{"id":872939,"date":"2026-10-06T16:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/872939\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T16:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:00:13","slug":"the-undefeated-nfl-team-that-cant-score-touchdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/872939\/","title":{"rendered":"The undefeated NFL team that can\u2019t score touchdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Out of the three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL a month into the season, the unlikeliest of the group is the one that can\u2019t score touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Since it erupted for 39 points in a season-opening win, the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 offense has scored just one offensive touchdown in its last three games. It has gone 18 consecutive possessions without reaching the end zone. No other team in the NFL has thrown for fewer yards through four games, and only six have averaged fewer yards per rush. <\/p>\n

Offensive numbers like that might normally doom a team. The Vikings have found a workaround, however, en route to starting 4-0: Who needs touchdowns when your defense doesn\u2019t allow them? <\/p>\n

Using the most blitz-happy scheme in the NFL, the Vikings have allowed just four touchdowns all season \u2014 including just two in their last 40 drives \u2014 and given up a league-low 12.8 points per game. At that rate, only a few field goals from the NFL\u2019s most consistent kicker are all that has been needed to stay unbeaten.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very excited about being a 4-0 team,\u201d coach Kevin O\u2019Connell said Monday. \u201cBut at the same time, we know there\u2019s so much work to be done.\u201d <\/p>\n

Quarterback Kyler Murray said after Sunday\u2019s 15-10 win over the Miami Dolphins: \u201cAgain, the defense was holding it down for us. They went out there and did it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MinnesotaVikings quarterback Kyler Murray on Sunday.David Berding \/ Getty<\/p>\n

Since Flores became Minnesota\u2019s defensive coordinator in 2023, the unit has carved out an ultra-aggressive reputation. The Vikings have blitzed on 57% of opponents\u2019 dropbacks this season \u2014 nearly double the rate of the second-best team (Chicago, at 33%). The Vikings also lead in pressure rate, they are tied for the league lead in hurries, and they are one off the league leaders in quarterback knockdowns. <\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, a defensive play-caller himself, has called Minnesota\u2019s scheme \u201cvery good controlled chaos.\u201d Preparing for the Vikings in Week 2, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said his coach, Ben Johnson, likened the matchup to \u201cmental war.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI tell our guys all the time, if we\u2019re going to go down, we\u2019re going to go down a certain way,\u201d Flores <\/a>said before Week 3<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re going to go down blitzing people.\u201d <\/p>\n

That pressure has flummoxed Minnesota\u2019s opponents, which has given cover to its offense. The Vikings join the Chicago Cardinals of 1922 and 1923 as the only teams to start 4-0 while failing to score an offensive touchdown in two of their games, per ESPN<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Against the Dolphins on Sunday, the Vikings were called for eight penalties on offense and also lost left tackle Christian Darrisaw and left guard Donovan Jackson to injuries. (Jackson\u2019s injury is season-ending, the team said Monday.) Superstar receiver Justin Jefferson watched from the sideline in street clothes, nursing an ankle injury. The team\u2019s most valuable offensive weapon has been kicker Will Reichard, who has made 31 consecutive field goals, the league\u2019s longest active streak. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe do need to score more points and finish some of those drives with touchdowns,\u201d O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n

During the offseason, the team signed Murray, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, as a reclamation project, hoping O\u2019Connell could turn around his career just as he\u2019d done Sam Darnold\u2019s two years earlier. <\/p>\n

Murray, so far, has turned in a season that looks more rough than a revival. Of the 35 passers who have started at least two games this season, Murray ranks 30th in passer rating and is tied for last with just one passing touchdown. He appears to still be working out chemistry with his offensive line. On Sunday, he took the blame for miscommunication that sparked five pre-snap penalties. He also has been sacked 11 times, two off the league\u2019s most. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously all 11 guys have got to be on the same page, but it starts with me,\u201d Murray said. \u201cSo we\u2019ll be better at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best thing that can be said about the offense is that although it might not be scoring, it also isn\u2019t sloppy, having turned the ball over just twice in four games. The defense has seven takeaways, meanwhile, producing an overall turnover margin tied for the league\u2019s second-best. The Vikings have won games by holding to an NFL truism \u2014 they\u2019ve won the possession battle. They held the ball for all but one minute of Sunday\u2019s fourth quarter. <\/p>\n

The win over Miami included a caveat. Late in the fourth quarter, tight end T.J. Hockenson caught a pass only a few yards from the end zone but chose to go to the ground rather than go for a score to extend the lead. The move kept the clock running, allowing the Vikings to effectively ice the win. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough,\u201d Hockenson said. \u201cI saw that goal line and I wanted it, but it\u2019s for the betterment of the team that we ended on offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if Hockenson had scored, though, it wouldn\u2019t have healed all that ails one of the NFL\u2019s most pitiful offenses to this point. <\/p>\n

\u201cI told our guys, \u2018If we want to score, we should do it earlier,\u2019\u201d O\u2019Connell said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Out of the three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL a month into the season, the unlikeliest of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":872940,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[349,99],"class_list":["post-872939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}