Revisiting 3 Bold Vikings Predictions Five Weeks Into the Season (Has Flores's Defense Exceeded Expectations?)

Here is what's still on track (and what isn't).

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has played a key role in whether one Vikings prediction has come true or not. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Before the Vikings even took a snap, I wrote about three bold predictions that could make or break the 2026 season. Some still have life; another is already buried six feet under. It's easy to throw guesses at the wall and see what sticks, but it's another thing to confront those and even admit defeat.

The 5-0 Vikings have surprised many and shocked even more with a perfect start to the campaign, so let's see how close (or far) I sit with these preseason predictions as their Week 6 bye continues.

1. Original take: Vikings' run defense will be bottom-five unit

Get back up off the floor, cut the laughter, and hear me out on this one.

The Vikings really headed into the season looking folks straight in the eye and said, "We're starting a pair of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Day 3 picks and a former UFL player up front, and we're going to win." So you may forgive me if I didn't have the utmost confidence in Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Jalen Redmond and—oh yeah—a pair of rookies who didn't exactly dominate the preseason.

And yet, here we are six weeks into the season.

The Vikings currently have the NFL's fifth-best run defense, allowing just 86.6 yards per game, and clearly a far cry from a bottom-five unit. And while they almost certainly won't drop to that level, their toughest days still lie ahead. The defensive coordinator Brian Flores's unit still has yet to face Jahmyr Gibbs (twice), Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, and 2025's rushing champion James Cook this season.

I don't think this hot take will ring true come Week 18, but I also don't think they'll remain in the top 10 after this gauntlet either.

2. Original take: Donovan Jackson is the Vikings' best offensive lineman

Hey, now we're talking. Despite featuring a line with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill, this prediction was shaping up to be mostly true until Jackson suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4. Up until that point, he had just two allowed pressures on the year, and zero quarterback hits or sacks. Not too shabby.

Donovan Jackson lived up to the hype until he suffered a season-ending injury. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After an up-and-down rookie season plagued by a wrist injury, Jackson showed enough of what made him a first-round pick. But now, with two seasons cut short due to injury, he will also face an uphill battle to continue his impressive trajectory.

Meanwhile, Darrisaw remains as talented as they come, but now has a sixth straight season of missing at least a game due to injury. O'Neill is steady as usual and may take this year's crown as the Vikings' top protector.

3. Original take: Vikings squeak into the playoffs as a wild card, then go on a run to the NFC Championship

This one still has some juice, and at 5-0, anything and everything is on the table. The division will stay tight all the way to the finish, and despite the perfect record, the Vikings have just a two-game lead over every other team in the NFC North. So their playoff seed, barring a repeat of 2016, could be anything from one to seven at this point.

Initially, my biggest worry about making the playoffs in 2026 was Kyler Murray getting off to a slow start, and sure enough, his start with the Vikings took off about as fast as Linval Joseph's 40-time. I recall wondering how he might mesh with head coach Kevin O'Connell.

Kyler Murray was splitting reps as recently as three weeks ago. He's also in a bit of unfamiliar territory with the Vikings' offense. Since 2022, the Vikings have run shotgun just 53% of the time, while Murray was in it 83% of the time during his days in Arizona. That's not to say he or Kevin O'Connell can't adjust some, but it's a change, and change almost always means either better or worse.

Trevor Ripley on Sept. 6, 2026

But despite the rough start in Green Bay and another dud against Tampa Bay, Murray has strung together some really nice weeks as of late, completing 76% of his passes over the last two weeks. O'Connell has also adjusted and run more shotgun against Miami than he ever has before.

Is an NFC Championship Game in the cards? Absolutely, but the defense's health and Murray's ascension will be key.

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