7 instant takeaways from the Vikings' narrow win over the Bucs

It wasn't pretty for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday (which could be said about all three of their wins this season), but they did enough to get the job done and come away with a victory in their Week 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With the win, the Vikings are now 3-0 to begin the 2026 campaign, something that, believe it or not, they've now accomplished in two of their last three seasons.

We'll have more in-depth looks into Minnesota's Week 3 victory during the next few days, but for now, let's go over some of the most notable initial takeaways from Sunday's win over the Bucs.

Justin Jefferson injury (unsurprisingly) had a negative impact on the Vikings' offense

Midway through the first quarter, Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson left the game with an ankle injury, and he was eventually ruled out of the matchup in the third quarter. Not having its All-Pro receiver on the field certainly made things tougher for Minnesota's offense, and especially for Kyler Murray in his first start back for the Vikings since Week 1.

Without Jefferson on the field for most of the day, Minnesota's offense only finished with 152 passing yards, as Murray went just 15-for-29 for 168 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Jordan Addison still exists

Shortly after Jefferson exited the game with his ankle injury, some hope was provided to the Vikings in the form of Jordan Addison.

During a 73-yard scoring drive in the second quarter by Minnesota, Addison hauled in two long passes, including a 41-yard pass from Murray for a touchdown.

Addison finished his day with five catches for 90 yards and one touchdown. Heading into Sunday, he had only hauled in a total of two catches so far this season.

Myles Price ends the Vikings' drought

Minnesota's first touchdown of the contest happened after wide receiver Myles Price received a punt and returned it 86 yards the other way for six points.

Not only was that Price's first punt return touchdown in his two years with the Vikings, but he became the first Minnesota player to return a punt for a score since Marcus Sherels in Week 5 of the 2016 season.

Vikings pass rush is still amazing

After making life miserable for the first two opposing quarterbacks they faced this season, the Vikings' relentless defense brought down Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield six times on Sunday. Veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy led the way for Minnesota in the contest with 1.5 sacks.

So far this year, the Vikings' defense has accumulated a total of 14 sacks, led by Dallas Turner with 3.5, Andrew Van Ginkel with three, and Blake Cashman with 2.5.

Penalties, penalties, and more penalites

After Tampa Bay's game had a two-hour weather delay last week, there wasn't a single drop of rain that touched the ground during Sunday's matchup. However, it did get to a point where it seemed like it was raining yellow flags every other play.

Throughout the entire contest, the Vikings and Bucs combined for a total of 17 penalties for 176 yards.

Johnny Hekker made up for lost time

Thanks to an injury to Brett Thorson, Minnesota had to re-sign veteran punter Johnny Hekker earlier this week, and it's a good thing they did.

On Sunday, Hekker wound up punting the ball eight times for 372 yards, including two that landed in Tampa Bay's own 20-yard line. That's only two fewer punts than what Thorson had in the Vikings' first two games combined.

Will Reichard has ice in his veins

While Minnesota's offense struggled on Sunday, kicker Will Reichard most certainly did not. Reichard came into Week 3 having made all of his field goals this season, and his perfection continued against the Bucs.

Reichard knocked down kicks from 54, 56, and 43 yards away, which, in the end, proved to be huge, as the Vikings only won by seven points.

Ugly wins are the Vikings' style in 2026 (so far)

This current Minnesota team is not one that has started 3-0 this season due to having an explosive offense. Instead, the Vikings have won all of their games in 2026 by taking care of the football, sticking with the run game, and playing excellent defense.

If Minnesota can somehow find a way to generate even a little more points with its offense, then this team has a chance to be something special this season.

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