When Does the House Money Run Out For the Vikings?
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
This might be the weirdest sentence in the history of NFL writing, but: It’s not a shame to lose to the Detroit Lions. The Minnesota Vikings falling to them 31-29 isn’t the sky falling, or the start of the team unraveling. You can even take it as a good sign that they could not play their best game and still go toe-to-toe with a legit Super Bowl contender.
And besides, nobody expected the Vikings to be here anyway. Look at any NFL predictions you want floating around the preseason. Pundits everywhere expected Minnesota’s tough early schedule to send them to 2-4, and maybe even 1-5. If they got out of Week 7 with a 3-3 record with Sam Darnold under center, the Vikings were going to be playing with house money.
So starting 5-1 in a tranisitonal season goes beyond anyone’s wildest dreams at this point, especially entering a stretch where Minnesota’s next four opponents have a combined 9-17 record. Who thought they’d be so well-positioned? Enjoy the ride.
When no one expects anything out of you, it’s hard to be disappointed, you’re just happy to be here. However, this loss against the Lions should end that feeling for the Vikings. Whether or not they imagined being in this spot, they are here now, and with it comes a new set of expectations.
No one thinks of the Vikings as a cute novelty anymore. Everyone knows how well-coached they are on both sides of the ball. The NFL is well aware of how great Andrew Van Ginkel is playing, or how Sam Darnold can pilot an offense featuring Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Teams are realizing that longtime veterans like Harrison Smith, Stephon Gilmore, and Aaron Jones all have plenty left in the tank. We can all see how Minnesota has the second-best point differential in the NFL.
Before now, it was house money. This feels too real to coast on those surprise team vibes for much longer.
Expectations can change mid-season, and that’s happened to the Vikings before. Randall Cunningham was getting into a career in woodworking before 1998, when he returned to the NFL and led an offense that suddenly became the most potent in history up to that point. If things didn’t feel real when Case Keenum led the Vikings to a playoff bye in 2017, they sure seemed like a team of destiny after the Minneapolis Miracle punched their ticket to the NFC Championship Game.
At this point, why can’t Minnesota make a legit run at the title? They have arguably the best player in the league (non-Patrick Mahomes Division) in Justin Jefferson. And if defense wins championships, then Brian Flores’ heady, fast unit feels like a great bet.
Besides, outside the NFC North, the conference feels wide open. The San Francisco 49ers are 3-4 and just lost Brandon Aiyuk for the season. Minnesotans have seen too much of Kirk Cousins to be afraid of an Atlanta Falcons revenge game in the postseason. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ are hurt and their defense is lacking, the Washington Commanders do feel like a house money team, and the Philadelphia Eagles feel in constant danger of collapse.
These shifting expectations probably aren’t going to affect the team. Kevin O’Connell has this team believing in and demanding excellence from themselves since Week 1, and a hot start isn’t going to alter that. But for the fan experience? It’s both exciting and nerve-racking.
Coming into the season, it felt like nothing the Vikings could do would hurt their long-suffering fan base. It had as much emotional weight as a deep shot down the field after the defense jumps offside. This season felt like it didn’t matter, it was house money. Now it’s not, and we’re entering a world where we are, once again, capable of being disappointed.
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