Sunday marked the Minnesota Vikings’ first loss since Nov. 30, 2025, but if fan and media reactions were your only measure, you might think the team was on a season-long winless streak. The wild part? The pessimism is more than warranted .

Minnesota’s stellar defense showed its first signs of humanity in the second half of Sunday’s matchup with the Lions, after the struggling Vikings’ offense failed to get anything going for most of the afternoon, resulting in a 19-15 loss. Turns out defensive coordinator Brian Flores’s unit won’t be able to drag the team to an undefeated Super Bowl run after all.

So, what comes next? Let’s break down three areas in desperate need of saving if the Vikings want to make a serious run.

1. QB-coach conundrum

The Kyler Murray era in Minnesota may be over after just five full games with the former Cardinals’ quarterback.

There was plenty of reason for optimism when Murray signed with the Vikings on a one-year league-minimum deal in March to compete with J.J. McCarthy.…