EAGAN, Minn. — Quick starts have been a catalyst for the Minnesota Vikings as of late.
They’ve scored 14 points in the first quarter in each of the past two games – the first time they’ve done so in succession since 2014 – and have outscored their opponents 38-3 in the first 15 minutes of games this season.
And last weekend, against their NFC North rival, the Vikings needed every early point they could muster to withstand the Green Bay Packers' second-half surge.
The Vikings built a 28-0 lead before Green Bay came charging back with 22 straight points to cut the deficit to one score. Minnesota eventually added a field goal in the fourth to put the game out of reach, but the fast start allowed the Vikings to escape with the victory.
"Really loved the start we got off to," said Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell following Sunday's 31-29 victory. "Knew it was going to be more than likely a four-quarter game. Give (Packers coach) Matt (LaFleur) and his team a lot of credit for taking advantage of some mistakes by us."
Minnesota's 38 first-quarter points are the second-most in the NFL – New Orleans has scored 41 – and it's allowed the Vikings to manipulate their opponents' game plans as the scores swelled. As a result, they’ve held opponents the fourth-fewest points per game (14.8) and the second-fewest rushing yards (300).
Those fast starts have translated into wins as Minnesota is one of just two teams unscathed through the first month of play. Not only have the Vikings not lost, but they’ve only trailed a total of 3 minutes, and 26 seconds this whole season.
"I feel like we've been playing solid football," said Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who has thrown for four first-quarter touchdowns over the past two weeks. "There is a lot of room to continue to grow and get better with operations stuff, eliminating the pre-snap penalties will be huge for us and continuing to detail up our offense. I feel like we just have to continue working on those details, and if we can just finetune those things, we'll be alright. It's obviously good to win football games, but we're just going to continue to take it one step at a time."
Darnold and the Vikings will look for another hot start on Sunday when the team travels to London to take on the New York Jets. The game kicks off at 8:30 a.m. and can be seen on KARE 11, but here are a few things to know ahead of the matchup:
Darnold soaring into matchup with former team
The New York Jets had high hopes for quarterback Sam Darnold when they drafted him with the No. 3 overall back in 2018.
The expectation was for the young quarterback out of USC to take off with the Jets, and redirect the franchise on a winning course. However, those plans never got off the ground.
Darnold went just 13-25 in three seasons as a starter while throwing for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He made stops in Carolina and San Francisco before eventually landing in Minnesota this past offseason.
With a chance to revive his career, Darnold is making the most of the opportunity. He is currently leading the league in touchdown passes (11) and quarterback rating (118.9), while helping the Vikings start the season 4-0. He was also recently named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month.
Darnold will now face the franchise that drafted him as he looks to keep Minnesota on a winning trajectory.
"That's always the fun part about this league, being able to see people that you've worked with in the past and just continue to build those relationships or keep those relationships," said Darnold. "So that'll be good to see those guys, but other than that, new defense since I've been there, and a lot of new players."
Reviving a rivalry
The Vikings have plenty of history with current Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The longtime Packer is now piloting the Jets as both teams touch down across the pond for an international showdown in London.
Rodgers has a 17-11-1 record against the Vikings with wins in three of his last four games against the purple. This will be the first time he'll face Minnesota as a member of the Jets, and while they're no longer division rivals, don't expect the future Hall of Famer to be any less motivated. New York is fresh off a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos where Rodgers completed just 24 of 42 passes for 225 yards and no touchdowns.
On Sunday, He'll be looking to build some momentum heading into a crucial showdown with AFC East rival Buffalo in Week 6.
"I mean, it's Aaron Rodgers," said O'Connell. "He's going to go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to have played in our league. ... It's going to be a heck of a challenge."
Sacking the quarterback
Despite Aaron Rodgers' reputation for having a quick release, he was sacked five times against the Broncos and 10 times total this season. On Sunday, he'll be lined up against a Vikings defense that has recorded more sacks than any team in the league through four weeks.
Minnesota has teamed up to sack the quarterback 17 times this season, including five from Pat Jones II, who has recorded at least one sack in three of the first four games. Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores is known for sending additional pass rushers, but the Vikings have been able to consistently reach passers this season despite blitzing less frequently than they did a season ago.
The revamped secondary, including the addition of veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, has also helped Minnesota apply pressure despite calling fewer blitzes.
Winning with turnovers
Under coach Kevin O'Connell, the Vikings are 21-0 when they've broken even or won the turnover margin. On Sunday, they finished plus-1 in the take-give after forcing three interceptions and a fumble. This season, Minnesota is plus-3 in turnover margin after finishing minus-12 last season.
The Vikings' defense has taken the ball 10 times this season and forced multiple turnovers in each of the first four games.
The Jets have only turned the ball over three times this season, tied for the fourth-fewest in the NFL, but in the two games they committed those turnovers, they lost.
In the season opener, New York turned the ball over twice and the San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 32-19 victory. Jets receiver Garrett Wilson lost a fumble in their most recent game, and it resulted in a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos.
If Minnesota's defense can continue to force turnovers, it will be interesting to see if the Jets offense can handle the turbulence.
Success overseas
The Vikings are 3-0 in London with their most recent victory coming in 2022 against the New Orleans Saints.
Then Vikings kicker Greg Joseph connected on five field goals, while Saints kicker Wil Lutz double-doinked a kick from 61 yards out that would have tied the game late. Justin Jefferson had 10 catches for 147 yards, and scored on a 3-yard rush to lead the Vikings to a 28-25 victory.