EAGAN, Minn. — There may not be a starker change in scenery than the Vikings going from soggy Chicago last weekend to 85 degrees in what is forecasted to be sun-soaked Tampa.

Although the conditions will be different, the mission will be the same: Go 1-0.

"We know we're going to get the best version of the Bucs, which is a really, really talented team, and a team that we've got to go play our best game against if we expect to have a chance to win. Our team knows that, [and] our staff knows that," Head Coach Kevin O'Connell told Twin Cities reporters Wednesday. "The mark of a good team is consistency, in my mind, and what a challenge to go try to show that consistency against this team."

On Friday, O'Connell ruled out punter Brett Thorson with a right hamstring injury and backup center Nick Samac with a knee injury. Johnny Hekker will be elevated from the practice squad to fill in for Thorson. No one else has a designation for the game, including Aaron Jones, Sr., who was limited earlier in the week after handling the lion's share of work out of the backfield at the Bears. Jones said Friday he never doubted being ready to play.

Now, let's preview the Week 3 conference clash that's slated for 3:05 p.m. (CT) Sunday.

3 Prominent Topics

1. Kyler Murray's return

QB1/K1 is rejoining a balanced attack after Carson Wentz threw three touchdowns off the bench in the opener and Jones carried the load and crossed the century mark at Chicago.

Murray got off to a rocky start in his home debut with Minnesota, chucking an interception on his first attempt and throwing out of bounds on his second. But he was sharp on his first third down, moving the sticks with his arm, and he scrambled for 7 before pre-snap infractions stalled a drive. Then he sustained a concussion on an awkward hit while sliding.

He exuded confidence and excitement to properly establish himself when he spoke with media members Thursday, expressing that he trusts that everything happens for a reason.

Murray played at Tampa Bay in his 10^th game as a rookie when Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles was their defensive coordinator. Arizona led late but lost 30-27. Murray was 27-for-44 passing with 324 yards, three touchdowns and a pick, and he rushed thrice for 38 yards.

Fun fact: His teammate then and now, Byron Murphy, Jr., had an interception in that game. Murph' recorded his first of 2026 last week and is a real threat to nab another Sunday, as he's already compiled five instances in his career of picking a pass in back-to-back weeks.

2. Death, taxes and blitzes

Trends begin to emerge after multiple games.

How's this for a trend: Minnesota's defense has a blitz rate of 75.3%, according to Next Gen Stats. That's 25.1% higher than the most blitz-crazed unit over the course of a season in the NGS era (Baltimore in 2019). Although it's an historical outlier, it doesn't feel so outrageous because attacking is Minnesota's identity, and its personnel fits the scheme.

"I tell our guys all the time, if we're going to go down, we're going to go down a certain way," Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores said Tuesday. "We're going to go down blitzing people."

On the alternate side, Bowles blitzes the Buccaneers at a much lower frequency than Flo' does the Vikings, and yet, Tampa Bay's 46.6% blitz rate hilariously ranks second in the NFL.

Extra-man pressures have keyed Bowles' esteemed career. They've influenced seven Top 10 scoring defenses in 15 seasons since he had his initial head coaching role as Miami's interim in 2011. His unit this year is lacking the gaudy sack and pressure numbers that are littered all over the Vikings defense, but the Bucs do possess the quickest average time to pressure at 2.34 seconds, the fastest TTP for a team since 2018.

"He's got just about every blitz that anyone has in their playbook," Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips said. "If you look at too many of them, you feel like they're coming every play."

3. Desperate and dangerous

The Buccaneers are pining for a victory after losing their first two games by 10 points combined. Turnovers badly hurt their chances in Week 1 at Cincinnati, and in Week 2 the Bucs defense allowed Deshaun Watson to post his highest passer rating (121.9) in nearly 1,100 days, as he clipped 80 percent of his throws w/ two touchdowns and no giveaways.

So, it's fair to say they are desperate for a win. It's also accurate to say they are dangerous because of their initial outcomes, as well as playmaking quarterback Baker Mayfield and a head coach in Bowles who has never gone 0-3 at the start of eight previous years in charge.

Flores likened Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 at Oklahoma (one year before Murray did the same as a Sooner) to a blend of Packers QB Jordan Love and Bears QB Caleb Williams. He stated that the 2018 No. 1 overall pick is "Much more elusive than people probably give him credit for" and praised his fearlessness, and skill outside of the pocket.

With data from Stathead, here's a snapshot of Tampa Bay's recently extended signal-caller:

Since joining the Bucs in 2023 and earning his first of two consecutive Pro Bowl nods, Mayfield is responsible for the second-most passing touchdowns (96) after Jared Goff, and the second-most interceptions (38) after Geno Smith (41). Mayfield has fumbled an NFL-high 35 times in that period and lost an NFL-high 20. He has the fifth-most scrambles (122) after Lamar Jackson (147), Josh Allen (146), Patrick Mahomes (144) and Jalen Hurts (132), and his average pickup is 8.0 yards. Furthermore, Mayfield owns the No. 2 passer rating (117.8) in the fourth quarter of games, which is hot on the tail of reigning MVP Matthew Stafford (119.7) and pretty clear evidence that his highs and lows are of the extreme variety.

2 Talented Buccaneers

1. Bucky Irving

Tampa Bay's lead back was dynamite as a rookie, totaling 1,514 scrimmage yards (1,122 rushing) and eight touchdowns, despite only playing 45% of the snaps in a split role with current Commanders RB Rachaad White. He was banged up last year, though, so his production declined. Well, he's regained his form, averaging 5.4 yards per rush like in 2024.

