Vikings Ranked No. 3 by Bucky Brooks After Untraditional 4-0 Start

Today I saw Fox Sports writer Bucky Brooks have the Vikings all the way at No. 3 in his Monday Morning Top 10. Minnesota is one of only three unbeaten teams left, alongside the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. The difference is that those other two clubs are winning with explosive offenses or balance. Minnesota is winning because its defense and special teams. Those squads refuse to let the game get away, and have consistently kept the Vikings in the game with big plays.

For example, Will Reichard made all five of his field goals and accounted for every Vikings point Sunday. His streak of consecutive made kicks now sits at 31, the longest active run in the league. The guy can’t miss, and has been the source of offensive points in the last three weeks.

Meanwhile Brian Flores’ defense held Miami to 198 total yards and 10 points. Through four games, the unit is allowing a mere 12.8 points per game. That mark is the best mark in the NFL, and it has kept opponents off the scoreboard. The Vikings defense came into Week 4 as the NFL sack leader with 14 sacks, and Dallas Turner collected two more Sunday. He now has 5.5 sacks in 4 games to start his first season as a starter.

The special teams return game from Myles Price adds to the efforts in the wins this season. His punt and kick returns have put Minnesota in good field position. He already has a punt return TD, and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the month. Amassing 483 yards in returns in 3 games, and the 86-yard punt return touchdown helped him notch the honors.

The offense has not matched that standard set by the defense and special teams. Kyler Murray finished 27 of 37 for 247 yards with no touchdowns and four sacks Sunday. The completion percentage and yards look good on the surface. Although he avoided turnovers his first three quarters looked disconnected to say the least. He finished strong though completing 13 of 14 passes for 120 yards on the final two drives.

Tight end T.J. Hockenson caught 13 passes for 119 yards, including the third-down grab that let Minnesota kneel out the clock after he slid short of the goal line. Aaron Jones Sr. ran for 94 yards. Justin Jefferson sat with a sprained ankle which removed a weapon. The bad news after that is the Vikings found out today that they lost starting left guard Donovan Jackson likely for the year with a torn meniscus.

The formula so far: stop the other team, kick field goals, and leave with the win. The Vikings have now won two games this season without an offensive touchdown, including a 9-3 result at Chicago. No team had opened 4-0 with multiple scoreless offensive games since the 1923 Chicago Cardinals. Their six offensive touchdowns are tied for the fewest by any 4-0 team this century. Impressive stats, but the sounds of boos on Sunday while Minnesota was up by two scores signal the fanbase isn’t happy with the offensive output.

That split is the entire argument about how long the ranking can last. Brooks has already set the bar high with his number 3 ranking of the squad. Bucky along with the rest of the media know the defense is why Minnesota is undefeated. Murray’s and the offense still has room to grow, and need to fast.

A unit that lives on field position and red-zone stops can carry a club through October, especially against a schedule that has already included Green Bay, Chicago, Tampa Bay, and Miami. It becomes harder once opponents force the Vikings to trade scores. Nine straight regular-season wins dating to late 2025 show the floor is real. The ceiling for the Vikings depends on whether the passing game can finish drives instead of kicking field goals with Will Reichard.

Some in the fanbase would say that it feels like a loss at 4-0. Some say be happy, and a win is a win. The reason fans feel that way is because the winning isn’t sustainable in this fashion. Murray’s late accuracy against Miami is the most positive play we have seen so far. He was hesitant for long stretches, checking down early, and settled in better once he and T.J. Hockenson got rolling in the 4th quarter. Great when you can win when you have to with the defense, but you don’t want that to be the only way your team can win.

If Jefferson returns and Kyler can have the rhythm that produced Hockenson’s afternoon, perhaps the offense can start seeing success. Coach Kevin O’Connell does not need a sudden leap to the top of the offensive charts. He needs enough explosiveness and red-zone touchdowns that the defense is no longer asked to win every week by itself.

The Saints are next. Another low-scoring performance would likely not result in victory. Even a couple touchdowns would change the conversation in a given game. Until that happens, Minnesota’s place near the top of the league is earned, fragile, and entirely dependent on the defensive side of the ball.