The Minnesota Vikings are off to a 5-0 start after securing a Week 5 win over the New Orleans Saints as they head into their bye week. Moreover, the Vikings’ offense showed flashes of what it could look like post-bye week, with Kyler Murray starting to feel comfortable.
Murray went 24-for-30 on his pass attempts, leading to 229 passing yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 109.6. Furthermore, the Vikings quarterback used his legs to hurt the Saints’ defense as he recorded 10 carries for 51 rushing yards, with his longest run being for 18 yards.
With the Vikings offense showing signs of life in Week 5, the team’s former wideout Adam Thielen shared his thoughts on the win that moves Minnesota to 5-0, especially on Murray.
“The way the defense is playing, I think the first couple of weeks proved that it was possible,” Thielen said during an Oct. 12 appearance on KFAN. “Especially with how the offense played the first couple of weeks, it’s like, ‘All right, if they can progress a little bit, there’s definitely a chance.’ We saw that a little bit [against the Saints].
“You’re starting to see why they brought Kyler in—scrambling a little bit, getting some yards with his feet, then scrambling and dumping it to the running back, who gets 15 yards. They’re just starting to see glimpses of Kyler being Kyler. Let’s not forget him sitting in the pocket and delivering a perfect ball to Justin Jefferson in the back of the end zone with three guys around him. There are definitely glimpses of what this could be.”
Adam Thielen Has Faith Vikings Offense Will Continue to Improve
Moreover, Thielen shared a message for any Vikings fan that still has concerns over the team’s offense. With the Minnesota defense making life challenging for the opposing team’s offense, the Vikings can take those progressive steps with their offensive unit until Murray finds that comfort, which he’s starting to show.
“When you have a defense playing that way, you just make progress on offense,” Thielen added. “You don’t have to have it all figured out in one, two, three, four, or five weeks. Let’s just keep getting better. We saw that; we got better. We took the next step. Are there a lot more steps that the offense has to take? Yes. They know that.
“Kevin [O’Connell] knows that if they want to be a Super Bowl-contending team, they have to play better on offense. But again, you don’t need to do that all in one week. Let’s just keep progressing [and] keep getting better. Let’s get everybody healthy; let’s not forget that we have a lot of injuries in a lot of key spots that make it tough to score points. So let’s keep getting healthy.”
Justin Jefferson on Kyler Murray’s Performance
On the other hand, Justin Jefferson had a good performance in his home state, recording six receptions on seven targets for 79 receiving yards and one touchdown. After the game, Jefferson shared his thoughts on Murray’s performance.
“He seemed to find a rhythm,” Jefferson told reporters postgame. “It was great. The off-schedule plays he made scrambling and using his feet to create first downs and build momentum were definitely big for us. When a play doesn’t look like much, but he’s making something out of nothing, that goes a long way for us.
“That’s something we were looking for and expecting from him, creating those plays, scrambling, and looking downfield to make those big plays. He played tremendously. We just have to finish those drives, especially with the two fumbles we had.”
Vikings’ 5-0 Start Prompts Candid Kyler Murray Take From Adam Thielen