Eric Wilson - Minnesota Vikings
Eric Wilson - Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings went into Tampa Bay on Sunday looking to assert themselves as the alphas of the NFC North, by defeating an old NFC Central rival, in the Buccaneers.
Kyler Murray started under center and played the entire game. Unfortunately, Justin Jefferson didn’t last even a quarter, which clearly put a damper on what the Vikings wanted to do offensively.
Thankfully, the defense came to play again. Outside of one broken play in the second quarter, that led to an easy Bucs touchdown, Brian Flores’ & Co. suffocated all facets of Tampa’s offense, pretty much dragging the Vikings offense to a 23-16 victory.
Kyler Murray needs to be better
It’s still a small sample size, because he’s played just one full game in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, but the Kyle Murray experiment has produced some pretty underwhelming results, at least to this point.
On Sunday, Murray finished 15-of-29 for 168 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, a stat line that looks way too similar to the depth quarterbacks sitting behind him. He didn’t pass the eye test, either, overthrowing multiple receivers, especially in the second half.
There was also way too many snaps that went something like this…
Kyler Murray because he can't see over the line: pic.twitter.com/y01riSXBOO
— Aggregate (@AggregateSports) September 27, 2026
If this is the version of Kyler Murray that we are going to get for most of the 2026 season, then the 2026 Minnesota Vikings are pretty much a shuffled up version of the 2025 Vikings — an elite defense and offense that can’t figure out how to move the football with below-average quarterback play.
Also, where in the world are all those plays Kevin O’Connell had in his bag that are supposed to scheme guys so open that even a 5-foot QB like Kyler Murray can hit them, if he is playing in rhythm? Because we haven’t seen that kind of high-powered offense since Sam Darnold left town.
Maybe our QB whisperer left with him? The one bright spot play by Kyler on Sunday came when he hit Jordan Addison for this beautiful touchdown pass.
Holy shit Jordan Addison pic.twitter.com/RskU22uQUp
— Mike Muad'Dib (@Zepp1978) September 27, 2026
MN Vikings strength is defense and special teams
At least we have Brian Flores, whose defense has been carrying KOC’s offense for over a full season now. That was the case again today, where Minnesota held the Bucs to 243 yards of total offense, including just 48 yards on the ground.
Baker Mayfield was sacked six times, finishing went 17/34 for 217 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception that sealed the game. The Bucs went 2-of-17 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down. It was another classic B-Flo defensive game, which have become the expectation, no matter who is playing quarterback.
Smothering Vikings defense pic.twitter.com/dYA8YNvsbv
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) September 27, 2026
Meanwhile, since the Vikings offense managed just one touchdown on the day, Minnesota had to find points elsewhere. And they did, on the right leg of superstar kicker Will Reichard, who went 3-for-3 on the day, including a 58 yarder.
Reichard is now 7-for-7 on field goal attempts this season. They got the rest of their points Sunday via both legs of punt returner Myles Price, who took one of Tampa’s nine punts on the day back 86 yards for a touchdown.
86 yards.
To. The. Crib.@myles_price3
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/c7HfjpmGr2
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 27, 2026
Pray for Justin Jefferson’s ankle
The most concerning part of week 3 wasn’t the stagnant offense or the struggle bus Kyler Murray rode for most of the game. Instead, it was the exit of superstar Justin Jefferson in the first quarter, with an ankle injury.
Jefferson left the game after hauling in two catches for 32 yards early. After he sat in the blue tent for a while, Jefferson stood and watched most of the 2nd quarter, before walking to the locker room with trainers. A little while later, he was ruled out for the rest of the game. And now, we’ll have to wait and see how long this ankle injury will hold him out.
WR Justin Jefferson has been downgraded to out. https://t.co/YChGtCbN4T
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 27, 2026
We’ve seen how much this offense struggles to move the ball with Justin Jefferson on the field. I don’t really want to think about what it will look like trying to get down hill without him…