Undefeated Vikings are struggling badly on offense

The Minnesota Vikings trudged off the field Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in a state of exhaustion after surviving their trip to Central Florida with a 23-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There were two areas that head coach Kevin O’Connell can feel great about as he thinks about his 3-0 team that sits at the top of the NFC North standings. The Vikings have been playing sensationally on defense in their three victories over the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Bucs.

This unit has been growing in its effectiveness ever since Brian Flores was brought in to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2023, and this year’s version has been giving longtime Vikings fans memories of the Purple People Eaters of the late 1960s and ’70s that featured Alan Page, Jim Marshall and Carl Eller.

This year’s defense features players named Dallas Turner, Eric Wilson, Blake Cashman, Josh Metellus and Kyle Van Noy. The Vikings crushed the pocket against Baker Mayfield and registered six sacks, and the Tampa Bay quarterback was running for his life throughout the game.

Mayfield had to leave the game after suffering a dislocated thumb when attempting a desperation pass while trying to get his team its first win of the season.

Special teams have been dominant

Special teams may be the envy of every team in the league. Myles Price gave the Vikings a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter when he returned a Riley Dixon punt 86 yards thanks to his explosive speed and instinctive moves. Price has the ability to serve as a threat on kickoffs and punts all season.

Will Reichard is arguably the best placekicker in the league. He has not missed a field goal attempt since last October and he has made all seven of his attempts this year. He had a pair of 50-plus yarders against Tampa Bay, including a 56-yarder with 3:10 remaining that gave the Vikings a four-point lead.

But that offense …

The offense is not the kind of unit that O’Connell has been dreaming about since the Vikings acquired Kyler Murray in the offseason. After opening the game with a 22-yard completion to superstar wideout Justin Jefferson, the offense suffered a major blow when Jefferson suffered an ankle injury while catching his second pass of the game on the opening drive.

The Vikings would play the rest of the game without Jefferson and they had just nine first downs, made 2-of-16 third-down conversions and had just 168 passing yards. There were two moments of brilliance when Murray hit speedster Jordan Addison with a 30-yard sideline completion in the second quarter followed by a 41-yard TD pass three plays later that gave the Vikings a lead they would not relinquish.

But the Vikings offered little on offense aside from those moments and this team will not be elite until that offense shows consistent life and competence.

The Vikings should be able to get through the Miami Dolphins at home without much trouble in Week 4 and may survive the New Orleans Saints the following week. But if the offense does not come to life after a bye in Week 6, these undefeated dreams could start to disintegrate shortly thereafter.

Much will depend on the health of Jefferson, but O’Connell must find a way to fix this unit and give the Vikings an offense that displays swagger on a regular basis.