Will Reichard Powers Undefeated Vikings to 15-10 Win Over Dolphins (and What Mattered Most in Week 4)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The undefeated Vikings welcomed the winless Dolphins to the Twin Cities for some Week 4 action on Sunday afternoon.

At stake for the Vikings? Continuing their undefeated start, showing competence in the passing game, and helping defensive coordinator Brian Flores exact brutal revenge against the franchise he once coached. For the Dolphins? Proving they can win a football game and maybe sack a quarterback while they’re at it.

Turns out, things would be a little more interesting than many expected.

The 15-10 win for the Purple and Gold followed a familiar script, as the Vikings offense kept it much closer than it should have. The Dolphins, to their credit, came out motivated and feisty. Minnesota looked to be a far cry from a team that’s undefeated on the season, as offensive incompetence nearly derailed their undefeated start to the season.

Luckily, the Vikings' defense and special teams once again did just enough to keep them afloat. With one more game to go before a much-needed bye week, let's dive into what truly mattered from Sunday's win.

The greatness of Will Reichard saves the day

Will Reichard may be the best thing to ever happen to this team, and I’m only being partially hyperbolic. He nailed five field goals with a long of 50 for the day and is now a perfect 12-for-12 for the season. He's now outscored the rest of Minnesota's special teams and the entire offense 32-12 since Week 2 (h/t VikingzFanPage).

#Vikings points scored since week 2:

Will Reichard: 32
Special teams: 6
Rest of offense: 6

(Per the broadcast) pic.twitter.com/8eYXtHiIzb
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 4, 2026

This is now the second time this season that Reichard has accounted for every point scored by the Vikings. Reichard’s reliability has been a bright spot for a Vikings team whose offense seems incapable of finding the end zone. While his performance has been incredibly impressive, the irony of the Vikings’ kicker being their most reliable scoring threat should not be lost on any of us.

Especially when...

Offensive struggles continue

The Dolphins entered the game without a single sack on the season. That would change on Kyler Murray’s first snap of the game as Zach Sieler got into the backfield, bringing him down (h/t Dolphins Wire's Jason Sarney). From there, the offense couldn't find consistent footing, and boos rang out at multiple points throughout the afternoon.

And Zach Sieler gets the first sack of the season for the Miami Dolphins. On the games first snap. pic.twitter.com/XcfV3KTzAF
— Jason Sarney - Dolphins Wire (@Jason_Sarney) October 4, 2026

Murray looked rough, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s play calling did him zero favors whatsoever. To this point, the marriage between Murray’s skill set and O’Connell’s scheme seems incompatible. He would end the day with only 247 passing yards on a 27-for-37 (73.0%) completion rate and no touchdowns. He did, however, find a flow late in the fourth and seems to be building a connection with T.J. Hockenson, who had 13 catches for 119 yards on the day.

The offensive line would take a beating as the Vikings lost left guard Donovan Jackson with a knee injury. Later, left tackle Christian Darrisaw left the game with a neck injury before returning to start the second half... and then exiting again to be examined for a concussion, per the Vikings.

Running back Aaron Jones once again fought valiantly to give the offense some form of life, running for 94 rushing yards on 20 carries (4.7 yards per attempt) on the day.

The fact that a 31-year-old RB who has already faced a knee injury this season is their most reliable offensive player should indicate just how poor the passing game has been.

General manager Nolan Teasley may soon be faced with some difficult decisions as the trade deadline approaches. The team is winning games, but the offense is simply unsustainable. The unit needs either an injection of explosiveness in the run game or a QB who can run the offense the way O’Connell wants.

Dallas Turner continues to shine

It turns out that 2026 is the year of Dallas Turner. His two first-half sacks set the tone for a defense looking to inject energy into their home crowd while the offense struggled mightily.

Dallas Turner tries to tackle. — Sunday's win over the Dolphins saw another huge performance from Dallas Turner, who remains one of the Vikings' best players this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The third-year pass rusher tallied an additional two sacks to bring his season total to 5.5, with his five pressures bringing that number up to 29. He also forced a fumble. Not only was Turner awarded an 86.1 overall grade on Pro Football Focus for his efforts, but his pass rush grade of 92.9 was a new season high, beating his previous best set in Week 1 (90.4).

Turner's emergence after the Jonathan Greenard trade has been one of the best storylines of the season. It would be shocking if he isn't on an All-Pro team at the end of the season, potentially even challenging for 2026 NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, too.

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