MINNEAPOLIS — As his offense continued to grind Sunday at historically low levels for an undefeated team, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell had a simple message.
“We’re not far off,” O’Connell said after his team came from behind to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 to improve their record to 6-0. The Vikings have the best record in the NFC, largely because of the league’s top defense and one of its best special teams, while the offense has scored the second-fewest points (125) by a 6-0 team since 1940. Their 10 touchdowns are the fewest by a team with their record since the 1933 Chicago Bears.
Time is running out, however, for the offense to catch up. After defeating four teams that currently have losing records among their first six opponents, the Vikings are about to face the most difficult segment of their schedule.
Their next four games are a gauntlet, coming against the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Only the Bills game will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“You can’t get down on it right now,” O’Connell said, “just because it’s still relatively early enough that we’re catching our stride. But at the same time, we know what type of people and teams that are going to be on our schedule the rest of the way, and where we want to go with this team.”
The Vikings’ key offensive players landed on a similar message of forced optimism.
“We’ll continue to get better,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “I know we will. I know everybody keeps saying that, but I felt like we moved the ball well today.”
Said receiver Justin Jefferson: “It’s just only going to get more comfortable and more comfortable as the season goes on. It’s just the bye week, getting a little rust out in the first half, and definitely things just moving a little bit better the second half.”
In some ways, Sunday’s game was a step back after the Vikings had put up a season-high 364 total yards in Week 5 during their 23-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Murray powered that surge with seven scrambles for 54 yards, and the offense was struggling in all phases Sunday until he took off on a 35-yard scramble to convert a third down on the final play of the third quarter. Prior to that run, the Vikings had managed only 128 offensive yards and two field goals from Will Reichard.
Murray threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Vikings their first lead at 13-10.
Afterward, O’Connell rattled off a series of near misses, including two incomplete passes Murray threw toward Jefferson — one that was a step behind Jefferson and another that fell short because the pass rush prevented him from stepping into the throw. A potential touchdown pass went off receiver Jauan Jennings‘ fingertips, and there were two fourth-quarter penalties — a false start on left tackle Christian Darrisaw and a hold on center Blake Brandel — that stunted drives as the Vikings tried to close out the game.
“As we continue to press onward,” O’Connell said, “we’ve got to make sure [we do] the things that are controllable for us — being a penalty-free football team, a turnover-free football team and a team that wins the field position. We’re going to have a chance to win a lot of football games.”
