Through Sunday, the 8-1 Vikings hold the NFL’s second-best record, trailing only the undefeated Eagles. So…is Minnesota the second best team in the NFL? Well, if these were the NFL Power Rankings, as opposed to the Schein Nine, I would indeed put the Vikes at number 2. They fully deserved it after a thrilling overtime victory in Buffalo. So the above statement is factual.
I love Kevin O’Connell. I like his script and his positivity. He’s a gem, a top-notch candidate for Coach of the Year. I can’t imagine many people thought he would play eight of his first nine games as head coach, and this latest triumph was more than just another notch in the win column. We had been waiting for Minnesota to deliver a real win. On Sunday in western New York, O’Connell’s team erased a 17-point deficit in the second half to beat Buffalo, my Super Bowl pick of the preseason. That’s all.
Minnesota survived – and ultimately thrived – this season’s craziest and best game yet. Justin Jefferson turned up another masterpiece, catching 10 balls for 193 yards and a touchdown. His highlight of this game alone features plenty of stunning performances, but none greater than the 32-yard grab on fourth-and-eighteenths where the 23-year-old used one hand to mark Kirk Cousins’ swell and clear the ball. ripping off Bills DB Cam Lewis before somehow keeping possession during his descent to the turf. Just great — but nothing new for No. 18 either. Jefferson has played 42 games in this league and he already has 20 100-yard attempts. That’s the most centenary outings by an NFL player in his first three seasons, and the man has eight more games to add to the record! Credit is also due to Cousins, who recovered from two atrocious interceptions to produce brilliant results in the fourth quarter and overtime, where he recorded his fifth game-winning drive of the season – already a career high!
I know the Vikings have won seven consecutive games by one score. I know if Josh Allen hadn’t broken up along the way, we would have had a different conversation. I know that Sean McDermott made a mistake by not kicking the field goal in the fourth quarter that would have extended Buffalo’s lead to 13 points again. But the Vikings ran the ball with authority, as Dalvin Cook piled 119 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries (8.5 yards a pop). They made clutch plays in defense and scored four takeaways, including two play-defining picks from Patrick Peterson. Jefferson did Jefferson stuff, and Cousins delivered the piece in a huge spot.
These Vikings, who already have a five-game lead over the rest of the NFC North in the losing column, are legit. Deal with it.
