Do we believe in the Minnesota Vikings? They’re off to a 5-1 start, but it feels like one of the quietest 5-1 starts in memory for an NFL team.
The Cardinals are coming off a 42-34 win over the Saints last week, in which their offense looked rejuvenated by the return of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who finished six-game suspension for using a banned substance. Hopkins immediately gave Murray and the Cardinals a lift in their highest-scoring game in four years under head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
On the other side of the field, the Vikings boast one of the best receivers in the league, Justin Jefferson, who has 46 receptions for 654 yards and two touchdowns this season. Jefferson, in his career, averages 94.1 receiving yards per game. “I think it comes down to those margins and how can we be good on some plays and situations that maybe don’t always get talked about on Monday morning,’’ O’Connell told reporters. “But they’re winning plays and winning philosophies for us currently now as we continue to move forward. [But] those margins become even smaller, and we’re going to have to be that much better.”