According to NGS, Irving owns the sixth-best EPA on rushes for running backs this year (plus-2.0). The Top 5 consists of reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III (+13.4), Derrick Henry (+8.4), James Cook (+4.4), Jonathan Taylor (+4.1) and Blake Corum (+3.2).

Irving played one season at Minnesota before transferring to Oregon for a pair, and Blake Cashman said he's impressed by him, although the former Gophers linebacker didn't watch him too closely when he was in college (Cashman was playing in his third NFL season by then). The linebacker highlighted Irving's ability to make one cut and go, and he noted Tampa Bay's efforts to involve Irving and RB Kenny Gainwell in the passing attack.

You might recall Gainwell leading the Steelers backfield and giving the Vikings a difficult time during the international affair in Dublin last year when he set career highs in carries (19), rushing yards (99) and touchdowns (two). He also recorded six catches for 35 yards.

Gainwell and Irving rank 10^th and 11^th in receptions among running backs, with 93 and 88 apiece since the latter was drafted in 2024. Additionally, Irving's receiving success rate of 57.1% — measuring catches that gain at least 40% of yards required on first down, 60% on second down and 100% on third or fourth — across that span is second for RBs (min. 60 targets) behind David Montgomery (66.7%) and right ahead of Christian McCaffrey (56.9%).

This season, even with 10-year vet Chris Godwin, 2025 first-rounder Emeka Egbuka, and tight end Cade Otton, who has four consecutive seasons of 40-plus catches in the fold, the Bucs top pass-catcher so far is Irving with a team-high 11 catches — but for just 49 yards.

The last thing Minnesota wants to allow, Cashman said, is checkdowns or completions in the flats that evolve into first downs and explosives. That means tight coverage will be as valuable as sound tackling and flocking to the football to minimize 1-on-1 opportunities.

2. Calijah Kancey

Tampa Bay has some elite talent in the trenches.

Like, Tristan Wirfs, one of the league's highest-paid left tackles and a two-time First-Team All-Pro, and Vita Vea, a two-time Pro Bowler and one of the highest-paid defensive tackles.

Another maybe underrated but "baller" interior defender is the 25-year-old Kancey, who ranks first among Bucs d-linemen in QB pressure rate (14%) and first on the defense overall in pressures (seven). Juxtaposed to Vea, the size difference is wild — the 12^th overall pick in 2018 (Vea) is 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds, while Kancey, the 19^th choice in 2023, is 6-foot, 280.

One is heralded because of his strength and power, the other for his quickness and motor.

Kancey recorded five of his seven pressures to date on Bengals QB Joe Burrow in Week 1. He was lightning quick off the ball in that game, averaging a pass rush get-off of 0.69 seconds per NGS, good for the best single-game figure at his position entering this week. He also went sub-1 second in Week 2 at 0.99, reinforcing he's one of the twitchiest defensive linemen in the NFL. Kancey's 0.87 split last season is skewed because he was sidelined most of the year with a pectoral injury, but when he suited up for 14 and 12 games in 2023 and 2024, his average get-off was 0.92 and 0.96 seconds.

As a prospect coming out of Pitt, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein called Kancey a "nightmare for offenses as a pass rusher." Zierlein had a familiar comp for him: Vikings Ring of Honor member and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Randle.

1 More Thing to Know

We're two weeks into the season, and the storylines are abundant. Justin Jefferson surpassed Randy Moss on Sunday for 2^nd place on the Vikings career receptions chart. Dallas Turner is up to an NFL-best 16 pressures, the most through the first two games of a season since at least 2018 (h/t Stathead). Aaron Jones, Sr., played like an absolute warrior at Soldier Field (the Vikings are 17-4 when he totes the rock 10-plus times). Isaiah Rodgers dove to clutch a fumble recovery and dove again for a clutch field goal block, the latter of which won him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. There's deserved chatter on each subject. Another topic takes the cake, though, and is something to watch.

Minnesota's young defensive line is off to an encouraging start.

Jalen Redmond, 27, is the "elder statesman" in the room and has a natural veteran presence, Flores said. Levi Drake Rodriguez is the "life of the party" with "real leadership qualities." Opponents are starting to know about Domonique Orange — code name "Big Citrus" — and first-round pick Caleb Banks performed well when Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins went down mid-game at Chicago with a hip injury, adding more snaps to Banks' plate.

The arrows next to their names are pointing up. It's a major credit to the emphasis placed on techniques and fundamentals by coaches such as Ryan Nielsen and Pat Hill, and it's a reflection of the individual work ethics — the commitment to doing the routine stuff over and over — and desire to be great as a group. They've adopted a 'we-before-me' mentality that has produced terrific results through two divisional games.

On rushes inside the tackles, Minnesota's front is responsible for a 36.8% stuff rate, according to Next Gen Stats. It's the best mark in the league, and 8.2% better than Buffalo. Furthermore, the Vikings have allowed a rushing EPA of minus-0.50 on inside-tackle runs. There are only two stingier defenses in that category: Las Vegas (-0.71) and Seattle (-0.53).

Tampa Bay, by the way, is one of nine clubs with a positive EPA per rush this year (plus-1.2). Chicago was sitting at +11 after Week 1 then played the Vikings and dropped to +5.2.

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