Vikings Stay 5-0 After Surviving Their Own Turnovers

The Minnesota Vikings fumbled twice near the New Orleans goal line on Sunday and still won 23-13 to stay 5-0. Kyler Murray threw one touchdown, Aaron Jones ran for another, and a defense that entered the week allowing 12.8 points a game left the Caesars Superdome with the Saints at 1-4.

The yardage was a wipeout. The score was not, because Minnesota kept handing the ball back. That is the 5-0 season in a sentence.

Two Fumbles Inside the 20 Did Not Cost Them

Minnesota took the opening kickoff and moved into field-goal range, then lost tight end T.J. Hockenson to a concussion on the second offensive play. Will Reichard still made a 40-yard kick for a 3-0 lead with 9:04 left in the first quarter. Jones then fumbled at the New Orleans 3. Defensive end Chase Young recovered after a strip by Khristian Boyd and returned it to the Saints 34, so the quarter ended 3-0 instead of 10-0.

New Orleans turned that field position into the only offensive touchdown of the afternoon. The Saints converted two fourth downs on a 15-play, 66-yard drive, and Kendre Miller scored from the 2 with 8:23 left in the second quarter for a 7-3 lead. Reichard answered with a 54-yard kick as the half expired, cutting it to 7-6.

The third quarter was a turnover chain. Jayden Price fumbled the second-half kickoff, and Jeshaun Jones recovered at the Saints 37. Six plays later Murray threw a 15-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson, who went up behind three defenders in the back of the end zone for a 13-7 lead. Byron Murphy Jr. then picked Tyler Shough, and Minnesota had the ball at the New Orleans 37 again. Myles Price fumbled on that possession. Martin Emerson Jr. punched it out, and safety Jonas Sanker ran 87 yards the other way. Daniel Carlson missed the extra point, so the game was tied 13-13 after three.

HOW SUNDAY WAS SCORED

1. 9:04 left, first quarter: Reichard 40-yard field goal, Vikings 3-0.
2. 8:23 left, second quarter: Miller 2-yard run, Saints 7-3.
3. End of second quarter: Reichard 54-yard field goal, Saints 7-6.
4. 12:06 left, third quarter: Jefferson 15-yard catch from Murray, Vikings 13-7.
5. 2:34 left, third quarter: Sanker 87-yard fumble return, kick failed, 13-13.
6. 14:06 left, fourth quarter: Jones 8-yard run, Vikings 20-13.
7. 7:01 left, fourth quarter: Reichard 55-yard field goal, Vikings 23-13.

Jones scored on the second play of the fourth quarter, a 6-play, 70-yard answer after the Sanker return, and Reichard’s 55-yarder made it a two-score game. Minnesota never trailed after that, which is not the same as never being in danger.

Tyler Shough’s 96 Yards Against a Blitz that Never Stopped

Shough came in fourth in the league in passing yards, with 1,203 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 picks through four games, and he had thrown for at least 250 yards in every start, including 410 in a one-point overtime loss at Detroit. On Sunday he completed 16 of 25 for 96 yards, no scores, two picks and a 38.1 rating. He averaged 3.8 yards per attempt. Chris Olave led New Orleans with 4 catches for 46 yards. Alvin Kamara had 3 carries for 12 yards and 2 catches for minus-6.

The Saints finished with 142 yards of total offense and held the ball for 20:23. Minnesota had 364 yards and 39:37. Pro Football Focus charted a blitz on 16 of Shough’s 25 dropbacks. He was sacked once. The pressure did not have to finish him; it made him throw the ball away.

SHOUGH’S FIRST FIVE STARTS

Murphy told the sideline he would pick Shough a second time before the fourth-quarter series, then intercepted a deep ball for Olave three plays later. “Olave was on my side, so I knew the ball was definitely coming,” Murphy said. The first pick came when Shough rolled out and threw toward Bryce Lance with Murphy standing on the sideline. Drew Brees, working the broadcast on the same afternoon the Saints put him in the Ring of Honor, called it a really bad interception.

