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The 2024 Minnesota Vikings deserve everyone’s attention now.

There was a limit to how much weight a dominant season opener victory over the Giants could carry. Here we have yet another tale. Just like that, the Vikings defeated one of the top teams in the NFL from start to finish. The 23–17 win over the 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday sends a message to the rest of the league about this Minnesota squad.

The Vikings and Kevin O’Connell have maintained their belief that they are dealing with a unique bunch throughout. They are unconcerned with the fact that their preseason victory total was one of the league’s lowest, at 6.5 games, according to Vegas sportsbooks. National power rankings articles ranked them in the bottom ten, but that doesn’t bother them. After Kirk Cousins’s departure this offseason, nobody outside of their building gave them a chance to succeed. However, that doesn’t bother them in the least.

The fact that the Vikings had faith in their team and its abilities this season is the only thing that counts. They are now demonstrating to the nation the source of their faith while enjoying a 2-0 lead.

O’Connell exclaimed, “I love this team,” following the match. I get that sometimes people need to see results before they take notice…. What got us to this football game is what I’m most proud of. There are many outstanding individual performances that might be highlighted, but this was the pinnacle of assembling a football team with a shared vision for how we wanted to play, how we wanted to fight, and how we wanted to win as a unit.

In March, the Vikings passed on Kirk Cousins to the Falcons, so they signed Sam Darnold to serve as a stepping stone to the rookie quarterback they intended to draft. With rookie J.J. McCarthy out for the year, Darnold will get all the attention in 2024. The former third-round pick has shown O’Connell and the Vikings what they saw in him in the first two weeks of the season.

The 97-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson was one of Darnold’s two more touchdown passes on Sunday. During the fourth quarter Vikings drive, he made a pair of game-winning throws on third down, increasing their lead to nine points and essentially sealing the victory. Although he threw an interception in this game, Darnold has been composed, assured, and accurate while running O’Connell’s intricate offense. Despite his history of poor play with the Jets and Panthers, the 27-year-old is having the type of season the Vikings had hoped for when they signed him.

O’Connell, visibly moved, stated, “We always believed in him.” There is a lot of work that goes into becoming a quarterback, and there are times when people think you can’t play. Go see him do that; it will be awesome. Great job, Sam Darnold!

Playing alongside Jefferson, who keeps showing the world why he’s the top wide receiver in football, is a huge boon for Darnold. With O’Connell directing the offense, Jefferson and others receiving throws, and a solid offensive line up front, the Vikings always believed that Darnold would thrive in this system.

O’Connell is deserving of the accolades bestowed upon him for his work as an NFL offensive coordinator. Among defensive coordinators, Brian Flores is in a similar position. His unit has scored in crucial moments for the second week in a row, which has been a huge boost for the Vikings’ 2-0 start. San Francisco was only 2 for 10 on third down and 1 for 3 on fourth down despite the 49ers’ strong ball movement for the majority of the game. The Vikings defense produced five sacks and forced two interceptions.

This defense appears to be among the strongest in the league so far because to its depth and abundance of senior players. Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Ivan Pace Jr.—all of whom returned from last year—have been sensational thus far. A contract-year edge rusher named Pat Jones II has recorded four sacks in just two games played.

Another underappreciated batch of newbies has also integrated well. The Vikings’ first three free agent signings of the season—Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jonathan Greenard—had a collective impact against the 49ers, recording 19 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 pass breakups. Incredible work by Cashman, who is now in charge of green dot operations. Just like last week, when he had a pick-six, Van Ginkel had a tremendous impact on this game. Not to mention the other arrivals, such as the first-round rookie Dallas Turner, the former DPOY Stephon Gilmore, and the reliable veteran lineman Jerry Tillery and Jihad Ward.

The Vikings are a strong NFC playoff contender with this roster and this coaching staff. On Sunday, they never trailed and won a game that may have been less nerve-wracking if they hadn’t given up seven points due to two red-zone blunders. Doing that to the reigning NFC champions requires a fairly good squad.