Vikings defenders at a 2014 practice. File photo by Kyle Engman, CC-BY-2.0, resized.Five and oh, built on defense
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the Vikings, in September 2021. Photo by August Schwerdfeger, CC-BY-4.0, resized.Five weeks, five wins
Minnesota won its first five games by a combined 45 points. None of the five opponents scored more than 22.
The Vikings scored 109 points, 21st in the league. They allowed 64, the fewest of any team.
- Vikings 39, Packers 22 at home, after trailing 22-10 in the third quarter
- Vikings 9, Bears 3 at Soldier Field, three field goals to one
- Vikings 23, Buccaneers 16 in Tampa
- Vikings 15, Dolphins 10 at home, all five scores field goals
- Vikings 23, Saints 13 in New Orleans
The wall
Green Bay’s Jordan Love threw for 387 yards on opening day, and the Packers led by 12 late in the third quarter. Then Flores’ defense took over. A strip-sack and a twice-tipped interception set up touchdowns, and Minnesota scored the last 29 points.
Dallas Turner had seven quarterback hits that afternoon. Every opponent since has gained fewer yards than the one before.
Total yards allowed, week by week
The fourth quarter has been almost empty for opponents. The only points the Vikings have allowed in a final quarter all season were a 54-yard Tampa Bay field goal.
Points allowed by quarter, Weeks 1-5
Byron Murphy Jr. has three interceptions, two of them in New Orleans, where the Saints managed nine first downs. Their only touchdown on offense came on a 15-play drive in the second quarter; their other score was an 87-yard fumble return.
“We feed off of them. If they come out and force a turnover or get a stop, it creates that momentum for us.”— Justin Jefferson on the defense, after the win in New Orleans
Kyler Murray in 2020 (archive photo). Photo by All-Pro Reels, CC-BY-SA-2.0.Two quarterbacks
Kyler Murray signed a one-year, veteran-minimum deal in March after Arizona released him. His Vikings debut lasted five passes: he left the opener against Green Bay with a concussion.
Carson Wentz came off the bench to throw for three touchdowns, then started the 9-3 win in Chicago. Murray cleared the protocol and returned in Week 3.
Murray's completion percentage since returning
In New Orleans he threw for 229 yards and a touchdown and ran for 51, his best game in purple. The touchdown, to Jefferson in triple coverage, was the offense’s first since Week 3.
“I feel like offensively we're ascending. I feel like the sky is the limit for us.”— Kyler Murray after the Week 5 win
Aaron Jones Sr. during a USO visit, April 2, 2025. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Fritz, resized.Field goals and Aaron Jones
The offense has averaged 283 yards a game, 27th in the league. It has scored eight offensive touchdowns, and five of them came on opening day.
Will Reichard has filled the gap. He has made 15 field goals, worth 45 of the team’s 109 points, and he scored every Minnesota point in the 15-10 win over Miami.
Reichard field goals made, by game
Jones has carried the running game with Jordan Mason out: 105 yards in Chicago and 113 with a touchdown in New Orleans. One more score came from special teams, Myles Price’s 86-yard punt return in Tampa.
Justin Jefferson at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Sept. 12, 2025. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gracie Nowlan, resized.What 5-0 has meant before
This is the 10th 5-0 start in franchise history and the second in three seasons. The 2016 and 2024 teams also took 5-0 records into a Week 6 bye.
The 2016 team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. The 2024 team lost to Detroit coming out of the break, finished 14-3 and lost its wild-card game to the Rams.
Final wins in the Vikings' previous 5-0 seasons
Minnesota leads the NFC North by two games. The schedule after the bye gets harder quickly.
- Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium
- At Detroit
- Bills at home on Monday night
- At Green Bay
- 49ers in Mexico City
Five games in, the Vikings have the league’s best scoring defense and a quarterback who has just played his best game for them. Whether 5-0 becomes a 2024 or a 2016 starts on Oct. 25 against the Colts.
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