The Minnesota Vikings are on their bye week, and it’s a lot more enjoyable thanks to their 5-0 start.
The Vikings (along with other happenings in the NFC North) have put themselves in a great position to return to the playoffs after winning their first five games, but as Vikings fans know, it doesn’t guarantee that they’ll do anything when they get there.
Because of this, fans are having trouble buying into their fast start. But there are also legitimate reasons to be concerned.
With no game this week, it’s a good time to reflect on the good and bad and see whether the Vikings are a team worth buying into when they return from the bye.
Reasons to believe in the Vikings’ fast start to the 2026 season
Minnesota's defense is dominating under Brian Flores
Talk with any optimistic Vikings fan and the first thing they’ll talk about is the defense.
Minnesota enters Week 6 with the NFL’s top-scoring defense at 12.8 points per game and hasn’t allowed a team to score more than 20 points since the Green Bay Packers dropped 22 points in the season opener on September 13.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Vikings also rank first with a 36.7 percent pressure rate and tied for third with 17 sacks.
With the emergence of Dallas Turner and Jalen Redmond as true stars of the defense, and Brian Flores, who has blitzed opponents at a 65.6 percent rate over the first five weeks, there’s little that suggests this group will take a step backwards coming out of the bye.
Vikings’ special teams has become an elite unit
While the defense has gotten plenty of flowers, Vikings special teams also deserve some credit.
Matt Daniels was fighting to keep his job one year ago, but he’s turned things around, helping limit big returns and helping Myles Price turn into one of the NFL’s most dynamic returners, averaging an NFL-high 21.6 yards per punt return and 29.8 yards per kickoff return.
But while rookie punter Brett Thorson has also performed well, the headliner is Will Reichard. Reichard has made 34 straight field goals dating back to a Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last season.
He also hasn’t missed an extra point since his college days at Alabama and has given Vikings fans a rare sense of comfort when he lines up for a kick.
Minnesota's offense is getting better with Kyler Murray
Quarterback play has been a touchy subject for Vikings fans since Sam Darnold left town, and while the Vikings are undefeated, Murray hasn’t been a driving force.
In four games, Murray has completed 68.3 percent of his passes but has just 662 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 35.5 percent success rate.
But things have looked up over the past two weeks. Murray found a groove late in the Week 4 win against the Miami Dolphins, and his performance against the New Orleans Saints was his best as a Viking, completing 24-of-30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown while running for 51 yards on 10 attempts.
With more reps, Murray should get better, especially because of the fact that he’ll be getting some key teammates back.
Vikings are getting reinforcements after the bye
One of the most encouraging things about the Vikings’ 5-0 start is that they’ve done it without critical pieces in their lineup.
While their defense has remained healthy, the offense has ground through the absence of Murray, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Mason, Jordan Addison, Christian Darrisaw, and T.J. Hockenson at times, and all six players have either already returned or should return after the bye.
Hockenson and Darrisaw might be the more questionable returns, as both are dealing with concussions. But the return of Mason and Addison is more likely and gives Murray and the rest of the offense another reason why they could get on track after the bye.
Reasons to be skeptical of the Vikings’ start to the 2026 season
Minnesota's second-half schedule is a gauntlet
If there’s a reason to be skeptical, it might be that the level of competition will be turned up after the bye. The Vikings have feasted on winnable games early and also got the benefit of winning in a monsoon against an explosive Chicago Bears offense.
The Vikings don’t have to apologize or give those wins back, but they do have to keep up their performance as they enter the middle part of their schedule.
The Vikings’ stretch begins with a sub-.500 team in the Indianapolis Colts next week, but the Vikings have to head to Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions in Week 8 and come home for a matchup against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 9.
A trip to Lambeau Field awaits in Week 10, and the Vikings will travel to face the currently undefeated San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City in Week 11.
Even matchups against the Atlanta Falcons (Week 12) and Carolina Panthers (Week 13) look more difficult than they did a month ago and the New England Patriots (Week 14) could rediscover their offense when A.J. Brown returns from an ankle injury.
Two more divisional matchups await the Vikings with the Lions (Week 15) and Bears (Week 18) visiting Minneapolis at the end of the season, and it could make those five stashed wins become even more important around playoff time.
Vikings’ current lack of depth
While the Vikings have weathered any injuries that popped up during the first half of the season, they could run into some problems if players don’t stop heading into the blue medical tent.
The biggest issue at the moment is the absence of Donovan Jackson, who is out for the regular season due to a torn meniscus. But the Vikings don’t have a lot of depth at running back or throughout their defense.
This is an aspect of the NFL’s schedule where the immediate goal is to win games. But the Vikings also need to pass the endurance test of a championship-level team.
While this isn’t about fearing the worst (see below), this team has to stay healthy to capitalize on its fast start. Otherwise, it could quickly go down the drain.
Minnesota's history
To be clear, each year is a different team. Players and coaches come and go.
Schemes are tweaked, and those who have infamous roles in franchise history may not be on the team anymore. But for all of that, the Vikings’ history may make some fans hesitant to buy in.
The Vikings started 6-0 in 2003 and were in the driver's seat to make the playoffs in a 16-game schedule.
But they went on to lose their last four games to finish with a 9-7 record and miss the playoffs after Nathan Poole’s last-second touchdown catch from Josh McCown in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
More recently, the 2016 Vikings also started 5-0 and missed the playoffs after falling to 8-8 when their offense couldn’t keep up with their special teams and defense.
Even the 2024 Vikings lost their final two games after starting the season with a 14-2 record, and it would be easy for fans to talk themselves into Reichard missing a kick at the worst possible time.
Again, this is a different team. But the Vikings’ history still hangs in the air and could be the mental block fans must get over to buy into Minnesota’s 5-0 start.
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