In a battle of 2-0 teams entering Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings trounced the Houston Texans, 34-7, in Minneapolis.
Kevin O'Connell's club is just one of two remaining unbeatens in the NFC (Seattle Seahawks). After an offseason of big changes, including going from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold at quarterback, the Vikings continue to shine under O'Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
"I can't quite put my finger on what it is," running back Aaron Jones, one of the newcomers, said via the team's official website. "It's different. Because I've been a part of some good teams, but this is a special team.
"After the first game, just the vibe in New York, I was like, 'Mom, I don't know what it is, but this was no stress, it was just fun.' I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's the guys, what it is … but it's special, and I love it."
Darnold, who bounced around the NFL the past several seasons, became the fourth QB in Vikings history to start and win each of the team's first three games in a season (first since HOF Brett Favre in 2009). The QB matched a career-high with four touchdowns and avoided mistakes.
O'Connell raved about Darnold's early-season performance.
"Smart, really decisive, took care of the football, accurate," he said.
It marked the first time since 2016 that Minnesota started 3-0. However, history offers some trepidation: that club finished 8-8 after a 5-0 start.
Flores' defense led the way on Sunday, putting C.J. Stroud and the Texans' offense in the spin cycle from the first official snap (a tipped interception). Flores oscillated from bringing pressure to dropping into coverage to confuse the second-year passer. The Vikes blitzed a Stroud at a 54.4% rate in the first half before dialing it back with a big lead in the final two quarters (27.3%).
The 2024 Vikings are the first team to allow 10 or fewer points per game and have the NFL's outright pass TD leader (Darnold) through the first three games of a season since the 1996 Packers with Brett Favre (won Super Bowl XXXI), per NFL Research.
"All over the board, we have tremendous guys with tremendous talent, and we've just got to feed off one another," Justin Jefferson said. "Feed off the energy, feed off this 3-0 streak we're going on and just keep going during the week."
After the hot start to the season, Minnesota faces its first division test next week in Green Bay.
