Vikings' Perfect Voyage Continues With Win Over Bucs (Here Are 3 Things That Mattered Most in Week 3)

Purple packed the stands at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa as the Vikings battled the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. The mid-80-degree temps at kickoff were a far cry from the rain and cold the Vikings faced in last week’s game in Soldier Field. With starting quarterback Kyler Murray back under center and a banged-up Aaron Jones Sr. fighting to make the start, could the Vikings remain undefeated to start the 2026 campaign?

Yes! But boy, was it ugly. As the defense continued to shine, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense struggled for much of the day.

To be fair, losing Justin Jefferson early certainly does not help.

Here’s what mattered as the Vikings overcame their own flaws to start 3-0.

Murray returns, but Jefferson’s injury limits the offense

Jefferson went to the blue tent with an ankle injury in the first quarter and was labeled as questionable to return. He later returned to the sideline with his helmet before heading to the locker room at halftime.

Murray started his day with a nice pass to Jefferson over the middle for a 22-yard completion, helping to set up a Will Reichard field goal. After that, the offense stalled out for most of the first half before Murray started throwing high-risk, high-reward balls to Jordan Addison. The two connected on a 41-yard TD, bringing life back to the Vikings offense.

Despite only 112 passing yards in the first half, Murray became the first Vikings QB with three or more deep completions in a first half since Sam Bradford in Week 14 of the 2016 season, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Kyler Murray has completed all three of his deep passes for 93 yards and a touchdown already today.

Murray is the first Vikings QB with three or more deep completions in a first half since Sam Bradford in Week 14, 2016.#MINvsTB | #Skol https://t.co/aQDA7yHUqu
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 27, 2026

The rest of the day was a mess for the Vikings offense as they failed to score again. Murray ended the day with only 168 passing yards, and the offense totaled 230 yards on the day.

Defensive aggression continues

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores continues to make himself impossible to ignore for an eventual head coaching gig. The defense gave up an explosive 40-yard TD to rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst in the first quarter on what appeared to be a miscommunication by safety Josh Metellus, but after that, the Vikings' defenders focused on making Baker Mayfield’s afternoon as miserable as possible.

Flores's unit totaled six sacks, as well as a whopping 29 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Mayfield finished with 217 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception. Minnesota also limited Tampa’s ground attack, holding Bucky Irving to only 46 yards on 15 attempts. Coverage gaps and broken tackles are still a noticeable issue, but it doesn’t seem to matter much when QBs are running around in a panic.

The Bucs’ day ended with an interception by Andrew Van Ginkel after Mayfield seemingly injured his thumb (h/t NFL insider Ian Rapoport) while scrambling to find an open receiver.

The Price is right as special teams comes in clutch

It finally happened: Myles Price housed a return that wasn’t called back due to a penalty.

After a three-play stall out on Tampa’s first drive, Price returned the ensuing punt for a blazing 86-yard touchdown, his first career TD (h/t: Vikings). It marked the Vikings' first punt-return touchdown since Marcus Sherels in Week 5 of 2016. Price has flashed explosive potential on special teams since joining the Vikings in 2024, but penalties have prevented him from finding the end zone.

86 yards.

To. The. Crib.@myles_price3

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/c7HfjpmGr2
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 27, 2026

Additionally, Will Reichard’s three kicks of 54, 56 and 43 yards ended up being the difference. Reichard is currently a perfect 7-of-7 this season after accounting for all of Minnesota’s nine points last week in Chicago.

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