New Orleans Saints (in a thriller) during the 2022 campaign.
The Big Smoke has been kind to Minnesota, and the streak can run to 5-0 this weekend if O’Connell and friends stifle the Jets.
For starters, nobody expected this. Find the most optimistic Viking fan in your Rolodex and ask if she predicted Minnesota would start 4-0. Nope.
O’Connell and Co. are currently undertaking one of the NFL’s most difficult schedules, and it just doesn’t matter. Super Bowl-contending teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers have posed no real threat to Minnesota outside of the Packers’ late-game comeback attempt.
The Vikings are mowing down all comers, and only the Kansas City Chiefs have matched their pace.
Minnesota can author its ninth 5-0 start in franchise history this Sunday. To date, it has reached the NFC Championship or Super Bowl in 75% of those seasons.
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.