In the words of former and future president Donald Trump, STOP THE COUNT. I have seen enough. The Minnesota Vikings are going to win the Super Bowl this season and all it took was one game against the underwhelming New York Giants to see it.

Minnesota’s offseason and camp were hell on Earth for fans. J.J. McCarthy lost his rookie season due to injury, rookie corner Khyree Jackson tragically lost his life in a car accident, T.J. Hockenson and Dalton Risner are starting the season on the IR. The only thing worse is having Jerry Tillery as a starting defensive end. But with all of those setbacks and scenarios in which the Vikings have had to deal with, they came out yesterday firing on all cylinders on both offense and defense. It was great, it damn near brought a tear to my eye.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Moves Seem To Be Paying Off

I mentioned how the offseason was an eventful one and it started with departures on both sides of the ball. The Vikings didn’t bring back Kirk Cousins because of his insane asking price, which was met by Atlanta to a tune of $180,000,000 dollars. In addition to offensive weapons leaving, Cam Akers, Alexander Mattison and K.J. Osborn found new homes. On defense, the Vikings lost a handful of big name pass rushers like D.J. Wonnum, Danielle Hunter and Dean Lowry to other squads and Jordan Hicks’ age didn’t warrant resigning him.

With these players departing, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t waste time replacing them. In the Vikings backfield, Cousins, Akers and Mattison were replaced by Sam Darnold and Aaron Jones, which I initially questioned, but have grown to love. Defensively, Kwesi went NUTS. He replaced aging players who wanted more money than they’re worth with youthful up and comers.

The pass rushers who left were swiftly replaced with Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. Two players that are both explosive and quick off the edge. In the secondary, the corner fiasco was addressed by inking former DPOY Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin.

This great free agent period was followed up by the NFL Draft where Kwesi and company played fast and loose. In the first round, they drafted the QB of the future in J.J McCarthy and the best pass rusher in the draft in Dallas Turner. I mentioned earlier that Khyree Jackson passed away, and Kwesi took him round four. It’s so sad to think about, but I know he would’ve fit nice alongside Cam Bynum and Harrison Smith. Their other great pick was nabbing Alabama kicker Will Reichard in the sixth round. All in all, it was an exciting offseason that’s going to fuel a Super Bowl run.

The New Faces Stepped Up In Week One

It was fun to see these players get signed, but that fun can quickly peter out if they’re not performing. But that doesn’t appear to be an issue. With McCarthy out, Sam Darnold was knighted as the Vikings starting QB and he looked comfortable as the starter. Darnold was 19-24 passing with 208 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. While those numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet and punch you in the face, I was more concerned about how Darnold’s demeanor would be, and his body language read that he was confident and composed.

The other new backfield addition, Aaron Jones, really balled out. Jones had 109 all purpose yards and 1 touchdown while averaging 6.7 yards per carry. At 29 years old, a usual death sentence age for running backs, he looked remarkably explosive.

Defensively, we saw the emergence of Andrew Van Ginkel as a malevolent, defensive force. He had an impressive stat line of 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and a touchdown. But those stats don’t convey how dominant he was in collapsing the pocket which led to the Vikings sacking Daniel Jones five time. Jonathan Greenard was blanked across the stat sheet, but again, the stats don’t tell the full story. He was giving Jon Runyan and Jermaine Eluemunor issues all day long. The rookie rocking number fifteen, Dallas Turner got on the stat sheet as he sacked Daniel Jones once and added 3 tackles.

Former Texans linebacker Blake Cashman made 6 tackles and was pivotal in the Giants rushing for only 74 yards. On the back end, the newest and hottest (and oldest) corner duo in the league of Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin had 4 tackles each. All I have to say is that this offseason looks like money well spent.

Familiar Names Keep Making Plays

I just gushed over all of these new players on the Vikings roster, but what I haven’t done is give props to the familiar names who keep playing at a high level. The first obviously is the leagues best wide receiver, Justin Jefferson. No, that’s not a take. It’s the truth. No receiver in the NFL is better than Jefferson. He reeled in 4 passes for 59 yards and 1 score, which came on 4th down in the red zone. He was a mismatch nightmare for Deonte Banks and drew double coverage often. That opened up Jordan Addison to catch 3 passes for 35 yards and Josh Oliver to snag 2 passes for 27 yards.

Even though a lot of players on the Vikings 2023 defense departed, a few players who Vikings fans know all too well made plays consistently. Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. led the Vikings in tackles with 9 and recorded 1 pass breakup. Inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. lived up to his “ain’t even gonna be a matchup” quote as he made 6 tackles and anchored the Vikings defense.

Up front, Harrison Phillips, who is known mostly for his run stopping ability, showed off his versatility making 5 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass breakup. Alongside him, Pat Jones II led the team in sacks as he brought Daniel Jones down twice to go with his 4 tackles. Moving from the front to the back, we saw a player who is defeating time. Harrison Smith made 7 tackles and 1 pass breakup, but that wasn’t his biggest play of the game. That came when he baited Daniel Jones to throw an inaccurate pass in the red zone that Harrison Smith came up with. That interception stifled any momentum that the Giants were hoping to have.

What Does This All Mean?

You’ve just read all of that and probably think I’m overreacting. You’re most likely correct. This team has led to some of my highest highs (Minneapolis Miracle, Rudolphs jump ball vs the Saints) and my lowest lows (losing to Philly after the Minneapolis Miracle, Blair Walsh) as a sports fan, but after watching the Vikings along with the inner division rivals play this weekend, I feel great.

The Packers lost to the Eagles and it looks like Jordan Love is going to miss extensive time. Detroit looked good, which was expected, but not as impressive as 2023. And Chicago, minus big plays from their defense, struggled vs the Titans. This is going to be a good year for Vikings fans. #SKOL