For the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday’s game is a chance to get to 5-0. For the Houston Texans, it is a shot at 4-1 and an opportunity for Brock Osweiler to start playing better.
Minnesota has the 31st-ranked offense in the National Football League, and yet are crushing opponents into a fine powder. How? With a defense that is playing up to the standard of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, perhaps the greatest defense of the young century.
The Vikings are low on star power but high on character, dominating both in the trenches and on the perimeter with elite corner play. Minnesota might only have two household names (if you can call them that) in safety Harrison Smith and defensive end Everson Griffen, but head coach Mike Zimmer has them playing with a sound fury.
Houston is certainly playing well enough to win the weak AFC South, but there are real questions about this group. The defense should be fine even without J.J. Watt, as both Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney are playing excellent football. The bigger problem is on offense, where Brock Osweiler is off to a very slow start.
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Osweiler has five touchdowns against six interceptions, while completing less than 60 percent of his throws. Far too often, Osweiler is hoping that DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller V can bail him out, instead of throwing them open. If that continues, general manager Rick Smith will have ample questions to answer about his $72 million deal.