Once again, it wasn't pretty, but it was enough, as the Minnesota Vikings improved their record to 6-0 this season by getting a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
After giving up a rushing touchdown on the Colts' opening offensive drive, the Vikings went on to outscore Indianapolis 16-6 for the remainder of the matchup, and that proved to be all Minnesota needed to walk off the field with a victory.
We'll have more detailed analysis of the win in the next 48 hours, but for now, let's go over some of the initial reactions from the Vikings' latest victory of the season.
Jordan Mason might need to be RB1 for the Vikings moving forward (and that's okay)
Sunday was Jordan Mason's first appearance with Minnesota since Week 1, and even just from the eye test, he looked like the more effective running back out on the field against the Colts between him and Aaron Jones.
During Mason's four-game absence, Jones was solid for the Vikings. But on Sunday, Jones couldn't get going, as he only gained 9 yards on his first 7 carries, and then, after he had a 17-yard run in the fourth quarter, he had to exit the game with a knee injury.
As for Mason, he managed to accumulate 68 yards on the ground on 15 rushing attempts against the Colts (4.5 per carry).
Depending on how severe his knee injury is, Jones might have to miss some time moving forward. But if we're judging by what went down inside U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Mason getting the majority of the carries next week and possibly beyond should be just fine.
Minnesota's relentless pass rush picks up right where they left off
After getting Week 6 off, the Vikings' defense wasted no time on Sunday reminding the rest of the NFL why they are the best pass-rushing unit in the entire league.
This weekend, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones was on the receiving end of Minnesota's pass rushers, and it looked like a very unenjoyable experience for him.
Jones was pressured all day long by the Vikings (more than 85 percent of his dropbacks, to be exact), who ended up sacking him four times in the contest, including two by Minnesota linebacker Blake Cashman.
Having to deal with the Vikings' ferocious pass rush all afternoon certainly had an impact on Jones' performance, as he threw a game-ending interception and finished with just 108 passing yards.
T.J. Hockenson continues to be a safety blanket for Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray's tenure with Minnesota has been up-and-down so far this season, but when he's had success, it has usually involved him getting the ball into T.J. Hockenson's hands multiple times per game.
This was the case once again on Sunday against Indianapolis.
Murray and Hockenson ended up connecting on four passes for 35 yards and a nice five-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Vikings their first lead of the matchup.
Yes, everyone would like Murray to ge the football to Justin Jefferson as much as possible each week. But when the veteran quarterback has been at his best this season, it's been when he's been able to throw to Hockenson.
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