We are at the crossroads of the Minnesota Vikings 2023 season.
Sitting at 6-6, the Vikings have both looked dead in the water and like a legit threat to win the NFC North. As things sit right now, they have lost their last two games after pulling out five straight wins, all without superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The bye week comes at a good time for the Vikings. Jefferson just came off of injured reserve and will play against the Las Vegas Raiders in week 14. It also gives players like Akayleb Evans and Marcus Davenport one more week to get back onto the field.
Managing editor Tyler Forness: Jordan Addison's breakout vs. 49ers
The Vikings have had a season that won’t soon be forgotten, but one play with Justin Jefferson out was made by a rookie to set the table for the future.
It wasn’t just that Addison caught a touchdown pass on a deep post, which he had done twice prior. It was that he ripped the ball out of Charvarius Ward’s hands.
On the first drive of the game, Ward took the ball out of Addison’s hands and forced a turnover, setting the stage for what felt like another brutal loss for the Vikings. He turned the tables with seconds left in the first half and set the Vikings up for a 22-17 lead. Addison was firmly a legit threat on the outside and the entire country knew it.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: Josh Dobbs' memorable debut
Only days after obtaining Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals at the trade deadline, the veteran quarterback found himself forced into action after Jaren Hall suffered a concussion early in a Week 9 game in Atlanta. Hall had gotten the start a week after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles’ injury in Green Bay. Dobbs still didn’t know the names of many of his new teammates when he replaced Hall in the first quarter but that didn’t stop him from guiding the Vikings to a 31-28 victory. Kevin O’Connell had Dobbs go no-huddle at times so he could direct Dobbs on what to do through the coach-to-quarterback communication system until the last second. Dobbs’ 6-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Vikings a memorable victory.
Columnist Saivion Mixon: David vs. Goliath win vs. San Francisco 49ers
Heading into that week seven game against San Francisco, hope for this season was not in high supply. They are a week from escaping with an ugly win against the Chicago Bears, where the offense pieced together just enough to score 19 points. San Francisco was coming off an off-week of their own, but it was against the Cleveland Browns and their near-historical defense. The 49ers were still the Super Bowl favorite that week, while the Vikings were limping in at 2-4 with wins over Chicago and the hapless Carolina Panthers.
This game had all the makings for a bloodbath. And on Monday Night Football for the entire football world to see. What a mess.
Instead, Kirk Cousins plays arguably his best game as a pro, the defense flustered Brock Purdy to the tune of three turnovers, including two interceptions and the Vikings pull off the wire-to-wire upset, where they felt in control of the game from start to finish.
Kevin O’Connell was locked in to the point where he was able to tell referees when the 49ers were going to commit penalties in the secondary before the play even began. All of this without Justin Jefferson in the lineup, rookie Jordan Addison stepped up and hauled in seven receptions on ten targets for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
I believe that performance was enough to propel them to a five-game win streak despite losing Kirk Cousins the following week. The hope that was absent going into that game flowed in abundance afterwards.
Columnist Chris Spooner: Five game winning streak
I may be taking liberties with the term “moment” here, but I think choosing one singular moment from the streak diminishes just how incredible the entire ride was. To see the Vikings reel off five straight wins after starting the season 1-4 and turning the ball over at a record pace was truly a sight to behold.
From the incredible and unlikely victory on Monday night over the San Francisco 49ers, to Josh Dobbs being thrust into the spotlight, to wins over division foes in the Bears and Packers, the win streak was truly incredible to watch. Even if the Vikings fail to make the playoffs this season, we’ll all be able to look back on that stretch and – hopefully – really appreciate just how unlikely it really was.
