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The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a winning start in 2026, beating two division opponents in the first two weeks of the season. They struggled for much of the game in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, but a fourth-quarter surge led by Brian Flores’ aggressive defense gave the Vikings a 39-22 triumph.
The odds were not in Minnesota’s favor in Week 2 as they traveled to the Windy City to face Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. The Vikings defense was on point again and Flores got the edge over Ben Johnson and his high-powered attack. After scoring 59 points in the opener against the Carolina Panthers, the Bears could muster just 3 against Minnesota. The Vikings got three field goals from Will Reichard and won the game by a 9-3 margin.
The Minnesota offense has not been in top form as QB Kyler Murray was forced out of action early in the season opener with a concussion. Backup Carson Wentz did enough to help the Vikings secure the opening victories, but Murray is out of concussion protocol and will play in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Murray will try to use his athleticism to get the best of the desperate Bucs, who have opened the season with back-to-back losses. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield has completed 71.0 percent of his passes, but he has just 398 air yards and 1 TD along with 1 interception. Wins have been very hard for Mayfield and the Bucs to come by, but they will be fairly desperate at Raymond James Stadium as head coach Todd Bowles does not want to see his team start the season with an 0-3 record.
Murray will take advantage of his opportunity with 2 TD passes and 1 TD run
The Vikings offense has been handicapped without Murray under center. Head coach Kevin O’Connell wants to take advantage of Murray’s ability to escape pressure and create plays with his feet.
That did not happen in the opener, as he got crushed early in the first quarter and was forced out of action. If he can avoid a big hit early in this game, the Vikings should be able to perform at a very high level against the Bucs. Look for O’Connell to call one or two designed runs for Murray early in the game so he can have confidence as the game proceeds.
Once that happens, the quarterback should be able to relax and get the ball wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Jefferson caught two TD passes in the season opener, and that’s as many as he had throughout the 2025 season. Jefferson wants to regain his status as the top receiver in the league.
Murray has been working regularly with Addison and the two may have an excellent partnership as the season proceeds. The Bucs defense ranks 21st in the league and is giving up 234.0 yards per game. Jefferson, Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson should be able to find open spaces against this unit. The Bucs are allowing 28.0 points per game and struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals in the opener and the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.
Look for Mayfield to throw for 250 yards
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While Mayfield has demonstrated that he is an accurate passer this season, the Bucs miss having big-play specialist Mike Evans in the lineup. The Bucs have a couple of excellent receivers in Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka, but the loss of Evans to the San Francisco 49ers cannot be overstated.
Evans was a do-it-all receiver who excelled at keeping drives alive and delivering big plays. Injuries limited him to eight games last year, but he caught 24 TD passes in the 2023 and ’24 seasons.
Mayfield will get his yardage throwing to his two primary receivers, but the Bucs offense will struggle because rookies Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange will shut down Bucky Irving and Tampa Bay’s interior running game.
Edge rusher Dallas Turner will register another 2.0 sacks
Dallas Turner has been producing huge plays for the Vikings in each of the first two games for the Vikings. He has 7 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3 tackles for loss and he has forced 1 fumble. He registered a sack on the final play of the game against the Bears, bringing down backup QB Tyson Bagent as the signal caller was looking into the end zone with a chance to give the Bears a victory.
Turner has improved his game quite a bit this season, and he was in the backfield throughout the game against the Bears. The elusive Williams able to get away from him on several plays, but the quarterback was unable to deliver any big gainers before he left the game late in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.
In addition to Turner, linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel are key defensive stoppers, along with veteran free safety Harrison Smith.
Related: Brian Flores’ mentality for Vikings defense shows why he’s the best in the business
Related: 1 major Kevin O’Connell schematic change coincides with Vikings winning streak
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