What Happened the Last 3 Times the Minnesota Vikings Had A Strong 5-0 Start?

The Minnesota Vikings just keep finding ways to win. On Sunday, October 11, they beat the New Orleans Saints 23-13 at the Caesars Superdome to improve to 5-0 heading into their bye week.

Kyler Murray threw for 229 yards and a touchdown, Aaron Jones ran for 113 yards and a score, and Justin Jefferson found the end zone in his return to New Orleans.

The Vikings defense, a big reason the team is off to a hot start, had another stellar effort, holding the Saints to just 142 total yards. Byron Murphy Jr. led the way by picking off two passes

It hasn't always been pretty, however. The Vikings opened the season by rallying past the Packers 39-22, then ground out a 15-10 win over Miami in Week 4. The offense is still finding its rhythm, with fumbles and penalties costing them points even in Sunday's win.

However, the defense has been something special. Through five games, Minnesota is allowing just 12.8 points per game with 10 forced turnovers and 17 sacks.

Add a kicker in Will Reichard, who hasn't missed since October 2025, and you have a team that wins even when it isn't at its best.

How Rare Is a 5-0 Start for the Vikings?

Pretty rare. Depending on how you count, this is just the 10th time in franchise history the Vikings have started 5-0. Before this season, it happened in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2016, and 2024, and seven of those nine teams made the playoffs.

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That sounds like great news for fans across Minnesota. Still, Vikings fans know a hot start doesn't guarantee a happy ending. Here's what happened the last three times.

The 2024 Season

Nobody expected much from the 2024 Vikings. Journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold took over after J.J. McCarthy's preseason injury, and the team stormed to 5-0, including a 31-29 win at Green Bay and a 23-17 win over the Jets in London.

The defense was relentless, racking up 20 sacks through five games, the most by a Vikings team at that point since 2000.

What Happened Next

The Vikings came out of the bye and lost back-to-back games to the Lions and Rams. Then they got hot again, winning nine straight, including another win over the Packers, to reach 14-2.

Everything came down to a Week 18 showdown in Detroit for the NFC North title and the conference's top seed. The Lions won 31-9, sending the Vikings on the road as the first 14-win wild card team in NFL history.

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A week later, the Rams sacked Darnold nine times in a 27-9 playoff loss. "We laid an egg as an offense," Darnold said afterward. Darnold would then sign with the Seattle Seahawks and lead them to a Super Bowl victory the next season.

Final record: 14-3, lost in the Wild Card round.

The 2016 Season

The 2016 season was supposed to be over before it started. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a devastating knee injury in August, prompting an emergency trade for Sam Bradford just days before the opener. To add insult to injury, Adrian Peterson went down in Week 2.

Somehow, the Vikings, coached by Mike Zimmer, didn't flinch. They christened U.S. Bank Stadium with a win over the Packers, and the defense never allowed more than 16 points in any of the first five games.

A 31-13 rout of Houston made the Vikings the NFL's last undefeated team heading into the bye.

What Happened Next

The wheels came off. Minnesota lost four straight after the bye, and the offensive line struggles got so bad that offensive coordinator Norv Turner abruptly resigned in early November. The Vikings scored just 10 points in each of the first two losses.

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The team never fully recovered, trading wins and losses the rest of the way and fading from the playoff picture down the stretch.

Final record: 8-8, missed the playoffs.

The 2009 Season

Brett Favre, who had retired in February 2009 after a season with the New York Jets,  came out of retirement and joined the Vikings in August 2009. The 40-year-old quickly made believers out of Vikings fans.

After road wins over the Browns and Lions, he fired a game-winning touchdown to Greg Lewis with two seconds left to beat the 49ers 27-24 at the Metrodome.

A week later, Favre faced the Packers for the first time on Monday Night Football and threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-23 win, while Jared Allen sacked Aaron Rodgers 4.5 times.

A win over the Rams made it 5-0, and the Vikings went on to start 6-0.

What Happened Next

The Vikings rolled to 10-1, including a 38-26 win at Lambeau Field that completed a season sweep of Green Bay.

A December slump, including losses at Carolina and Chicago, cost them the top seed, but they still finished 12-4, earned a first-round bye, and crushed the Cowboys 34-3 in the divisional round.

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Then came the NFC Championship in New Orleans. With the game tied late and the Vikings driving for a game-winning field goal, they were flagged for 12 men in the huddle.

On the next play, Favre threw across his body and was intercepted by Tracy Porter. The Saints won the overtime coin toss, kicked a field goal, and went on to win the Super Bowl.

Final record: 12-4, lost 31-28 in overtime in the NFC Championship.

What It Means For The 2026 Vikings

From one play away from the Super Bowl to missing the playoffs altogether, the last three 5-0 starts prove there's no such thing as a sure thing in Minnesota.

A great start opens the door, but how a team handles the bye, injuries, and the December grind usually decides how the story ends.

SEE NOW: Here Are All The Minnesota Vikings Kickers Since 1998

This year's team has a defense that looks built for January and a quarterback who appears to be finding his groove.

The Vikings return to action against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 25, at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the second half of the story starts there.