By: Musab Mohamud

In another nail biting affair the Minnesota Vikings have squeezed out another close victory. In true Vikings’ fashion it took a game ending rally to finally finish off the Aaron Rodgers led Packers.

Rodgers had another game where he continued to fuel his MVP candidacy, but his attempts proved futile and he was outshone by the budding superstar Justin Jefferson who hauled in 8 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. The young receiver was a scourge to the opposing secondary and continued to torch anyone who lined up across from him.

Jaire Alexander’s absence was sorely felt with Kirk Cousins seeming to complete passes at will. 

A long-standing rivalry between these 2 teams has resulted in some truly incredible games, and this one was no different. With both teams combining for 65 points and 911 yards, and another surprisingly good performance by a coaching staff who have been lackluster at times throughout the season.

During some games this season, the play calling has been downright pathetic, with many fans calling for Zimmer to be fired. His continued insistence on running the ball, even though he has such a star-studded receiver corps, has turned much of the fanbase on him. Continued last gasp wins are unsustainable, shown by the Vikings losing many close games throughout the season.

However, there are glimpses of hope within, with the emergence of many young stars and a multitude of draft picks in the coming draft, the Vikings are set up for success.

Continued success from last week’s impressive performance against the Los Angeles Chargers has some Vikings fans hoping for a deep playoff run. One hopeful Vikings fan says, “It’s very doable, Captain Kirk can take us to the promised land.”

Many others are hoping the inevitable close game losses are a thing of the past. With a hot and cold 49ers team on the horizon, the Vikings can hope to finally break the .500 mark. The 49ers hold the same record as the Vikings and are coming off a victory over the Super Bowl contending Rams, and the bottom of the barrel Jaguars. With a potent offense on both sides the game is shaping up to be another thriller. With a make or break attitude and a very volatile game plan, this game is supremely important to the Vikings. 

By: Abby Altman

The atmosphere at US Bank Stadium coming into week 3 might have been exactly what the team needed. The stands were packed with purple, and the Skol chant was seemingly louder than ever. The stadium even had fake snow coming down to represent “The Team of the North.” 

Coming into this game the Vikings were 0-2, playing against the 1-1 Seahawks. Prior to this game, the Vikings hadn’t hosted the Seahawks in Minnesota since 2016, and hadn’t beaten them since 2009. 

Kirk Cousins, once again played at an MVP caliber level, going 30/38, with 323 yards and 3 touchdowns, and played his 3rd consecutive game with no turnovers. Even without star running back Dalvin Cook, the offense was propelled by backup Alexander Mattison, who picked up 112 rushing yards and 171 total yards. The offensive line looked stronger than it has in several years. 

“It’s the best offensive performance that I’ve seen in the eight years that I’ve been here,” coach Mike Zimmer said.

The first 2 weeks this season, the Vikings receiving core was fairly quiet. Sophomore WR Justin Jefferson ended his rookie year blazing, and was a top candidate for rookie of the year. He hadn’t done much this season, but after this week’s stats, we can see Jefferson is back. Justin had 11 targets, 118 receiving yards, and a touchdown, along with an impressive catch and 28 yard run. 

Another good thing to see is sophomore WR KJ Osborn is stepping up to make the Vikings WR core a very dangerous trio. Jefferson, Thielen, and Osborn, all combined for 194 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns this week. 

The defense played just slightly above average in the first half, but shut down the Seattle offense in the second half. The Vikings allowed the Seahawks offense 389 yards, 2 touchdowns and a field goal. The defensive line was able to get to Seahawks QB Russell Wilson twice, with Everson Griffen and Eric Kendricks both bringing in a sack. 

Kicker Greg Joseph redeemed himself in this comeback after missing a game winning kick in week 2. Joseph went 6/6 with 3 field goals for 44, 33 and 20 yards, and 3 PATs. 

In a post game interview coach Mike Zimmer said he told the team “We work so hard, we prepare so hard, we deserve to win.” 

The Vikings hope to keep this streak going and improve to 2-2 next week, at home against Cleveland. 

*Note: Since the writing of this article, the Vikings have gone 1-1 in the two games they’ve played.