They ain't the prettiest...but

The gosh darn little rascals just keep winning!

The Vikings just do enough to win...I'll take every victory any way they can..and the Packers lose again!

And the Packers lose again 

i enjoyed that win. Everyone did just enough. I think they are getting better despite the struggles. 

We were out gained 385 to 156 and time of possession was 25-15, but they had 10 penalties and we only 2, so this is what it feels like to be the Packers  =)

@"JR44" said: We were out gained 385 to 156 and time of possession was 25-15, but they had 10 penalties and we only 2, so this is what it feels like to be the Packers  =)

Also, the Vikings had no turnovers and the Dolphins had three (2 interceptions and a fumble).

A positive with the defense is they are getting turnovers.  Last week the strip by Dantzler and this week Smith causing the fumble and then the recovery by the Vikings.  The last few years it didn't seem like the defense were as active in trying to turn the ball over.  Just wish they would play a more aggressive man coverage instead of that lose crappy zone that burns them a lot.

They're making enough plays to win...

Just win baby!

5/1 is great, there are some tough stretches in that remaining 11 games, but I am hopeful. 

I'm happy as a Vike fan so far this season. Been a while since I could say that. 

just win baby

@"purplefaithful" said: They're making enough plays to win...

Just win baby!

5/1 is great, there are some tough stretches in that remaining 11 games, but I am hopeful. 

I'm happy as a Vike fan so far this season. Been a while since I could say that. 

SKOL - pf!

I’ll tell you what, the team overcame one helluva home field advantage today…!

@"Kentis" said: I’ll tell you what, the team overcame one helluva home field advantage today…!

Love that KOC had them wearing sweats and practicing with the heat turned up to get ready for it.  

@"Kentis" said: I’ll tell you what, the team overcame one helluva home field advantage today…!

It was so damn smart to buy the fans, awnings and cooling benches. Great preparation.

@"Kentis" said: I’ll tell you what, the team overcame one helluva home field advantage today…!

before the game this was my main concern / that the heat and humidity would really be a factor for our guys.  like playing in a sauna

@"JR44" said:

@"Kentis" said: I’ll tell you what, the team overcame one helluva home field advantage today…!

Love that KOC had them wearing sweats and practicing with the heat turned up to get ready for it.  

I’ll take the win—ugly or whatever.  But it felt like the Vikings didn’t so much win the game as the Dolphins lost it.  They turned the ball over 3 times and shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties.  Our Defense is winning the turnover ratios but still allowing too many chunk plays. That zone defense is so soft and why were we not blitzing more against a 3rd string QB? I don’t get some of our decisions on defense. But I gotta say the players themselves do come up with some great individual efforts.

thing that pisses me off is ok, i understand the visitors in the sun stuff, thats home field advantage.  however, fans and misters, other cooling procedures should be in place on Both sidelines.  hope the NFLPA mandates shade, fans etc in situations like this.

we know the dolphins organization doesnt care about their players, but their neglect is bordering on dangerous.  enough

@"Caactorvike" said: I’ll take the win—ugly or whatever.  But it felt like the Vikings didn’t so much win the game as the Dolphins lost it.  They turned the ball over 3 times and shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties.  Our Defense is winning the turnover ratios but still allowing too many chunk plays. That zone defense is so soft and why were we not blitzing more against a 3rd string QB? I don’t get some of our decisions on defense. But I gotta say the players themselves do come up with some great individual efforts.

I respectfully disagree...

To paraphrase from another poster "the difference in athleticism across teams (for the most part) is miniscule."

Not like the 70's or even 80's. 

The team with the best game plan? Best adjustments? Makes the fewest mistakes? Wins on Sunday.  

Vikings won that game fair and square & have no apologies to make. 

@"Caactorvike" said: I’ll take the win—ugly or whatever.  But it felt like the Vikings didn’t so much win the game as the Dolphins lost it.  They turned the ball over 3 times and shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties.  Our Defense is winning the turnover ratios but still allowing too many chunk plays. That zone defense is so soft and why were we not blitzing more against a 3rd string QB? I don’t get some of our decisions on defense. But I gotta say the players themselves do come up with some great individual efforts.

But hey at least the Vikings are not doing the losing. There is not as much woulda, shoulda, coulda or what if. They are not having a lot of penalties. They are making mistakes but there are some adjustments. Luck is working in the Vikings favor, imagine that? They are 5 and 1, I'm down with that. Still work to do but in a much better position to do it.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell still has plenty to learn, but he's winning games and alliesThe Dolphins were on their way to a third consecutive loss in which they would fail to score more than 17 points.

This was the struggling team the Vikings couldn't subdue in their 24-16 victory, and this makes it four weeks in a row in which the Vikings have played down to the level of their competition.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell's nickname is KO. This season, it should be TKO. His team's four-game winning streak has come in close games against the fraudulent Lions, the injury-wracked Saints, the woeful Bears and the collapsing Dolphins.
The Vikings are 5-1 with a two-game lead in the NFC North entering their bye week, and their key players have been remarkably healthy.
The Vikings need to play better to meet their own and everyone else's aesthetic standards. They might not need to play better to win the NFC North.
The Bears and Lions remain befuddled by this game called tackle football. The Packers are learning how important star receivers are, and that Aaron Rodgers' years of passive-aggressive behavior might not play well within a team that needs him to be a spectacular player and leader.
In a league featuring a high percentage of close games and upsets, winning close, ugly and frequently is a sure path to the postseason.
"I'm really proud to be 5-1 right now," O'Connell said. "We've learned a lot about our football team. We have also learned, as coaches, that we have a long way to go and a lot of room to improve. Which I'm really excited about."
Everything he said could be labeled a coach's cliché, but in this case, he's speaking the truth.
To be a good team, rather than a team with a good record, the Vikings will need to improve their pass rush, their ability to run against tough fronts, their ability to make big plays in the passing game against sound defenses and their ability to sustain drives, especially during the middle of the game when defenses have adjusted to their game plan.
"We need to play better," Cousins said. "We need to execute better. But it's great to have these conversations after a win as opposed to a loss."
What should intrigue Vikings fans more than the nature of the victories is the atmosphere in the locker room.
For what it's worth — and its relative worth will become apparent in the coming weeks — the Vikings' key players are thrilled with the current makeup of their organization.
The team's veteran leaders — Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith, Eric Kendricks — frequently gush, unprompted, about their affection for O'Connell and the way he treats them.
"Every day I wake up, I'm happy to go to work," Cook said. "That's a blessing."
O'Connell has won five of his first six games as an NFL head coach.
That guarantees him nothing in the far-flung future. In the short term, and for as long as he keeps winning, it guarantees that he will have the players' full attention.
For a young and relatively unproven coach, there is nothing more valuable than being taken seriously by the people who will form your reputation.
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-miami-dolphins-coach-kevin-oconnell-5-1-nfc-north-jim-souhan/600216311/?refresh=true