The Vikings are for real. Ignore them at your peril

of Minnesota Vikings They're 2-0. Yes, the Minnesota Vikings. You know them: the team everyone predicted would finish last in the NFC North, the team that lost steam after Kirk Cousins ​​left and had to give up on the season until JJ McCarthy could start.

In a two-week period full of surprises, Minnesota may be the most surprising team, but their start shouldn't have us surprised. When you boil it down to its essence, there's nothing surprising about why the Vikings are good: They're well-coached offensively, have a solid line on both ends of the floor, have the best wide receivers in the NFL, and have an inventive defensive coordinator who can hide their weaknesses while highlighting the strengths of their talent.

A win against the Giants in Week 1 is a given for most teams, but 49ers Losing is an entirely different story. At the very least, this winning streak dispels the preseason rumors surrounding the Vikings that this team would be a mess without Kirk Cousins ​​under center. In truth, they've been more of the same. They'll perform on offense, be aggressive on defense, and keep everyone they face at the end (for better or worse).

The Vikings have a clearer identity than any development team in the NFL. On offense, the team has established a run attack and accentuates it with strong passing plays. It's not revolutionary, but it works. On defense, the team's only goal is to prevent explosive plays. They know they only have one good cornerback in Stephon Gilmore, so they use their abundant linebacker talent to help cover and mitigate opportunities for explosive plays.

While many teams are struggling offensively, the Vikings seem to be in good form. In fact, they're playing better offensive football than most of the teams that competed for the Super Bowl last year. How did all of this translate into a win over the Niners?

Trust Sam Darnold

This seems like the opposite of conventional logic. Historically, Darnold is a quarterback who needs to be handled with caution, with schemes around him to mitigate his potential damage. Kevin O'Connell is saying his offensive identity is more important than his player credentials, and Darnold has the athleticism to move vertically.

It shows in the absolute trust he has in his quarterback. The system allows Darnold to play freely and unencumbered, and his passing charts show just how much trust he has.

This may not seem like a big deal, but passing charts like this one were not common in the NFL in 2024. Teams are so behind the curve offensively that it shows up in pass-heavy play-calling with not many high average depth of target (aDOT) passes. Even the best quarterbacks in the league are now victims of pass-heavy play-calling. Patrick Mahomes had a worse aDOT than Sam Darnold on Sunday..

The Vikings know they don't have a YAC speedster. Their receiver talent is much more conventional, and it's an advantage that Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the league. If they want explosive plays, they need to let Darnold play freely, and that's exactly what happened against San Francisco. It's also an advantage, as the logic-defying nature of trusting Darnold in this role forces defenses to jump on the gas and make adjustments.

Adding variety to your runs

The Vikings' run/pass balance was nearly even on Sunday, with 24 rush attempts to 26 pass attempts, but within that, the team had a clear identity: Aaron Jones was used on looping off-tackle rush attempts to spread the field horizontally, primarily on downs where pass catchers presented a threat to cut inside on intermediate routes and keep 49ers linebackers from reaching the edge.

This move was further accentuated by Ty Chandler breaking away from the guards to run the A and B gaps, hurting the interior with Jefferson and others threatening deeper routes on downs, which prompted the 49ers defense to be more vertically vigilant and not run into Chandler in the gaps, instead dropping back in coverage support.

This seems so simple to explain, but the beauty in doing all of this is that if you can keep a good defense like the 49ers on your toes, you can do it against anyone.

Justin Jefferson is amazing

Perhaps the simplest part of this whole equation is that Justin Jefferson is an unmatched receiver — his speed, instincts for open space and knack for taking angles out of routes are such that he's one of the few in the league who can make the quarterback work well on routes 20+ yards downfield.

The psychological advantage of Jefferson being a threat on every down is another big factor in this game.

What does the future hold for the Vikings?

This could go one of two ways: Darnold and the Vikings can keep up this momentum and give us one of the most incredible playoff records in recent memory, or it all falls apart as the defensive coordinator makes adjustments.

Before you say, “That's just negative thinking,” consider that this scenario actually happened in 2021. Carolina Panthers After Darnold played well for four straight weeks, defenses adjusted and he crumbled to dust.

Again, it's hard to say that will happen here, but the precedent for shock and awe is there. The difference is that O'Connell is a much better coach than Matt Rhule was, and this situation could continue for a lot longer.

Until we see signs of change, it would be dangerous to ignore the Vikings, because this is a hungry, well-coached team that is ready to continue to wow the NFL.

Winner: New Orleans Saints

The first second of today's column is New Orleans Saintsare playing their best football since the Drew Brees era. After proving their Week 1 win over Carolina was no fluke, the Saints traveled to Dallas and dominated a team hailed as one of the best in the NFC.

Offensively, the Saints are in great form. Derek Carr is thriving in Klint Kubiak's offense, and for the first time in Carr's career, it's a perfect fit for his talents. This team thrives thanks to intermediate passing that doesn't require him to stray too far from the platform. And Kubiak has done a great job of protecting and strategizing around injuries on the offensive line.

The Saints are the real deal and it was truly unexpected.

Losers: Carolina Panthers

There is literally nothing good to say about this team. We knew they were going to perform poorly in 2024, but lo and behold, the Panthers failed to even meet our minimum description.

Winner: Kyler Murray

When healthy, Kyler Murray is the most fascinating man in the NFL. He has the ability to go Super Saiyan at any time, but often just doesn't have the motivation to do it.

Well, a week of criticism really angered him and the results were spectacular. The Cardinals offense was much more open in Week 2, allowing Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. to work together and they thrashed the Rams in a key game that legitimized this new era. There's a lot to be excited about if you're an Arizona fan.

This is the blueprint, all you have to do is execute it.

Loser: Sean Payton

It's fair to start asking whether Sean Payton has simply gone mad, or if he's ever actually gone mad outside of Drew Brees.

When Payton arrived in Denver, he blamed the players and Russell Wilson for Denver's woes. He then overhauled the team and picked the quarterback himself, but the results were much the same. This team couldn't move the ball vertically, Bo Nix was unconvincing under center, and the team was just mediocre.

Payton has run out of excuses and fans deserve better.