Zulgad: Getting in the Flo of things: Brian Flores' defense is one reason expectations have soared for undefeated Vikings
There were concerns about the offense's performance Sunday in a win over the Jets, but as the 5-0 Vikings reach the bye week, the reality is things are going better than anyone could have expected.
It’s a testament to how much expectations have changed for the 2024 Minnesota Vikings that a 23-17 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday was met with more concern than celebration.
Kevin O’Connell’s play calling, Sam Darnold’s rough afternoon, Aaron Jones’ hip injury. These three things were top of mind for the many who expected more after the Vikings took a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. Especially after the Vikings nearly coughed up a 28-0 first-half lead last week in Green Bay.
But if you had told Vikings fans at the beginning of the season that their team would be 5-0 entering the bye week, no one would have asked questions about style points, play calling, or the quarterback’s performance.
They would have smiled and happily accepted the record.
This was a team coming off a 7-10 finish that had a projected win total of 6.5. The “experts” were not convinced Darnold was anything more than a huge draft bust and some thought the Vikings’ defense would take a step back after showing big improvement under first-year coordinator Brian Flores in 2023.
The Darnold concern was justified — his struggles on Sunday in London against a very good Jets defense can’t be completely dismissed — but the doubts about the defense were baffling from the start and remain a massive misjudgment.
The success of the defense, and the fact that Darnold played so well that he was named NFC offensive player of the month for September, are among the reasons why the standard for the Vikings have been raised on a weekly basis.
Among those raising that standard are many inside TCO Performance Center, including O’Connell and a group of players who will get the benefit of a week off before returning to play host to last season’s NFC North champion, the Detroit Lions, on Oct. 20.
Make no mistake, O’Connell entered this season expecting more of his team than anyone else. That hasn’t changed and the 5-0 record is only a starting point for a team that has come to believe it has a chance to play deep into January.
The Vikings will have 12 regular-season games remaining once they get back from their bye and, while the players will get rest, O’Connell and his staff will spend much of this week self-scouting their own film and looking at what worked and, more importantly, what can be improved or fixed.
That won’t be a short list. Especially after the offense accounted for only one touchdown on Sunday and Darnold had his worst game of the season. The early-season MVP candidate was 14-of-31 for 179 yards with one interception and a lost fumble on a pitch for Ty Chandler that went awry. Darnold’s streak of four consecutive games with a passer rating of more than 100 came to an abrupt halt as he registered only a 50.3 rating.
The most concerning moment for the Vikings’ offense wasn’t a miscue — or one of the six penalties (the team had 11) they took — but rather the exit of do-everything running back Aaron Jones because of a hip injury. O’Connell said he will be keeping his fingers crossed that the injury is a short-term thing.
Anyone who watched the Vikings’ offense operate after Jones’ departure, knows exactly why O’Connell offered to drive to Green Bay to pick him up last March after the Packers released him. Jones, 29, rushed for 29 yards on seven carries and made a big-time catch on a 24-yard pass from Nick Mullens (who replaced Darnold for one play) before leaving.