The 4-0 Vikings have turned the page on the days of the Purple People Eaters. And the stout defense isn’t getting much help from the offense.
The Vikings have gone 18 straight without a touchdown. The latest occurred in the second quarter of the Week 3 win over the Buccaneers. The Week 4 win over the Dolphins came with five field goals.
Yes, TJ Hockenson could have scored just before the two-minute warning, but he wisely took a knee and allowed the Vikings to make sure the Dolphins couldn’t score twice and steal the game. Either way, the Vikings didn’t record a touchdown against the Dolphins.
As noted last Sunday, the win made the Vikings the first team in more than 100 years to started 4-0 despite not scoring a hit in several games. The 1922 and 1923 Chicago Cardinals were the only other teams to accomplish that feat.
If the Vikings do it again at some point this year, they will become just the fourth team in NFL history to go three or more games without scoring a touchdown. The others were the 1922 Chicago Cardinals, 1923 Chicago Bears and 1993 Indianapolis Colts, according to NBC Sports research.
The all-time record, held by the 1922 Cardinals, is four.
Still, there’s reason to believe the Vikings can break out of their early-season funk. After the Dolphins scored a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut Minnesota’s lead to 12-10, the Vikings offense seemed to wake up. A 15-play, 60-yard drive took up more than eight minutes and extended the lead to 15-10. Then, after a three-and-out attempt by the Dolphins, the Vikings burned the remaining 5:41 by moving the ball 79 yards from their own 19 to the Miami duo.
The next test comes today, in New Orleans. The 1-3 Saints are desperate for a win after dropping their first two home games of the season – capped by Monday night’s embarrassing loss to the Falcons. New Orleans hasn’t lost its first three home games since 1995.
