MINNEAPOLIS -- There was a thick fog surrounding U.S. Bank Stadium throughout Sunday, an endless cloud that skewed visibility outside the gargantuan windows of the Minnesota Vikings' downtown palace. It could've been a foreboding sign for the visiting Green Bay Packers, who would soon fall into a deep hole against their rivals for the second time of the 2024 NFL season. It just as well may have been a symbol for how a certain NFC powerhouse has gone largely undetected by the rest of the league.
In Minnesota, see, Vikings disappointment isn't common. It's inevitable. Dreams are always broadcast with an unspoken skepticism. Winning streaks are designed only to end. Championships are more fantastical than negative-50 temps. Look no further than two years ago, when a franchise seemingly destined for glory -- 13-4 under a first-year head coach, and a record 11-0 in games decided by one score -- got bounced by the iffy New York Giants in the opening round of the playoffs on the Bank's very turf.
Go back a bit further, and even the "Minneapolis Miracle" -- the walk-off touchdown that vaulted Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs into both unlikely and absolute stardom, respectively -- wasn't miraculous enough to produce the first Super Bowl in Vikings history. Plenty of purple faithful still feel the sting of the Philadelphia Eagles, another once-weary NFL underdog, seizing that 2017 magic en route to a final confetti shower inside the Vikings' own stadium. That was supposed to be their year, but instead the chains of a title drought were broken by another team against them, a different city finally freed of anguish.
Which brings us to now. The playoffs are approaching. Another deflating finish may await. And yet, in light of the Vikings' ninth straight victory, a 27-25 win that doubles as a belated bag of coal to all of Wisconsin, it might also be time to stop playing around. Because the Minnesota Vikings look like Super Bowl contenders.
The record is one thing: At 14-2, not only are they second only to the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) in the win column, but they're one victory away from matching the best total in the 63-year history of the franchise. At every step of their streak, however, we as a football collective have largely kept ignoring or downplaying them. "That's cute," we say, patting their heads and going about our day, all while they prepare to fight the vaunted Detroit Lions for the No. 1 seed in the entire conference. Maybe we've adopted enough of the true Minnesotan spirit by anticipating collapse.
Or maybe, assuming these Vikings will eventually just "go away" in the shadow of the gifted arm and playoff experience in Green Bay, or the national adoration of the all-world offense in Detroit, we've just missed the reality: that unlike in 2022, when coach Kevin O'Connell's 13-win team lived exclusively on the margins, this group has the makings of a complete contender, from elite quarterback play to explosive weaponry to an endlessly opportunistic defense.
"We're relentless," star wide receiver Justin Jefferson told CBSSports.com after Sunday's win, noting that Minnesota has excelled at "picking each other up" rather than folding in the face of miscues.
No Viking has exceeded expectations in this area more than Sam Darnold, the journeyman who in four months of purple game days has gone from placeholder to MVP candidate at quarterback. As with the rest of the team, he's impressive enough on paper; his 35 passing touchdowns, easily a career high, have matched the best total his predecessor, Kirk Cousins, achieved once in six years on the job, and he's still got an outside chance at matching Daunte Culpepper's franchise record (39). The eye test is even better: We all keep waiting for "the real Darnold" to show up, but the real one might also be this one, finally comfortable and adequately supported by competent coaching and playmakers after pitstops for pitiful rebuilds.
Some Vikings faithful, sporting that signature dose of passive cynicism, worry that Darnold's meteoric ascent will put Minnesota in the uncomfortable position of needing to pay big bucks after this season to retain a potential one-hit wonder, especially with a first-round rookie in J.J. McCarthy already in tow. They might even point to the Giants who spoiled O'Connell's playoff debut -- the Giants who turned around and dropped a hefty chunk of change on Daniel Jones, another rejuvenated first-round dud, only to spend the ensuing years in regret. (It's a real twist of irony that Jones currently owns a locker stall right by Darnold in the Vikings' locker room, resigned to a reclamation stint on the practice squad.)
Now, if Darnold proceeds to take Minnesota to the promised land on his current one-year contract, then the conversation is probably for naught. Why wouldn't he return, even on a rich extension, in that scenario? Regardless, there are fundamental differences between Darnold and Jones, not only as it pertains to the former's future with the Vikings but the team's chances of going the distance before we even cross the offseason bridge: Jones was never asked to win games consistently with his arm. He played ball control and worked in a rushing tandem with Saquon Barkley, who not coincidentally is now helping fuel another NFC contender in this year's Eagles.
