Minnesota Vikings Partying Like it’s 1998

The Minnesota Vikings are 4-0 and off to an incredible start in 2024. Kevin O’Connell has his team rolling and vibes are high as the purple head to London. There is some serious momentum happening for this team, and now they have an international matchup against a familiar QB foe, Aaron Rodgers, and his new(ish) team, the New York Jets.

A Minnesota Vikings season for the ages is upon us

After a 7-10 record last year, this Vikings team was not supposed to be very good. Kirk Cousins left, and rookie J.J. McCarthy wound up injured. But Sam Darnold has played four games at an MVP level and Kevin O’Connell has his team winning all three phases.

Minnesota’s hot start to their season has them looking like an old version of themselves. The Athletic’s Mike Sando looked at the Vikings’ 57 point score differential, this season, which happens to matchup exactly with the legendary 1998 team.

“The Vikings have basically hijacked this space in recent weeks. I’ve reached deep into the archives to contextualize one of the most shocking 4-0 starts in memory. Are these the storybook 1999 St. Louis Rams or the long-forgotten 2002 San Diego Chargers? What about the Randall Cunningham-led 1998 Vikings, who finished 15-1 and then, well, you know what happened from there.”

Mike Sando on the Minnesota Vikings start (The Athletic)

The Minnesota Vikings should have been in the Super Bowl during the 1998 season, but Gary Anderson picked the worst time for his first missed field goal that year. But instead of thinking about how that playoff run ended, this is more about how dominant that team was, early that season.

So, the #Vikings are 4-0, and, well…

H/T: https://t.co/UxwJfjFZAI pic.twitter.com/r5Q4gliqLY

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 30, 2024

The reality is that starting 4-0 puts you in a pretty good spot to make noise at the end of the year. The Vikings are already over halfway to their initial over/under projection of 6.5 wins, and they have the same record as the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Finally Favored in Week 5…?

Where do the Vikings go from here?

The 1998 Minnesota Vikings didn’t stop winning after they reached 4-0. Will Sam Darnold lead the 2024 team to a 16-1 record? Probably not. But again, it’s the way they are winning that has them being compared to one of the most influential teams in NFL history. Remember, the Vikings have only trailed for 2.5 minutes all season.

“Minnesota’s 1998 team started 4-0 with a four-game point differential of plus-57, same as the current team. That Vikings team carried an 8.5-win Vegas total into the season. Cunningham had come out of retirement a year earlier and was 35 years old. He came off the bench to replace an injured Brad Johnson in Week 2 and stayed in the lineup.”

Mike Sando on 1998 Vikings comparisons (The Athletic)

As Sando points out, the Vikings are attempting to overcome lackluster preseason odds. The Vikings have gotten off to a strong margin of victory, and that is something they will need to maintain if the want to keep stacking wins.

Few teams have overcome the type of preseason odds that the 2024 Minnesota Vikings currently are. The 1999 Rams were projected at just 5.5 wins, prior to their Super Bowl runs. They finished with a 97-point margin. What Minnesota must do is avoid becoming the 2009 Kyle Orton Broncos.

It’s unlikely that Darnold is going to finish the season attempting just a pair of passes while playing from behind. The lower that number is however, the better job both O’Connell and Brian Flores are doing. Advantageous situations are how to massage a lesser quarterback, and that has been executed to the greatest extent thus far.

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Darnold has succeeded because it has been a total team effort. If that continues, then there’s a real chance things get exciting as the weather turns colder. This time too, a rookie kicker will be looking to avoid a haircut.