EAGAN, Minn. — When New York Giants kicker Graham Gano connected on a chip-shot field goal with 7:16 to play in the first quarter of the season opener, it marked the first — and only — deficit the Minnesota Vikings would face through the first five weeks.
The Vikings needed just 3 minutes, 26 seconds to erase the Giants' lead, and Minnesota hasn't trailed since.
Quick starts have become a theme for the Vikings, not only in games but also in the season as they're one of just two teams to remain unbeaten through the first month-and-a-half of their schedule.
"Really proud of these first five weeks," said Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell following the team's 23-17 win over the New York Jets. "Really proud of the results, but it’s never really been about that. We got to make sure we come back and stay true to the process and keep on chasing improvement with the discipline to do so every single day."
Minnesota has outscored its opponents 48-3 in the first quarter this season and 86-24 in the first half, but closing out games was an issue in consecutive weeks entering the bye. The Green Bay Packers nearly erased a 28-point deficit and the Jets rallied from down 17 points to set up a potential game-winning drive in the closing minutes. Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore came up with a game-sealing interception, but the second-half struggles lately have been palpable.
While quarterback Sam Darnold has exceeded expectations through his first five games in purple, he's been far less efficient in the second half of games. Some of the drop-off comes from playing with a lead, therefore the play calling may not be as aggressive, but his completion percentage, passer rating, and touchdown-to-interception ratio have all dipped in the final 30 minutes of games, and are even worse in the fourth quarter.
So far this season, Darnold has gone 87 of 137 for 1,111 yards, 11 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 103.4 passer rating. However, in the second half, he's completed 39 of 64 passes (60.9%) for 449 yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions and an 83.4 passer rating. In the fourth, he's 17 of 32 (53.1%) for 203 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 70.2 passer rating.
"There’s going to come a time this season where momentum is lost and our offense might need to be the group that moves it and gets us the lead back, goes and finishes a close game in the end, and finds a way to win a game," O'Connell said. "We’ll be prepared when that moment comes, but in the meantime, we’re finding ways to win football games right now, and what we’ve done up until this point."
That moment could come as early as this weekend when the Vikings welcome the Detroit Lions to town for what appears to be a significant early season showdown. Here's what to know ahead of Sunday's NFC North tilt:
Aidan Hutchinson injury
The Lions will be without their top pass rusher after he suffered a gruesome injury last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys.
Prior to the injury, Hutchinson was having a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season, leading the league in sacks (7.5) and among the top 10 in tackles for loss. When he went down, players from both the Lions and Cowboys circled the star pass rusher before he was carted off the field with a cast on his leg. He stayed back in Texas and had surgery to repair his fractured tibia and fibula.
"I mean, first and foremost, you just feel terrible for Aidan," said O'Connell. "One of the best defensive players in our league and to see an injury like that did not surprise me one bit to see the reaction both in Dallas last Sunday with his own team and the Cowboys and the respect level there."
Detroit coach Dan Campbell said the injury will likely take about four to six months to fully recover from, but he's not ruling out a possible return late in the season. But for the foreseeable future, the Lions will be without one of their best defenders, and Sunday will be the first peek at what the defense will look like without their star pass rusher.
"Aidan's one of the best players that is positioned in the league," O'Connell said. "So, do they change? Do they change how they play? I don't think so. But if they do, we'll have to make some adjustments."
Picking up where the defense left off
The Vikings defense has 11 interceptions, the most of any team through five games since the 2019 New England Patriots. They've recorded an interception in each of the first five games and are the only team to have three players with multiple interceptions.
The defense will have its hands full coming out of the bye as the Lions have been one of the best teams in the league when it comes to protecting the football. Detroit has given the ball away just four times this season – tied for the fourth fewest – while taking the ball away 10 times for the fifth-best turnover ratio.
Division dominance
The NFC North is shaping up to be one of the top divisions in the league. It's the only division in football where all four teams have at least four wins, and they're doing it convincingly. The Vikings lead the way at 5-0 and are plus-63 in point differential, tops in the league, followed close behind by the 4-1 Lions (plus-60), the 4-2 Packers (plus-47) and the 4-2 Bears (plus-41).
It’s the first time in NFL history a division has had a .750 or better combined winning percentage through Week 6 or a later week in a season. The quick start for the North could result in the division having more than two playoff representatives for the first time since the NFL went to the eight-division format in 2002.
Stacking up the sacks
Despite losing All-Pro edge rusher Danielle Hunter in the offseason, the Vikings pass rush has been dominant. The Vikings have recorded 20 sacks — the first time Minnesota team to reach that mark through five games since 2000 — and have pressured quarterbacks a league-high 94 times, per Next Gen Stats.
Hockenson eyes return
Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson returned to practice Oct. 4 after tearing his ACL and MCL last December against the Lions, and is in line to return soon. However, it's unclear whether that will be this Sunday.
"He's in a great spot," O'Connell said Wednesday. "I mean, he's moving around great, but he's got to get acclimated back into football a little bit, and we ask him to do a lot in our offense, and we want him to feel like he's working his way towards doing that, cause we know there's a lot of football ahead and he's going to be a huge part of it that we have not had with us through these first five games."
Hockenson has been a key target for the Vikings since the team acquired him midway through the 2022 season in a rare inter-division trade with the Lions. In the 25 games he's suited up in purple, Hockenson has hauled in 155 passes for 1,479 yards and eight touchdowns.
While his return would be a major boost for the offense, O'Connell has been adamant about not rushing the Pro Bowl tight end back before he's back up to game speed.
Jones' hip injury
Much like Hockenson, Vikings running back Aaron Jones' status for Sunday remains up in the air after suffering a hip injury on Oct. 6 against the Jets.
The bye week provided some additional recovery time for the veteran running back, but O'Connell said Wednesday that they're monitoring his progress throughout the week before making any decisions.
O'Connell has maintained his confidence in running backs Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin, but the offense took a noticeable dip when Jones left the game on Oct. 6 in London. Chandler and Gaskin combined for just 32 yards on 16 carries as the Jets held Minnesota's rushing attack in check while Jones was on the sideline.
Jones leads the team with 350 rushing yards and a score, but he's also been an asset in the passing game as the team's No. 2 receiver with 17 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown.
Reunited with a familiar face
For the second time in two years, the Vikings traded for running back Cam Akers to help bolster their running game. While O'Connell said it was a depth move and has "no bearing" on the current status of their star running back, it gives Minnesota another body in the backfield should Jones not be able to go.
Akers joins the Vikings after appearing in five games with the Houston Texans this season. He's rushed for 147 yards and one touchdown, while also catching four passes for 16 yards and a score. His lone receiving touchdown, coincidentally, came against the Vikings in Week 3.
While with the Vikings last year, Akers ran for 138 yards and a touchdowns before suffering a torn Achilles in Week 9.
"Cam looked really good, whether it was the early reps in preseason with the Texans or scoring against us when we played," said O'Connell. "Cam's been somebody that we didn't necessarily want to let go to somebody else last offseason but with good football players, that tends to happen. I want to credit Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) and his guys for getting a deal done to get Cam back here."