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The Minnesota Vikings are now 3-0 after blowing out the Houston Texans 34-7 in their Week 3 matchup on Sunday. While quarterback Sam Darnold matched his career-high of four touchdown passes, the Vikings' defense smothered the Texans all afternoon, to the raucous cheers from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught six passes for 81 receiving yards, scoring one touchdown, impressing Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner with his in-game speed.
“I remember loving Justin Jefferson coming out but a lot ppl talked about his speed… I have no idea how fast he is but he plays faster than anyone in the league (right there with Tyreek – but that's bc he's super fast) & it's why you can't cover him!!! Game Speed > 40 Speed,” Warner posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Vikings and Justin Jefferson's speed
Kurt Warner's comments about Justin Jefferson's speed aside, the star wideout attributed their victory to their stifling defense. With the victory, the Vikings have gone 6-0 all time against the Texans.
“That's something I could get used to for sure,” the WR said, via a report from Associated Press, shared on ESPN.com. “We just dominated all around. Defense is definitely the number one reason.”
Still, Warner's praise for the receiver echoed a lot of analysts' opinion of him for the last two seasons. Last July, ESPN named Jefferson the best WR in the NFL, beating out the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill and the Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase.
All three receivers are the cream of the crop in the entire league, and the Vikings should be thankful they have the best one, even as the San Francisco 49ers reportedly tried trading for Jefferson before the 2024 NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, the receiver's work for the Vikings has flowed seamlessly with their defense. For instance, the Vikings' Jonathan Greenard sacked star quarterback CJ Stroud, the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, three times. Moreover, in the fourth quarter, Cam Bynum picked off Stroud for the first time in ten starts.
“I couldn't hear myself talk out there, so imagine for the offense having to check their protections and do certain things like that up front,” Bynum said.
Credit the Vikings' unconventional schemes to former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, their new defensive coordinator. The Dolphins had fired Flores due to his deteriorating relationships with the locker room, particularly Tua Tagovailoa.
Minnesota Vikings' outlook
With the victory, the team has achieved their largest margin of victory in five years. However, while Darnold left the game due to a knee injury, he came back soon after having it checked out to deafening cheers from the crowd.
Look for the Vikings to continue their streak in Week 4 against the (2-1) Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the (2-1) Texans look to get one over the winless Jacksonville Jaguars.
