The numbers show that Minnesota Vikings offense is set for positive regression and it's easy to see how they get there

When you look at the Minnesota Vikings offense, it's a complete mixed bag.

They have put up 20+ points in four of five games, including a 48-point explosion in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, where they were responsible for 34 of those points. There have been some really interesting moments across the board, especially with head coach Kevin O'Connell's play calling seeing a shift.

Overall, the unit has seen a multitude of issues across the board, but a lot of them have a chance to show positive regression.

Minnesota Vikings offensive positive regression

Injury luck

The Vikings have seen a significant amount of players miss time due to injuries. Just on the offensive side of the football, they have had 13 full games lost, with most of them on the offensive line.


LT Christian Darrisaw	2 games
LG Donovan Jackson	2 games
QB J.J. McCarthy	3 games
C Ryan Kelly	2 games
RT Brian O'Neill	1 game
RB Aaron Jones	3 games

This doesn't include when the players missed the majority of the games in which they left, as Kelly missed the second half of two games, Darrisaw most of the second half last week, and O'Neill the final three quarters against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Against the Cleveland Browns last week, the offensive line only had one starter on the final drive, and that was right guard Will Fries. The Vikings were in great shape last year when it came to injury luck, and it was bound to take a toll on them this year, but to this extent, has been insanely unlucky. That is going to improve significantly, and hopefully stay that way.

Procedural penalties

Penalties have been brutal for the Vikings this season. They have 44 so far this year, which is the most in the NFL. Last season, the Vikings had 110 penalties (T-16th in the NFL), and they already have 40% of that total after just five games. If they don't fix this, the Vikings are on pace to have 150 penalties, which would have been first in the NFL last year by 10 penalties.

The biggest factor of those 44 penalties is the procedural penalties.

False starts: 9
Delay of game: 4
Illegal formation: 3
12 men on the field: 1

16 of those are on the offense, which is a staggering amount. For context, this is what the Vikings had at each penalty all of last season.

False starts: 25
Delay of game: 6
Illegal formation: 8
12 men on the field: 4

The good news for the Vikings is that you can attribute the majority of those to the lack of continuity on offense due to injuries, especially at center and quarterback. Having the starters return is going to be hugely impactful, as will the bye week, where O'Connell will work on a solution to fix this. So many of these can be fixed by just being smarter and more cohesive.

Red zone success

Going into the season, the Vikings were looking to improve in two areas: short yardage runs and red zone success. They still need to improve in short yardage situations, but they have been improved in red zone conversion rate.

Last season, the Vikings went 14-3 with a lot of success on offense, but they didn't succeed in the red zone. They ranked 19th in the NFL at 55.7% (34 touchdowns in 61 trips). This year, they have improved in the red zone, albeit with a smaller sample size at 66.7% (10 touchdowns in 15 trips). One of the biggest factors for that success has been Jordan Mason, who has three touchdowns, all of which are inside the five yard line. That is a very good sign that the Vikings have found success in fixing this issue, especially with the issues on the offensive line. Theoretically, if they can get healthy, this should make things even better.

Ex-Steelers QB Named Potential Target for Browns in Wild Trade Idea

Quarterback has been a bit of a circus for the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 calendar year. That has only continued recently, with the Browns trading veteran Joe Flacco before their matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6.

This week, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested the circus behind center for the Browns could continue. On Tuesday, Knox named the Browns one of two potential suitors for former Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

“The primary reason Wilson might draw interest? He’s cheap. With a base salary of just $2 million, he would be a budget alternative for any team currently getting poor quarterback play or in need of a veteran mentor,” wrote Knox.

“He will also remain the most sensible QB target if and when another starter goes down with a long-term injury.”

This year alone at quarterback, the Browns traded for Kenny Pickett, signed Flacco and then drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Over the past seven weeks, Cleveland has now traded Pickett and Flacco.

The idea the Browns could now be interested in Wilson is absolutely wild.

Why Browns Could Acquire Another QB

Trading Flacco seemingly cleared roster room for Sanders to be QB2 for the Browns going forward. However, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name Sanders the backup for Gabriel in Week 6 early this week.

“All roster type of things, I always have to be mindful of our players and our players’ development,” Stefanski told reporters. “And I want to make sure that I’m always doing what’s best for our players and, of course, our team. But with young players, I’m always thinking about — last week, making the change to Dillon, you have to think long and hard about that, because these are young players that you are so invested in their development.

“So, I’ll let the week play out [and] make a decision later.”

Cleveland trading Flacco to help a division rival only to then turn around and give up draft assets for Wilson would be bizarre. But it makes sense for the short term if the Browns aren’t comfortable with Sanders as QB2.

With the Browns, Wilson wouldn’t receive his next opportunity to start. In fact, he’d be a mentor to another rookie signal-caller (a pair of them).

But if Wilson costs less than what Cleveland received for Flacco, then the Browns could win the quarterback exchange.

Why the Giants Probably Want to Trade Russell Wilson

The New York Giants received a bit of a scare with Jaxson Dart on Thursday night. The rookie quarterback left briefly to be evaluated for a concussion.

But he returned to the game, a contest the Giants defeated the defending champions 34-17.

Dart is now 2-1 as an NFL starter. On Thursday night, he completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards with a touchdown. Dart also ran for 58 yards and another score.

If Dart suffers an injury like he almost did Thursday, Wilson could start for the Giants again. However, New York also has veteran Jameis Winston.

The Giants could move on from Wilson, dealing him for draft compensation, and promote Winston as QB2.

Knox projected Wilson’s trade value to be a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick. That could be an appealing price for both the Browns and Giants.

Giving up a sixth-rounder means the Browns keep the fifth-round pick they received for Flacco. For the Giants, they will get what they can for Russell Wilson.

The veteran quarterback could be seeking a fresh start anywhere.

Dating back to last season, Wilson has now lost seven consecutive regular season games. That’s the longest losing streak of his NFL career.

Sport