Vikings Risk Wasting 3-0 Start ~ KOC's Failure to Adapt
Coller: Vikings Risk Wasting 3-0 Start If the Passing Game Keeps Sputtering
A sense of urgency is needed.
If there’s anything the Vikings have proven over their entire history, it’s that they can just have really good seasons in any sort of normal fashion.
Oftentimes, the double-digit win years are the ones where Vegas thinks the Vikings will win seven or eight games. They almost always have a quarterback that nobody would have guessed would be in purple two years prior. They tend to be driven by some strange events and have a bunch of weird factoids that come along with them.
The most recent 14-win season in 2024 saw the Vikings enter with an Over/Under of 6.5 wins, Sam Darnold at quarterback (before he was Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold), and they had a 97-yard touchdown and some wild defensive performances against the Texans, 49ers and Packers to start the season.
This year’s 3-0 start is checking the right boxes for one of those seasons.
Vikings' offense is an issue amid undefeated start
Already, with two quarterbacks combining for three wins by almost never succeeding on offense and getting the best defensive and special teams performances en route there, it’s an odd route to the top of NFC power rankings. The Vikings went from being favored to miss the playoffs to having the third-best odds (-245) on FanDuel Sportsbook, currently behind only the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
Everyone who’s followed the Vikings is strapping into their roller coaster because sometimes these hot starts do not last. See: 2003 and 2016.
Capitalizing on the moment
There are things about the first three victories for the Vikings that are here to stay. Brian Flores's defense has been remarkably good for a long time. Going back to the start of 2024, the Vikings have allowed the fourth-fewest points in the NFL, and since Week 14 of 2025, they are No. 1 with just 93 points allowed.
The Vikings are 8-0 in that stretch, despite ranking 31st in passing yards and 26th in net yards per pass attempt.
What in the 2000 Ravens is going on here?
Offensive concerns
Actually, the 2000 Ravens’ passing game was better. They were only 22nd in yards and 24th in net yards per attempt.
During the eight-game win streak, there have only been two times when the Vikings surpassed 200 yards. But there have been many more explanations and excuses for why they haven’t been able to pass the ball successfully.
Sometimes it was the offensive line’s fault. Sometimes it was poor quarterback play. Sometimes they were playing it safe because the defense was dominating (head coach Kevin O'Connell's new commitment to the run!).
Last Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers was a struggle because Justin Jefferson went out early in the game. It was also Kyler Murray’s first full game since last October.
Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips went into an explanation on Tuesday about how different position groups had small mistakes and vowed to have “clarity” for everyone going into this week’s matchup.
On tape, there were a number of plays that looked like Murray could have either thrown downfield or checked the ball down and then a dozen others where nobody seemed to be open.
Why does this always have to be so hard?
It was tough not to laugh at Case Keenum coming off the bench for the Bears, having not played in years, and cruising to a better QB performance than the Vikings have gotten since Darnold in late 2024.
Lately, passing the football competently looks harder than climbing to the top of U.S. Bank Stadium in a swimsuit in January.
If this streak of passing offense that would make Christian Ponder blush doesn’t end within the next two weeks, then it’s going to be very hard to believe the Vikings’ 3-0 start can lead them anywhere other than disappointment. They face off with the Dolphins, who are currently 28th in points allowed, and then the 26th-ranked Saints.
Throughout his career, Murray has been a solid passer. In 2024, his Cardinals team was 15th in team passer rating, 18th in yards per game and 14th in net yards per attempt. That team did not have Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison.
Yes, it’s a long season. Did you know the NFL used to only play 14-game seasons?
There’s a ways to go, but the urgency to get moving and find answers has to be extreme this week. If there are any more excuses/explanations after playing the Dolphins and Saints, then we have to start wondering whether it’s not exactly about the quarterbacks trying to navigate the system, but about the system itself.
It truly can’t be this difficult to toss the pigskin from Point A to Point B when teams with lesser weapons and coaches with lesser reputations are finding ways to be decent around the NFL on a weekly basis.
The Vikings cannot waste a defense this brilliant. They must find answers now.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
Well, welcome to the The Love Boat, starring Matthew Coller as Captain Obvious.
With your cruise director Kevin O'Connell, yoeman purser Nolan Teasley aka Gopher, and last but not least, your bartender BFlo, mixing up defensive cocktails that knock everyone on their asses.
