Vikings Week 1 Mailbag: 2026 Optimism Levels, Justin Jefferson, Run Game Concerns & More

Sports Illustrated's Jason Harmon is here to answer all burning questions concerning the Purple and Gold.

Justin Jefferson's potential resurgence is among the questions in this week's Vikings mailbag. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NFL season is about to kick off, and to show my excitement, I’m kicking off our new Vikings mailbag series early! I took to X and asked for fan questions as we head into Week 1's showdown with the Packers.

After an offseason full of changes, here are some of the pressing questions on the minds of Vikings fans before the Packers come to town this weekend.

Excitement level for 2026

How excited should Vikings fans be this season? For me, this has been the least excited I have been about a season in a long time.

ESiemonsma

I appreciate the honesty here, and I know many feel the same. Let’s be real, it's totally reasonable. 

In the span of 24 months, the team let their long-time QB walk in free agency, drafted his heir, lost him for the season, won 14 games with the journeyman bridge QB, got smashed in the playoffs, let the vet go in favor of the young kid, and barely missed the playoffs with some of the worst QB play in league history—quite the exhausting ride. 

Now the team enters 2026 with Kyler Murray, who looks to right last year’s sinking ship. While I can’t guarantee the outcome, this should be a playoff team at minimum, giving us all reason to tune in every week. If they fall short, the team will be left with franchise-defining decisions next offseason—either way, more than enough to keep all of us on the edge of our seats. 

Run game concerns

Are we going to see a revamped running game?

Wayne_Karn

How big of a difference do you think the run game will make this year?

DieHardMMAPod

I placed these two together since my answer to each addresses both. If everything we were told and shown through the offseason is any indication, the Vikings will deploy a new and improved run game this season, led by assistant head coach Frank Smith. This isn't the first time head coach Kevin O’Connell has spent the offseason talking about the need to run the football effectively, but there are reasons to believe the team is serious this time.

First, the team spent two draft picks directly on the run game, selecting fullback Max Bredeson in round five and running back Demond Claiborne in round seven.

Bredeson looks like an immediate impact player, and the team showed his ability to move through formations during training camp. Claiborne, on the other hand, is a speedster with home run potential (h/t VikingzFanPage) and massive ball security concerns. Still, his potential in Smith’s outside run scheme is intriguing.

Demond Claiborne is pure SPEED.

(Via Vikings IG) pic.twitter.com/uyKbnbewtM

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 20, 2026

Veteran starting backs Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason also seem excited about the changes, and both showcased it on the practice field with massive breakaway runs. Granted, it's training camp, but we certainly didn’t see this last summer.

We’ll see if O’Connell resorts to old habits once the games start to matter, but all signs so far should have fans optimistic. 

Justin Jefferson resurgence 

People don’t even have Justin Jefferson in their top 5 anymore because of what McCarthy did to him last year amongst Brosmer. As outrageous as that is to even question, will Kyler Murray make people remember who Jefferson is? This is Minnesota after all. We can’t have superstars.

viscabrendan

I fully agree; the disrespect toward Justin Jefferson has gotten out of hand. After a two-touchdown season where he had to fight for every one of his 1,048 yards, stat sheet watchers seem to think he has fallen off. In reality, his QB room did him zero favors in 2025.

The good news? Jefferson and Kyler Murray appeared to be forming quite the connection as camp went on. Their “game-winning” TD connection in a two-minute drill during joint practices with the Ravens stood out in particular. It was nice to see the Griddy come out, especially since it was a rare sight last season. I’m not sure if Jefferson will hit his 2022 heights, but his job should be made much easier this year with improved QB play. 

BOMB from Kyler to Jefferson for a TD and the Griddy. pic.twitter.com/X9S98oKmvw

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) August 19, 2026

Kyler Murray’s early opportunities 

What does Kyler Murray have to do in the first five games to show the Vikings made the right move with him at QB1?

MrKdub

Luckily, I spoke on this exact topic in detail recently! The short version? The team needs to come out of that stretch with a winning record, and Murray needs to avoid crashing the car. Miami looks to be the easiest opponent of their first five, but even with some tough matchups early on, things won’t get any easier as the season goes on once they reach a brutal stretch from Weeks 8-15. 

Murray will need to play smart, effective football within the boundaries of what O’Connell wants to accomplish and only break out of the pocket as a last resort. On the bright side, KOC has hinted at giving Murray opportunities to showcase his skill set in game plans, which should only help him further prove his value. 

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