The Minnesota Vikings are 3-0 and close to asserting a firm stranglehold on the NFC North, but as usual for the purple team, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Mainly due to injuries, there are some warts.
These are the main warts.
Three Concerns Hanging over a 3-0 Start for the Vikings
1. The Offense Hasn’t Clicked
Minnesota is undefeated, which makes the offensive frustration easier to tolerate, but the production has been ragged.
Kevin O’Connell’s group has only 715 yards through three games, last in the NFL, and the passing attack sits near the bottom of the league in several categories. The Vikings are the first team in two decades to start 3-0 with under 750 yards on offense.
Kyler Murray’s first full start produced 168 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while the offense converted only two of 15 third downs in Tampa Bay.
His timing is off. Murray hesitates on throws that appear [very briefly] available, then the window disappears before the ball leaves his hand. It’s evident on film: when Murray plants and lets it rip, the result looks great. When he hesitates, he’s cooked. It’s a classic sign of a newcomer in a fresh offense.
Some of this is understandable. Murray hadn’t started an NFL game since October 2025 before arriving in the Twin Cities, and his Vikings debut lasted only 11 snaps before a concussion knocked him out.
Losing Justin Jefferson after the opening drive in Tampa didn’t help, either. Jordan Addison eventually supplied the 41-yard touchdown, but the passing game never found a steady rhythm afterward. The encouraging part is how fixable this thing can be. O’Connell can sharpen and teach the reads and spacing as early as this week; Murray just has to trust what he sees and get the ball out on time.
The defense has bought the offense plenty of patience through September. Now the quarterback has to catch up.
2. Justin Jefferson’s Status Is Up in the Air
Jefferson avoided the nightmare outcome. His MRI showed an ankle sprain rather than a long-term injury, and he still has a chance to play Sunday against Miami. O’Connell said the team received good news, but the rest of Jefferson’s week will depend on swelling and how the ankle responds as practice unfolds.
“I did get some good news on Justin from a standpoint of it’s an ankle sprain, avoided anything long term,” O’Connell said Monday.
“It’s just gonna be about progressing throughout the week and where we can get him to from a standpoint of getting the swelling out and then what kind of work week he can have. I was very encouraged to get that news today.”
Jefferson caught two passes for 32 yards before leaving Tampa Bay, and the offense looked horrific once its best player disappeared.
The Vikings, of course, don’t have to rush him. Miami is 0-3, New Orleans follows in Week 5, and the bye arrives immediately afterward. If Jefferson needs a week or two, an ultra-cautious approach would make sense.
On the other hand, Jefferson isn’t wired to volunteer for rest. He tried to return Sunday at Tampa before the medical staff shut it down, and O’Connell said he got close to going back in. If there’s a path to playing, Jefferson will probably push for it.
A normal version of the Vikings’ offense should survive a temporary absence. Addison just went for 90 yards and a touchdown. T.J. Hockenson and Jauan Jennings give Murray two more experienced targets. The Vikings have enough skill-position depth to get by one Sunday without Jefferson if necessary.
The problem is the offense hasn’t looked normal yet. Until Murray gets settled, removing the best player on the roster makes an awfully difficult transition harder.
The offense basically needs to be “not horrendous” – – because the defense has enough oomph to take care of the rest, at least for a while.
3. Jordan Mason and Josh Oliver Are Hurt
The rushing plan has taken two brutal hits before October.
Mason fractured his right thumb Week 1 and landed on injured reserve after surgery. Oliver then tore his biceps in Tampa Bay and will also have surgery, with a regular-season return considered a long shot. It’s a dreadful one-two punch of adversity.
Oliver’s loss may hurt the ground game most. He’s one of the offense’s best blockers and has played more than half the offensive snaps through three weeks. He may be the closest thing this rushing attack has to a tone-setter up front.
Mason has two required games left on injured reserve before he’s eligible to return, and O’Connell previously expressed optimism about the four-game window. Broken thumbs don’t always cooperate with the calendar, though.
Aaron Jones has handled most of the work since Mason went down, but asking a 31-year-old to be a weekly bellcow raises its own concerns. Rookie tailback Demond Claiborne has received a few opportunities and hasn’t shown much after contact yet. He doesn’t break any tackles. He refuses.
Minnesota needs Jones to continue his stay-together-like-Frankenstein routine – – or pray that Claiborne starts to break some damn tackles.
Meanwhile, practice-squad halfbacks Jerome Ford and Jaret Patterson are out, and Devin Neal is in. Neal is only 23, stands 5-foot-11, and weighs 213 pounds, bringing a little more zeal than just another veteran stopgap.
New Orleans drafted him in the 6th round last year, and he finished his rookie season with 206 rushing yards plus 104 through the air.
That’s intriguing for a backfield trying to limp by until Mason returns. Neal isn’t some proven solution, but he’s young and already has 74 career touches without a fumble.
With Jones taking a beating and Claiborne struggling to create much after contact, Neal may have a real chance to earn snaps quickly. The Vikings clearly wanted a different profile behind Jones, and Neal fits.
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VikesNow Verdict: Murray has to settle into O’Connell’s system while Jefferson works through the ankle sprain. The running game has also lost two important pieces in Mason and Oliver. Miami offers a good opportunity to start sorting out some of this malarkey.
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