The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. The team was nearly perfect through three games, after earning an expected win over the New York Giants in the season opener and then defeating the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. Both teams have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

There’s no doubt that the trio of Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson form the core of a brilliant offense capable of making big plays in any game. That has been backed up by the offensive mind of head coach Kevin O’Connell and the fine-tuning of quarterback coach Josh McCown. As the weeks go by and second-year speedster Jordan Addison (ankle) and tight end TJ Hockenson (torn ACL) return to the lineup, the offense will only become more dangerous.

While the offense is currently making the most headlines, the Vikings’ long-term ambitions are determined by the defense. Brian Flores led the Vikings from the bottom of the league’s defensive rankings to the middle of the pack a year ago, and they’re much better this season. They’re second in the NFL behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in allowing just 10 points per game.

The offseason free agent signings of Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard have all been big hits for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Cashman had a tremendous performance in Week 2 against the Niners with 14 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1.0 sack, Van Ginkel had an interception for a touchdown in the season opener and has 3.0 sacks in the first three games and Greenard had a hat trick of sacks against Houston and 4.0 quarterback traps on the season.

Suddenly, the Vikings’ pass defense has become a strength. The Vikings have already recorded 16 sacks, 5 interceptions, and 20 passes defensed. This has been a weak spot for the Vikings and they are still allowing 239.3 passing yards per game, but those yards are between 20 and are not resulting in big plays.

The Vikings haven’t had a top-10 pass defense since 2018, when they ranked third in that area. The next five years were disastrous, but the trio of free agents, safeties Cam Bynum and Harrison Smith, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, pass rusher Pat Jones, linebacker Ivan Pace and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, have completely turned that unit around.

Flores has deployed his defensive heavyweights in a way that poses a real challenge for opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. That may change as the weeks go by as there is more video evidence to examine, but the Vikings defense is smart, physical, hungry and effective.

The Vikings were supposed to go down early in the schedule, but they beat their first three opponents by impressive margins. Everything was going perfectly until Darnold limped off the field late in the third quarter after throwing a screen pass to Jones. Darnold was forced backwards by the Houston defense as he threw the pass and fell awkwardly to the turf.

He was briefly replaced by backup Nick Mullens, but the long-suffering Vikings fans were visibly relieved and welcomed Darnold back onto the field after one play. MVP chants could be heard at U.S. Bank Stadium upon his return, and the quarterback admitted the crowd gave him a big boost.

“The reaction from the fans meant everything to me,” Darnold said. “Not just that (moment), but my entire time here in Minnesota.”

Although he finished the game, Darnold is scheduled to have an MRI of his left knee. He would not have been able to continue the game and finish the 34-7 victory over the Texans if he had a serious injury, but it looks like he suffered a mild knee sprain, possibly of the medial ligament.

If the Vikings wanted to be extremely cautious, Darnold could sit out a game. However, with the next game being against arch-rival Green Bay Packers, that scenario is extremely unlikely.

Darnold has completed 53 of 78 passes for 657 yards with 8 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions in three games, which is a league-leading 10. Just like the team he plays for, Darnold is exceeding expectations and the future looks surprisingly bright.