10. Minnesota Vikings
Last week: 10th
Against all odds, the Minnesota Vikings have started the season 3-0.
It’s yet another impressive job of coaching being done by head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores. And if Flores’s unit can keep playing like this in 2026, there’s no way he’s not going to be one of the most coveted coaches in next year’s head coach cycle.
That Vikings’ defense puts quarterbacks in an absolute blender, and they’ve been doing it all year even with a lot of major changes on that side of the ball personnel-wise.
Just how good is the Vikings’ defense?
Against the Buccaneers, the Minnesota offense lost Justin Jefferson to injury early on. Kyler Murray was making his return to the field after missing most of the first two games due to a concussion. They had 9 first downs the entire game and were just 2-of-15 on 3rd downs.
The defense held the Buccaneers’ offense to just 2-of-17 on 3rd downs, and 0-for-2 on 4th downs. They finished this game with an outrageous 12 QB hits and 6 sacks. With a stretch upcoming against the Dolpins, Saints, and Colts, a 6-0 start to the season is not out of reach for this Vikings team.
9. Detroit Lions
Last week: 9th
We’re not going to knock the Lions down the pecking order after their win at home against the New York Jets in Week 3, but that Detroit defense is a legitimate problem.
Let’s talk about the good first.
The Lions’ offense scored 31 points and continues to light up the scoreboard this season. We saw much better ball distribution in this game from Jared Goff, who had completions to 8 different receivers on the day. But it was the performance of Jahmyr Gibbs against the Jets that really propelled the Lions to their second win of the season.
Gibbs was a one-man wrecking crew, rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 7 passes for 65 yards and another score.
Unstoppable.
Unfortunately, the Lions’ defense also made Geno Smith look unstoppable in this game as well. Smith had 327 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Jets had two receivers with over 100 yards on the day.
How long will the Lions be able to sustain having this bad of a defense?
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