Saints center Erik McCoy did not dress it up. “They’re going to make your running backs block. They’re going to make your tight ends block. That’s who they are as a defense and they’re damn good at it,” he said. PFF still has Shough at a 76.5 overall grade this season, 14th among qualified quarterbacks, with 9 touchdowns and 5 picks. One home date against Brian Flores did not erase four weeks of volume. It did show what that volume looks like when the protection has to block extra people on nearly every snap.

Minnesota came in allowing 289.3 yards a game, fourth in the league, and cut that almost in half. The unit already led the NFL at 12.8 points allowed per game; after 13 more on Sunday, 64 points in five games, the figure is still 12.8.

Minnesota Won Without Addison, Hockenson or Darrisaw

Hockenson led the Vikings with 22 catches through four games, including 13 in the 15-10 win over Miami. He caught a 7-yard pass from Murray, hit the turf after a tackle by Pete Werner, and went to the locker room. Kevin O’Connell said after the game that Hockenson is in the concussion protocol. Jordan Addison was deactivated after a pregame hamstring workout. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw was already in the protocol and did not play. Left guard Donovan Jackson (knee) was out. Tight end Josh Oliver is on injured reserve. Ryan Van Demark started in Darrisaw’s place and drew an illegal-formation flag that wiped out a third-down conversion to Jefferson on the first drive.

WHO DID NOT FINISH THE AFTERNOON

• T.J. Hockenson: Concussion on the second offensive play, ruled out, now in the five-step protocol.
• Jordan Addison: Deactivated with a hamstring strain from the Miami game.
• Christian Darrisaw: Inactive, already in concussion protocol.
• Donovan Jackson: Inactive with a knee injury.
• Aaron Jones: Left to be checked for a knee issue and returned; 25 carries tied his career high from 2019 with Green Bay.

WHAT WE KNOW

• Hockenson: He is in the concussion protocol and cannot play until he clears it.
• Addison: He was not close enough to 100 percent for O’Connell to risk him on the road.
• Jones: He was evaluated for his knee, returned, and finished with 113 yards and the go-ahead score.

WHAT IS UNCONFIRMED

• Hockenson’s next game: His first chance to play is October 25 against Indianapolis, and that is only if he clears protocol during the bye.
• Addison and Darrisaw: Neither has a public target date beyond the same Colts game.

Jefferson had sat out Week 4 with an ankle injury and had played seven snaps across the prior two games. He caught 6 passes for 79 yards and the only offensive touchdown, including a one-handed 21-yarder against Kool-Aid McKinstry that set up the 54-yard kick. Tight end G. Bartholomew filled Hockenson’s targets with 5 catches for 33 yards. After the win Jefferson said Murray played tremendous.

The @Vikings move to 5-0 on the season!@Kristina_Pink caught up with star WR Justin Jefferson after the win pic.twitter.com/KOOTaVC6eG

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 11, 2026

Murray completed 24 of 30 for 229 yards, one score and no picks, an 80 percent clip and a 109.6 rating, and he ran 10 times for 51 yards. O’Connell said this was really his third full game plan. Murray missed time after a Week 1 concussion against Green Bay, and Carson Wentz started the 9-3 win in Chicago. “Offensively, we’re ascending,” Murray said. “I feel like the sky’s the limit for us offensively as long as we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”

They did shoot themselves in the foot. They also outgained New Orleans by 222 yards, which is how a 5-0 team looks when the skill group is a MASH unit and the quarterback is on a one-year deal.

Will Reichard’s 34th Straight Kick Closed It

Reichard made all three of his tries from 40, 54 and 55 yards, plus both extra points. The 55-yarder was his 34th consecutive made field goal, the longest active streak in the league. Minnesota had gone just over eight quarters without an offensive touchdown before Jefferson’s catch, and two of the first four wins (9-3 at Chicago, 15-10 over Miami) did not have a touchdown at all. The Vikings were the first team since the 1934 Detroit Lions to start 4-0 without a touchdown in more than one game. The kicker has been the constant.

