4 winners (and 3 losers) from the Vikings' ugly victory over the Dolphins

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Miami Dolphins 15-10 at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, improving to 4-0. Another victory belongs in the bank, even if the offense made the deposit unnecessarily stressful.

Will Reichard supplied every point, while T.J. Hockenson and Dallas Turner delivered crucial contributions. Minnesota had clear standouts, but winning without a touchdown also left plenty to examine.

Winner: Will Reichard - K

Reichard continued his hot streak, connecting from 47, 50, 33, 41, and 29 yards, turning five unfinished possessions into Minnesota's entire scoring output. His final kick stretched a two-point fourth-quarter lead to five, meaning Miami needed a touchdown, not a winning field goal.

The Vikings kept asking their kicker to compensate for stalled drives, and he answered every time. This wasn't a supporting performance; Reichard gave Minnesota the points its offense couldn't finish earning.

Winner: T.J. Hockenson - TE

Hockenson caught 13 passes for 119 yards, giving Kyler Murray a reliable target with Justin Jefferson unavailable. His production gave the offense substance when it otherwise struggled to translate possession into points.

His smartest play came late in the game. After converting third down, Hockenson went down inbounds near the goal line instead of scoring. Miami had exhausted its timeouts, allowing Minnesota to kneel out the victory. He chose certainty over a touchdown.

Winner: Dallas Turner - OLB

Turner ended an early Miami possession with a sack, then helped create a turnover. His pressure disrupted Malik Willis' throwing motion, forcing a fumble that Blake Cashman recovered after Minnesota successfully challenged the initial incompletion ruling.

That helped Minnesota hold Miami to 198 total yards. Those weren't decorative statistics. Turner stopped one drive and helped take another possession away from Miami. In a five-point game, that kind of disruption deserves prominent billing, even without a touchdown attached.

Winner: Aaron Jones - RB

Aaron Jones rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries and added four catches for 34 yards. His 128 yards from scrimmage gave Minnesota another productive option beyond the Murray-to-Hockenson connection. His 19-yard run was also Minnesota's longest of the afternoon.

The Vikings controlled possession for 39:11, and Jones supplied a substantial share of their offensive yardage. Minnesota needed sustained production, and he delivered it as a dual-threat.

Loser: Offensive line - Pass protection

Kyler Murray was sacked four times, starting on Minnesota's opening offensive snap. A Caleb Tiernan penalty also erased a 21-yard completion to Jordan Addison.

Not every sack falls squarely on the blockers' shoulders, but protection problems and lost yardage kept creating extra work for an offense already struggling to finish drives.

Loser: Kevin O'Connell - Head coach

Kevin O'Connell's team kept its perfect record intact, standing alongside the Kansas City Chiefs as the NFL's only undefeated teams. But his offense produced zero touchdowns, and Minnesota committed 11 penalties for 85 yards. Through four games of the 2026 regular season, the Vikings' offense has scored just six touchdowns, with two on the ground and four through the air.

The closing possession showed good situational management. The bigger concern is how often the Vikings needed their kicker to bail them out on possessions that offered more, especially for an offense that has managed only six offensive touchdowns through its first four games.

Loser: Run defense - Defensive unit

Ollie Gordon gained 100 yards on only nine carries, including a 53-yard burst, and scored Miami's lone touchdown.

Minnesota's defense did plenty right overall, but the ground-game breakdowns gave a limited Dolphins offense a route back into contention. The Vikings got the dub, but those gaps in the run defense still need fixing.

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