Vikings Week 1 Confidence Meter: How I Feel About the Offense After Beating the Packers

The Vikings hosted the Packers in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Sunday's game was not initially what fans of the Purple and Gold were hoping to see from the team at U.S. Bank Stadium, but that changed in the second half.

This game felt ugly from the start, like nothing was going the Vikings' way. Minnesota completely flipped the script after halftime, and the game went from what looked like an inevitable loss to an unexpected victory.

This unlikely win was because the Vikings didn't give up. They could have let their early struggles frustrate them and let that feeling stop them from fighting back. Head coach Kevin O'Connell fired up his team and motivated them enough to get the 39-22 victory.

Following the win, here's how confident I feel in each of the Vikings' offensive position groups, starting with...

Quarterback

Vikings fans were interested to see how Kyler Murray would perform in his first game with Minnesota. Sadly, his time in the game was limited due to a hit that knocked him out of the game and kept him out of action.

Murray was going against his former head coach, the Packers' defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. This was an obvious advantage for Green Bay. The knowledge of Murray's tendencies was apparent, as he completed three of his five passes for 18 yards and an interception before his exit.

Carson Wentz entered the game, and the game plan changed. The mobility that Murray offered was replaced by a desire to stay in the pocket. Green Bay's pressure got to him early, but he rallied back, completing 12 of his 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.

The major takeaway from this game is Murray's future availability. The fear is that he will miss some time in the concussion protocol. But even if he has to miss time, Wentz showed on Sunday that he is more than capable of stepping into the starting lineup and leading the team to a victory.

Getting Murray back for Week 2 would be great, but Vikings fans should be confident that the team is in good hands if Wentz needs to be under center against the Bears.

Running back

Aaron Jones Sr. was the RB1 for this game but didn't lead the team in rushing attempts on Sunday, with 12 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. What was an unimpressive performance turned into a solid contribution.

Backup running back Jordan Mason had more touches than Jones but couldn't get anything going on the ground. Until his 28-yard run, he had just 24 yards on 11 carries. Thankfully, he came through with less than five minutes to go and punched in a one-yard touchdown (h/t NFL).

Jordan Mason is IN!

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Jones and Mason may have found the end zone, but neither one stood out against the Packers. Combined, their 27 carries for 99 yards average out to 3.7 yards per carry, which is okay, but shouldn't give the impression that the team will be successful on the ground in future games.

Until the Vikings can be a threat on the ground and pick up more than eight rushing first downs, there is a lot of work to be done on Minnesota's run game.

Wide receiver

It was great to see Justin Jefferson get in the end zone in Week 1 after only scoring two touchdowns all season in 2025. But he wasn't done there. He scored another touchdown by the time the game was over, matching his total TDs from last season. He looked like the receiver that Minnesota fans knew he was, despite his quieter year last year when he barely broke 1,000 receiving yards.

Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings were essentially non-factors in this game. Their inability to get involved was a major factor in the offensive struggles, since neither one was able to haul in a pass all day.

Of course, confidence in Jefferson has to be through the roof. He looks ready to be dominant this season and seems very comfortable with Wentz throwing him the ball. On the other hand, seeing Addison and Jennings get shut out is extremely frustrating. It will take a solid performance next week for Vikings fans to feel good about any receiver other than Jefferson moving forward.

Tight end

Getting T.J. Hockenson involved in the offense is a definite bonus. He scored a touchdown while contributing four catches on five targets for 36 yards. Meanwhile, Josh Oliver had a solid day as a receiver, catching two of four targets for 22 yards.

Oliver's 23.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus is unacceptable, but his 62.7 run-blocking grade was the third-best on the team. Consistency is key for the Vikings' tight ends, and right now the position seems to be in good hands. The team just needs to clean up some of those pass-blocking mistakes.

Overall offensive confidence: 7/10

The Vikings' offense didn't look as explosive as fans would hope, but it didn't look anemic. Wentz throwing three touchdowns on 12 completions isn't something that will happen often, but it was nice to see Minnesota put up 39 points against the Packers.

Heading into Week 2, Vikings fans should feel good about the offense. There is a lot of optimism since Minnesota converted more than half of its third downs and scored five touchdowns.

The yardage totals need to go up. Only 133 passing yards won't win a lot of games, but Wentz also didn't throw an interception. Not turning the ball over is more important than gaining a ton of yards.

Patience will be key with the offense, but for now, things feel pretty good for the Purple and Gold.

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