Brian Murphy: Who says winners need to be pretty?
At Five and Get Out, the Vikings might be the ugliest front runners in the NFL, all due respect to the New York (remember us?) Giants. But it is kind of a beautiful thing.
What better time to defy convention, stare into the abyss week after week and seize a generous but fleeting opportunity than this 2022 season of chronically sloppy play, crushing injuries, curious officiating and pure lunacy.
There is something special brewing here. You can see it on these befuddling stat sheets and smell it in the sweat-soaked wardrobes Minnesota fans wring out after every Sunday therapy session.
The Vikings know how to almost lose, but in the process these guys are learning how to win, with a bye and two winnable games on the near horizon. Meanwhile, every sad sack in the NFC North is waving them through like a mensch at the next tee.
The fates are lining up for the Vikings in strange and mysterious ways under rookie head coach Kevin O’Connell, none more galvanizing than Sunday’s 24-16 victory over the badly wounded and self-destructive Dolphins in steamy Miami.
This diverse group of gamebreakers is making big plays at crucial moments in all three phases, teasing greatness and pouncing on opportunities. They are protecting the football and creating devastating turnovers. Most telling, they are winning despite themselves and grateful to be playing with house money.
“I’m really proud to be 5-1 right now,” said O’Connell. “We’ve learned a lot about our football team. We have also learned, as coaches, that we have a long way to go and a lot of room to improve, which I’m really excited about.”
For every disappointing three-and-out by Minnesota’s batty offense, there is a defensive answer. Be it a sack, tackle for a loss or takeaway at just the right moment by entertaining characters like Za’Darius Smith, Danielle Hunter, Patrick Peterson, Harrison Smith and, have yourself a day, Jordan Hicks.
For every maddening defensive series in which the pass rush goes AWOL and the secondary turns marshmallow, Justin Jefferson will gash an opponent deep, running back Dalvin Cook will sprint out of the morgue for a monster gain or Kirk Cousins will thread the needle to Adam Thielen or Irv Smith Jr. for a timely touchdown.
And when all else fails, special teams will thwart a fake Miami punt and snuff momentum with tight coverage and the Bunyan-esque punts of Ryan Wright.
These are the complimentary components necessary to overcome obvious shortcomings and close ranks whenever adversity strikes, as it does with this alarming but entertaining team as sure as the sun rises in the east.
The last time the Vikings won in Miami was Dec. 11, 1976. Fran Tarkenton threw three touchdowns to Sammy White in the Orange Bowl – while Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter were measuring window treatments to move into the White House.
The Dolphins started third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson because backup Teddy Bridgewater and No. 1 Tua Tagovailoa were only cleared Friday from concussion protocols.
It did not take long until Thompson went out with a thumb injury and Bridgewater was pressed into service against his former team without a minute of practice all week.
Nevertheless, the Vikings offense was wilting in the south Florida sun. A plague of three-and-outs, coupled with Crayola play calling, kept Miami relevant long enough to have possession with 8:25 remaining and a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.
Bridgewater drove into Vikings territory and completed a 14-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle at the 30 before Harry the Hitman poked the ball loose for a fumble that Camryn Bynum recovered.
Cook daggered the Dolphins with a 53-yard scoring rumble so fans could exhale and dig into the puzzling postmortems.
The Vikings managed a meager 234 yards compared to Miami’s 458. Still, the Dolphins were penalized 10 times for 97 yards, including five during one first-quarter drive. Their pass protection was a myth.
Yet, like clockwork, Minnesota let an inferior opponent hang around long enough to keep eyeballs engaged and demand a certain level of resilience.
Is it illegal to call for a 4-yard pass on 3rd and 3? Asking for a friend who yelled himself horse.
There was the unlikely scene of Cousins barking and storming to the sidelines after a throwaway on third down. He almost looked mad enough to shotgun a quart of 2% milk before he and O’Connell debriefed and reached détente.
“We’re going to have intense conversations,” Cousins said. “I love when he coaches me hard and holds me to a high standard. The play caller-quarterback dynamic, you’re trying to get in each other’s head more and more and more, the longer you work together.”
The longer the Vikings can play complimentary football and flop golden horseshoes, the bigger the cushion in a division race that is theirs to lose.
I know, wake me in December.
But 5-1 is a whole lot better than the eternal struggle of autumns past.
Related: 5 things that stood out in the Vikings' win over Miami