Inept offense, shiny and new....
Climb aboard, we're expecting you!
The Biggest Decision Kevin O’Connell Got Wrong Despite Beating Bucs (And What It Means Moving Forward)
O’Connell's failure to adapt can't be ignored.
“Your undefeated Vikings” has a nice ring to it three weeks into the season.
The Vikes have proven to be a feisty, resourceful team, finding ways to ride their dominant defense to victory even though their passing offense has been a complete non-factor the last two weeks. Former head coach Mike Zimmer would be proud, but entering Week 4, we can and must acknowledge two things at once:
It is incredibly exciting that the Vikings are 3-0.
Their current offensive production needs to change very quickly.
If defensive coordinator Brian Flores deserves credit for the defense's success, then head coach Kevin O’Connell needs to be held accountable for his abysmal offense. Their performance on Sunday certainly did him no favors.
Despite the win, here's what O'Connell got wrong in Week 3.
Kevin O’Connell’s playcalling, personnel decisions are dragging the offense down
Sunday’s game plan on the offensive side appeared to be a disjointed mess.
First, and most importantly, we must acknowledge that losing Justin Jefferson fundamentally changes this team's identity. At the same time, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings have both proven to be too talented for the passing game to simply fall off without No. 18 on the field. Outside of a few explosive plays in the first half, Kyler Murray and the Vikings' passing offense were brutal to watch.
The Vikings had 101 net-passing yards in the first half, with 93 of those yards coming on only three plays. They ended the day with only 152 net-passing yards. The run game was no better, despite a valiant effort from an injured Aaron Jones Sr.
O’Connell consistently speaks on the importance of emphasizing the run, but has failed to advocate for adding truly impactful playmakers to the room under three different acting general managers. If O’Connell truly wanted to add a genuine playmaker in the backfield during his tenure, former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, this spring’s interim GM Rob Brzezinski, or new GM Nolan Teasley would have found his guy.
Even in less-than-ideal circumstances, the Vikings had talent on the field, but O’Connell and Murray failed to get the ball to their playmakers. A perfect example of what could have been done came from a similarly bad offensive performance against the Lions last year on Christmas. O’Connell realized he needed to get the ball to Addison and found a way to make it happen (h/t: NFL).
JORDAN ADDISON JINGLE JINGLE ALL THE WAY!
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2025
DETvsMIN on @Netflix pic.twitter.com/ZbfwntyT44
The result: the Vikings' longest rushing touchdown of the season and the second-longest of O’Connell’s coaching tenure. Sometimes you need to get creative, and so far we’ve yet to see that from the 2026 Vikings offense, even though they desperately need to.
It's almost time to panic about the Vikings offense
Before anyone thinks I’m being hyperbolic regarding the situation surrounding the Vikings offense, allow me to put a few things into perspective.
The Vikings had their lowest offensive success rate in 20 seasons on Sunday, according to The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia.
Dug a little deeper: this was not only the Vikings' worst offensive success rate in a game under Kevin O'Connell, but their worst in any single game over the last 20 seasons. https://t.co/kn98Y8oMET
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) September 28, 2026
That includes games led by Max Brosmer, the now-traded J.J. McCarthy, and even the legendary Josh Freeman Monday Night Football dud. Sunday’s offensive performance was worse than anything we’d seen from the Vikings in two decades.
The Vikings are also dead last in the NFL in total yards per game. Sure, injuries and inclement weather factor in, but for a team led by a highly praised offensive head coach, the ranking is simply inexcusable regardless of circumstances.
There's still a long way to go in the season; the Vikings have yet to lose, and Murray has talent. This offense can build strong momentum in the coming weeks before hitting the most challenging portion of their schedule.
At the same time, it's important to acknowledge how unsustainable the current offense is in today’s NFL. Right now, it's fair to worry that this could end with a similar outcome to the promising 2022 season, when one side of the Vikings dragged down a truly special roster.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
Little too dark for me with a 3/0 team...
But, they leave themselves open to this:
They make a big pivot to Frank Smith’s wide zone, a religious zealotry to increase % runs and then go into the season with a 31 year old and a very average Mason at RB.
As the op states, they've had 3 seasons now to improve that Rb room and haven't...
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Edit Post (mod action — author will see a notice)
Warn Poster
Suspend User (3 days)
The user will be suspended for 3 days and will receive an email with the reason and information about how to appeal.