Inside The Vikings

Analyst calls Vikings NFL's biggest surprise, predicts win over Texans

"The Vikings are gonna beat the Texans and they are really good."
Will Ragatz|
Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

The national media is starting to take notice of the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings and what they've shown on the field so far this season. They jumped up into the top 12 of most power rankings lists after beating the 49ers this past weekend. On Wednesday, Good Morning Football analyst Akbar Gbajabiamila called the Vikings the NFL's biggest surprise thus far — and predicted another win this Sunday.

"Bring the camera in over here, I've got something to tell you," he said. "The Vikings are gonna beat the Texans and they are really good. Yes, I really believe that the Minnesota Vikings are really good. All summer long, we were talking about the Packers and we're talking about Chicago Bears and the Hard Knocks life and all this other kind of stuff. Nobody really was giving the opportunity to that of the Minnesota Vikings."

"They have a real opportunity," he continued. "Go in, beat the Texans, now you have to consider — they just took down the reigning NFC champions in the San Francisco 49ers. They have been playing strong. When are we going to give them the credit? Only a quarter of the NFC is undefeated. And they're one of them."

Gbajabiamila caught himself at the end of the segment by saying he doesn't want to crown the Vikings just yet, but it's clear that he's been very impressed by what has gone down with this Minnesota team in the first two weeks. And he's not alone.

The Vikings deserve to be discussed as one of the biggest surprises of the season at this juncture. Handily beating the Giants was one thing, but taking down the 49ers in the way that they did was a statement to the rest of the league that the Vikings should be taken seriously. Even if Vegas oddsmakers and certain analysts aren't sold yet, there's plenty of reason to believe that this team is for real. Beating a very good Texans team on Sunday would only add to the legitimacy of the operation.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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