The Vikings have cemented themselves as a genuine contender in the NFC this year.
The evidence is overwhelming; the sample size is big enough; there can no longer be any question about it: The Minnesota Vikings are a contender. Not just a good team, a legitimate contender.
Through three weeks this season, the Vikings are 3-0 with a +55 point differential. They blew out the Giants, who are 2-0 since then; they were a fumble away from blowing out the 49ers, and in perhaps their most eye-opening outing yet, they just blew out a very good Texans team. What more could one need to see to believe that this team is for real?
We've gotta talk about this defense, too. Led by Brian Flores, this has been the best defense in the NFL through three weeks. They came away with two more takeaways in this game on interceptions by Kamu Grugier-Hill and Camryn Bynum. They sacked C.J. Stroud five times, with three of them coming from former Texan Jonathan Greenard. The last team with at least five sacks in each of the first three games of the season was the 2001 New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings set the tone right away with a first quarter that couldn't have gone much better. On the first official play from scrimmage, Jonathan Bullard deflected a ball that was picked off by Grugier-Hill, snapping Stroud's streak of 266 attempts without an interception. A few minutes later, Darnold rolled to his left and hit Jefferson for a touchdown.
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