The Vikings’ Stunning Stat Holds Strong Rolling into the Bye
Last week, CBS Sports ventured into the Vikings’ stunning stat, drawing attention to Minnesota’s propensity for leading football games.
Kevin O’Connell’s crew has only trailed for 3:26 all season.
Fast forward into Week 5 and the three-minutes-and-twenty-six-seconds stat was again mentioned in the game broadcast. What’s notable is simply that the Vikings operated with more of the same; playing football on a different continent didn’t do anything to undermine the basic fact that they haven’t been behind since Week 1.
The Vikings’ Stunning Stat and the Week 5 Win
At no point did Aaron Rodgers’ team have a lead.
Yes, things got a little too close for comfort at the end. What was once a commanding 17-point lead — and therefore a three-possession game — got shrunk down to being a single play away from the J-E-T-S Jets taking over the lead. So, some nervous Vikings fans in the stands and on their sofa.
The nerves, though, never gave way to reality. The Jets were at one time within three points but still trailed. In the end, they lost by six with the final score settling in at 23-17. More than a few Vikings fans were pleased to see Mr. Rodgers toss a third interception to finish off the contest. Sam Darnold could simply kneel down and drain out the clock.
Ironically, the time when Minnesota trailed occurred back in Week 1 against the largely hapless New York Giants.
C.J. Ham — who is so reliable — fumbled the football coming off of a short pass. The end result was New York recovering and already being in field goal range. Brian Flores’ defense did its thing, limiting Daniel Jones & Friends to force the three points. Graham Gano’s 23-yard field goal put New York up, if only for a short time.
On the next drive, Minnesota turned an Aaron Jones run into six points. A Will Reichard extra point pushed things up to a 7-3 lead and there was no looking back in Week 1.
The point is obvious, but perhaps it’s worth repeating: Minnesota hasn’t exactly had an easy schedule.
There have been games against the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and (most recently) the New York Jets. In each instance, the Vikings have either been tied or been ahead. At no point have they trailed against any of these teams. Stunning, right?
Coming into this stretch of football, I would have told you that finishing with a 3-2 record going into the bye would be an overwhelming success. After all, we’re talking about a legitimately tough slate of games and some notable challenges along the way: travelling to London, being without T.J. Hockenson, etc.
The Vikings, though, just keep on rolling. Not only are they 5-0, but they’re sitting on that record in pretty impressive fashion. The key will rest in continuing the dominance post-bye. Or, more importantly, stacking up wins regardless of who is leading and for how long (in some ways, falling into a large deficit and then climbing out of it may be reassuring).
The next test will arrive on Sunday, October 20th when the Lions from Detroit visit U.S. Bank Stadium.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.