After the Seattle Seahawks knocked off the then-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings are the last remaining team with a "0" in the loss column.
The Vikings are 6-0, fresh off a win against the Indianapolis Colts yesterday. In a stacked division that includes the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions, Minnesota sits atop of it by a game and a half.
Minnesota's defense is the story of the season - they've allowed just 74 points in six games and lead the NFL in that stat by 29 points (Chiefs are second with 103 points allowed).
Brian Flores' unit set a Next Gen Stats record (dating back to 2016) with a 85.2% blitz rate on dropbacks in the Colts game. That stat epitomizes Flores' mindset: aggressive and fast, but not reckless. They rank second in sack rate, second in yards allowed per game, and first in pass yards allowed per game.
While the defense has been spectacular, Minnesota still wants more production from the offense that has typically performed well in the Kevin O'Connell era. However, a lack of a running game, along with a quarterback that has difficulties throwing over the middle of the field, has limited the ceiling from that unit.
They haven't necessarily had a comfortable win the whole year, and some parts of the game have been ugly, but they're tough, clutch, and seem to always force a big-time turnover to flip the game late.
It'll be fascinating to see how this team performs as their schedule heats up: @ Detroit, vs. Buffalo, @ Green Bay, @ San Francisco are on the docket for them in November. For now, Vikings fans can enjoy seeing a zero in the loss column.
When was the last time the Vikings were 6-0?
The last time the Vikings were 6-0 was in 2009. It's the fifth time they have started 6-0 or better in franchise history (6-0 in 2003, 7-0 in 2000 and 1998). Unfortunately, three of these teams would go on to lose in the NFC Championship game.
In 2009, Brett Favre had the Vikings undefeated through six weeks and ultimately started the year 10-1. The stacked team also featured Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, and Percy Harvin on offense, while Jared Allen and Kevin Williams led the defense with their stout D-line play.
Those Vikings dominated the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round, 34-3, before losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Conference Championship game. Of course, that game included the infamous interception Favre threw with 20 seconds left in the game in field goal range.
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