REICHARD THIS SEASON

• Sunday: 3-for-3, long of 55, both extra points.
• Week 4 vs. Miami: 5-for-5, all of Minnesota’s points in a 15-10 win, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Through five games: 15 field goals in five games, no misses, longs of 38, 49, 56, 50 and 55.

Nine of the 31 makes that preceded Sunday had already come from 50-plus. The 54- and 55-yarders in the Superdome were the kind of kicks this offense has needed on weeks when the red zone turns into a fumble. He is one behind Gary Anderson’s franchise record of 35 straight. The bye gives him a week off with that number sitting in the doorway.

New Orleans Lost a Third Straight Home Game on Brees’ Night

The Saints are 0-3 at home and have lost three in a row after the 24-17 win at Baltimore in Week 2. They dropped 35-27 to Las Vegas and 45-24 to Atlanta in the building, then 23-13 to Minnesota on the afternoon they inducted Brees as the ninth member of the Ring of Honor. Visiting fans were loud again. For the second straight home date, the Dome did not sound like a home game.

We’ve got to learn how to not lose the game before we win it. We’ve got to not shoot ourselves in the foot.

Tyler Shough, Saints quarterback, after the 23-13 loss

Kellen Moore backed his quarterback and pointed at his own play-calling after 142 yards. Shough was not the only leak. Special teams gave Minnesota the ball at the 37 to start the second half and missed the extra point that would have put New Orleans in front after Sanker’s return. The defense let Murray complete 24 of 30 and convert half his third downs. At 1-4, with a trip to the New York Giants on October 18, the second-year quarterback still has the job. The supporting units have not given him a clean Sunday in three weeks.

A 5-0 Start Minnesota Has Seen Before

Minnesota is 3-0 on the road, 2-0 in the NFC North, and two games ahead of Green Bay and Chicago, both 3-2 after the Packers beat the Bears on Sunday. The Vikings have already beaten both. They are 5-0 for the third time since 2016. Around the club the number is being treated as a familiar tease, not a verdict, because the last time this franchise opened this fast the quarterback question was still waiting at the end of the year.

THE FIVE WINS

Through five games Minnesota has scored 109 points and allowed 64. That is a first-place profile built on field goals, a Flores blitz, and a quarterback the Cardinals released in March. O’Connell said he was proud of a 5-0 start before the bye and that the roster would “get a little healthy” before Indianapolis on October 25. Murray is still on the one-year contract that made him cheap enough to sign. The offense still cannot finish in the red zone without a fumble alarm. The defense keeps making that solvable.

Sunday was the cleanest version of the problem and the solution at once. Jones ran 25 times for 113 yards and still put one on the ground at the 3. Price’s fumble became an 87-yard score. Jefferson still found the end zone in his hometown building. Shough still left with 96 yards. The Vikings went to the bye 5-0, which is both the standings and a warning label.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Did Kyler Murray Join the Vikings?

Arizona released him in March still owing most of a $36.8 million salary, and Minnesota signed him to a one-year deal at the veteran minimum of $1.3 million, with the Cardinals paying the rest. The contract blocks a franchise or transition tag next spring. He won the job on August 11 over J.J. McCarthy, who was later traded to the New York Giants for a fifth-round pick.

Who Is Saints Quarterback Tyler Shough?

Shough is a second-year quarterback, 6-foot-5 and 219 pounds, taken 40th overall in the second round of the 2025 draft out of Louisville. Sunday was his first multi-pick game since the Week 1 overtime loss at Detroit and his lowest yardage total of the season.

Where Does Reichard’s Streak Sit in Vikings History?

His 34 straight field goals trail only Gary Anderson’s franchise record of 35. The streak dates to a miss on a 53-yard try at the Los Angeles Chargers on October 23, 2025. Counting extra points, he had converted 56 straight kicks through Week 4 before adding five more makes on Sunday.

How Many Points Have the Vikings Scored and Allowed?

Minnesota has scored 109 points and allowed 64 through five games, 21.8 scored and 12.8 allowed per game. Two of the five wins, 9-3 and 15-10, were completed without an offensive touchdown.