The Vikings, on the other hand, aren't winning in spite of their lottery ticket at quarterback. They're often winning because of him. You could count two, maybe three, of the team's 16 games where Darnold allowed mistakes to compound. And that, just as much as the tight-window darts and the anticipatory deep shots, might be most impressive: He's yet to wither. As a youngster saddled with panicky play-callers or porous blocking, Darnold's live-wire arm was repeatedly overshadowed by his own frenetic tendency to force throws. Here, in Minnesota, he's almost always responded to a misfire with undeterred authority. Credit him, or O'Connell, or position coach Josh McCown, or general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for pairing him with such a deep skill group, or all of the above, because the concoction is crisp.
Each passing week, the steady but unspectacular half-decade run of Cousins fades deeper into the background, and the unexpected but dynamic trial run of Darnold registers as sustainable. The whole point of saying goodbye to Cousins was to throw darts -- plural -- at the game's most important position, hoping finally to strike higher upside. Darnold just happened to be the Vikings' flyer rather than their premium investment. And who says leaning into the unlikely hero is wrong? Two of Minnesota's NFC foes would vouch for it: The Eagles once turned to Jalen Hurts, a second-round backup, over former star Carson Wentz, and got a Super Bowl appearance out of it; the 49ers did the same, riding seventh-round backup Brock Purdy over injured first-round prize Trey Lance, and nearly dethroned the Chiefs last February.
Whatever the opinion, whatever the justified hope for McCarthy, the fact is Darnold is the guy right now. He's not an idea. He's it. The captain of a 14-2 playoff-bound force. Teammates tried suggesting as much in the spring and summer. Offensive lineman Dalton Risner touted Darnold's instant chemistry in the huddle. Wide receiver Brandon Powell talked up Darnold's natural ability to "sling the ball," and argued the quarterback's supporting cast was superior to that of the 2021 Los Angeles Rams, who then employed Powell and went on to win the Super Bowl. But preseason chatter is one thing; the offseason is designed to foster hope, no matter the organization. Firing unfazed missiles to T.J. Hockenson as the Packers batter the fort walls in the fourth quarter of a late-December game with playoff implications is another.
Darnold is the central tenet of the package, being that he plays such an instrumental role and has elevated the enviable parts around him ... and yet he's also just one piece. Beyond the top-10 quarterback play, Aaron Jones is a top-10 running back in the open field, Jefferson is one of the most effortlessly open wideouts in the game, Addison and Hockenson are top-10 pass-catching counterparts, the offensive line is serviceable, and every level of the defense has a knack for the ball, from the Andrew Van Ginkel-led pass rush to a secondary replete with rangy ballhawks like Camryn Bynum to Super Bowl-tested cover men like Stephon Gilmore. They bend but almost never break. And that's saying nothing of the headsets who oversee it all. Not a single soul who wears or has worn a Vikings uniform has a single negative word to say about O'Connell's warm leadership. The family atmosphere is tangible.
How, exactly, can we look at these Vikings -- this entire picture -- and question whether they have "it"? Their 14 wins may have come primarily against even or lesser foes. And the only matchups left -- from Week 18's anticipated Motown rematch for the North crown to the postseason contest(s) that await -- figure to present the most challenges yet. Outlasting Jordan Love at home is a real achievement, but besting Dan Campbell's kneecap-crushing offense in Motor City, then successively outdueling Eagles or Rams or Buccaneers lineups will require a fortitude with which the Vikings have teased but often failed to maintain over the years.
But you get the sense, perusing the locker room after Sunday's statement win over Green Bay, that this group knows the task at hand. Plenty of these guys were around in 2022. They're fully hardened to the reality that regular-season stardom means nothing once the real dance begins. They were exuberant, no doubt, practically giving Darnold a Gatorade bath upon entrance on Sunday night, deep in the bowels of the still-buzzing stadium, but by the time reporters filtered in for questioning a few minutes later, the music had softened and the tone had shifted to a sort of stoic professionalism. No braggadocious tirades. No tabloid proclamations. Just business as usual. Another quiet march to the next overlooked "W."
Will all this equate to a ticket to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX? Only a fool would guarantee as much. But we -- or at least the teams attempting to stand in the Vikings' way come January -- must stop pretending Minnesota doesn't exist as something other than an interesting sideshow. Because out in the Midwest, the purple squad may not always cross the finish line as desired. But for now, especially at the dawn of a new calendar year, when resolutions are written and aspirations are loftiest, well, at least the finish line is in sight.
