National Football League

Minnesota Vikings have defied the odds to an undefeated start

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Vikings have lost more than any team could normally handle, yet they are playing better than the majority of teams across the league…

It’s going to take a lot for the Minnesota Vikings to lose a game this season.

There’s your NFL hot take of the day.

The Vikings are 4-0 after a dominant victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. They have gotten off to a fantastic start to the season without or without positive contributions of the following:

Adrian Peterson. Teddy Bridgewater. Matt Kalil.

For those keeping track at home, that would be one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game, a good-looking up-and-coming franchise quarterback, and a former top four selection at left tackle.

Those players are all (likely) done for the season, and somehow the Vikings have gotten better over the course of the last month. That’s not to say the loss of Adrian Peterson won’t hurt in the long run, or that the team would simply rather not have Bridgewater and Kalil in the fold, but what this team has done in the front office starting with Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer has been nothing short of incredible.

The Vikings have built an outstanding defense, a process that involves a lot of first round draft picks and more than their share of draft (hello Everson Griffen & Danielle Hunter) and free agency steals (hello, Linval Joseph).

Since 2012, the Vikings have somehow managed to obtain nine first round picks, more than any other team in the NFL. Five of those have been selections on the defensive side of the football, and they have all been very good picks.

Dec 27, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) against the New York Giants at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Giants 49-17. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Safety Harrison Smith, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, linebacker Anthony Barr, and cornerback Trae Waynes are all playing major roles on this Vikings defensive resurgence, which has helped get this team off to a dominating start.

The Vikings rank 2nd in the NFL in scoring defense, 7th in yards, 9th against the pass, and 8th against the run. Through four games, they are an astounding +10 in the turnover margin. This team has speed, they hit you in the mouth, and they know how to make plays on the football. Mike Zimmer has done an incredible job of coaching up this group, and after a division title in 2015, he has the Vikings looking like Super Bowl contenders in 2016.

How is that possible after the loss of Teddy Bridgewater?

I’m glad you asked.

Sam Bradford, given the expectations everyone had when he was acquired for a first round pick in 2017, has been fantastic.

Sam Bradford through three games with his new team:

66-of-95
719 yards
4 touchdowns
0 interceptions

And the #Vikings are 4-0. #Skol

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) October 4, 2016

Bradford is spreading the ball around to a number of different Vikings, and appears to have resurrected a career that was once the laughing stock of the league. Bradford’s failures with the Rams and Eagles led most to believe injuries and inconsistency would define him. However, Bradford has responded to the trade to the Vikings by getting off to — perhaps not statistically (or maybe it is…) — the best start of his career, which began in 2008.

Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) celebrates with quarterback Sam Bradford (8) his touchdown against the New York Giants in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings might have paid too much to go and get Bradford from the Eagles, but when they’re winning like this, no one really is going to care about that late first round pick. Plus, like I mentioned previously, the Vikings have had nine first round picks since 2012.

The draft has been good to general manager Rick Spielman, who has been striking gold in the second and fifth rounds in recent years. Offensively, former second rounder Kyle Rudolph is the team’s leader so far this season with three touchdown catches.

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Former fifth round pick Stefon Diggs became just the second Vikings wide receiver (Randy Moss is the other) with 1,000 receiving yards in their first 16 games with the team. That’s not bad company, there.

On the defensive side of the ball, former second round pick Eric Kendricks is tied for the team lead with 31 tackles, and has shown the type of sideline-to-sideline playmaking ability that many thought would get him picked in the middle of the first round.

Former fifth round pick Everson Griffen has developed into one of the fiercest pass rushers in the NFL, and is the team leader with four sacks. Three of those sacks came against reigning MVP Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.

It hasn’t been an easy road for the Vikings, but patient development of an incredibly talented roster has paid off, and allowed GM Rick Spielman to crack open the ‘in case of emergency’ fund to go and get a talented veteran quarterback like Sam Bradford, keeping this team’s Super Bowl hopes more than just afloat.

These Vikings are thriving, and I don’t know if anyone in the NFC is going to be able to slow them down.

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