Vikings Week 1: 4 Most Important Things to Watch for as Packers Come to Town for Season Opener

After 252 days, the Vikings are back to playing meaningful football. What’s happened since?

Not much, just the firing of a general manager three weeks after their season ended, a months-long quarterback battle, a draft led by an interim GM, the hiring of Nolan Teasley, and the last-second return of a franchise legend. The path was long, but we’re mere steps away from the start of the real journey.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell and Teasley have spent the last two weeks fine-tuning the roster since training camp officially came to an end, and the return of franchise great Harrison Smith at safety and the addition of outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy added a spark of excitement to the air last week. The team is clearly attempting to balance two identities: a veteran roster looking to compete now and a staff heavily focused on developing its latest draft selections.

Sunday will give clear insight into how sustainable this dual life can actually be.

With months of roster moves and talking points behind us, here’s what will matter most when cleats hit the U.S. Bank Stadium turf on Sunday.

1. K1 as QB1

From the moment Kyler Murray shared that he cried “real tears” as a young Vikings fan watching Brett Favre toss an interception to Tracy Porter in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, it was obvious this guy gets it. He knows the pain and the desperation to win. Will that actually translate to success on the field? We’ll have to see, but so far there’s hope.

Murray’s start to training camp was inconsistent, to say the least. Two great performances over the first week were surrounded by some fairly brutal days. Eventually, the heights he proved capable of occasionally hitting propelled him to the starting role, and from there he largely thrived.

Three pass attempts in the preseason are hardly enough to paint a picture of what’s to come, meaning Sunday will truly be the first time we see what's in store for Murray and the Minnesota offense. A home game against your most hated divisional opponent, when they're still without the great Micah Parsons? Quite the opportunity to get off to an exciting start, especially with wideout Jordan Addison entering a contract year and Justin Jefferson fresh off a summer of doubts from media and talking heads.

If Murray wants to prove he’s a top-level QB, Sunday is the first checkpoint along the way.

2. Run game revamp

Will this finally be the year that O’Connell’s annual summer talking points around running the football more effectively come to fruition? From what we saw at training camp? Yes, and the reason is new assistant head coach Frank Smith.

Smith brings a wealth of knowledge and success with his outside run scheme. The former Dolphins’ offensive coordinator helped lead De'Von Achane to a whopping 7.8 yards per carry in his 2023 rookie campaign. While neither Aaron Jones nor Jordan Mason is as young or agile as Achane, both seem motivated and rejuvenated by the new scheme, each showcasing multiple breakaway runs throughout camp. Sunday will provide a major stage to set the tone for the running back room through 2026.

Jordan Mason looks insane through camp so far. Massively underrated burst around the edge we get to see with the new run scheme. pic.twitter.com/iEY86HKF9z
— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) August 13, 2026

But the real X-factors may be rookie fullback Max Bredeson and running back Demond Claiborne. Bredeson has looked like a dominating force all summer, being motioned and used in various ways. The team seems confident they have found their heir to C.J. Ham, and they’ll need him to live up to the hype if the new run game is to be effective.

Then, there's Claiborne.

The sixth-round pick from Wake Forest may be the secret weapon in O’Connell and Smith’s arsenal. That is, if he can actually hold on to the football. Claiborne is truly fast and is capable of hitting a home run from the backfield at any point. But repeated issues with fumbles became a major concern during the summer. It's hard to say how many looks he’ll receive Sunday, but it may very well be feast or famine anytime he touches the ball.

3. Dual defensive identities

The Vikings invested heavily in the defense this offseason. The team signed underrated cornerback James Pierre to start free agency, used five of their nine draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, recently signed linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and welcomed back Harrison Smith. The most intriguing part will be how the team balances new young talent with a room full of talented but aging vets.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores’s unit is not exactly a 100-level NFL course, and veteran minds may be needed to execute some of the more complex aspects of the disguise- and deception-heavy scheme. But that does not mean the young guns will have no roles. Domonique Orange in particular seems poised to make an immediate impact on the defensive front, while Charles "Chuck" Demmings could inject much-needed life into the cornerback group.

How Flores chooses to prioritize the new and the old will give an early glimpse into how many different defenders could be used in different capacities throughout the season. If the young guys show out, Flores may have an embarrassment of riches in his already loaded arsenal.

4. Hold your breath on field goals

Before the rage comments start: I am not speaking ill of the great Will Reichard. The third-year golden-legged answer to kicking-related prayers put up some astonishing numbers last year (when camera wires didn’t get in his way). But there has been one major change to the kicking situation that needs to be noted: the addition of new punter and holder Brett Thorson.

Thorson was one of my favorite undrafted free agent additions in the spring. The 2025 Ray Guy Award winner comes from Australia via the University of Georgia and brings an absolutely booming leg with him, helping him beat out veteran punter Johnny Hekker to secure a spot on the 53-man roster. Part of that competition? Holding for Reichard, something Thorson had actually never done before.

The good news? He did it well, making it a non-concern through camp and three preseason games.

But this is the Vikings. The team finally has a trustworthy kicker and now, seemingly, a young punter/holder to pair him with for years to come? Could it really be that simple? Sunday will tell us a lot about Thorson and Reichard’s comfort level together when the pressure is on.

Hopefully, for everyone involved, it trends the way it did all summer with the Vikings finding their special teams duo of the future.

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