Vikings a title contender? First coach to be fired? Would Browns bench Deshaun Watson?

There have already been 30 games decided by one score (eight points or fewer) in 2024, the most through Week 3 in NFL history. The unbeaten Steelers and Seahawks are certainly winning the close ones, while the Vikings are just blowing teams out. 

Heading into Week 4, FOX Sports’ NFL experts provide their takes on those three teams as well as several other topics, including which winless teams are in real trouble, what the Browns can do with struggling quarterback Deshaun Watson, and which coach will be the first one fired.

Let’s get started.

Buying or selling: The Vikings are a legitimate Super Bowl contender?

I like the Vikings. Like … I really, really like the Vikings. Too much, maybe, because it’s hard to trust a team with Sam Darnold at quarterback. He’s been brilliant. And even still, we’re all just waiting for his three-interception game, aren’t we? For now, I’ll trust my eyes and say that he’s the perfect quarterback for this offense, which will only get better as T.J. Hockenson (ACL) and Jordan Addison (ankle) return to the lineup. 

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings have a defensive coach, Brian Flores, who has figured out how to neutralize some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Neither Brock Purdy nor C.J. Stroud could figure out what to do with Minnesota’s defensive front. Daniel Jones was a full-on disaster. There is no measurable reason to doubt the Vikings — except for those with a preexisting bias against Darnold. But I’m looking past that. I’m saying they’re contenders. — Henry McKenna

It starts at the top for Minnesota. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has created a culture of sustainable winning for the Vikings, culled from his time spent as a player with the Patriots under Bill Belichick and as an assistant coach under Sean McVay with the Rams. The Vikings have a defensive coordinator on a heater in Brian Flores, the best receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson and a quarterback finally playing to his potential in Sam Darnold….

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Publish date : 2024-09-26 12:30:38

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