What things are Ben Solak thinking this week?

Solak's regular Tuesday deep-dive into the previous week of NFL games presented a thought about the Purple: He thinks … "Kyler Murray and the Vikings offense are rounding into form" after the quarterback went 24-for-30 with 229 passing yards and a touchdown in addition to 51 rushing yards during Minnesota's 23-13 win over New Orleans to move to 5-0.

Maybe most impressively, Murray operated with great efficiency despite a handful of offensive starters being out with injuries, including No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison.

Solak called it a "sunny omen" for future games.

Three other offensive stats stood out to Solak: Minnesota's yards per play, success rate and explosive rate. They were 5.4, 42.6% and 13.2%. For comparison's sake, Solak shared the figures that the Vikings offense averaged when it won 14 games with Sam Darnold in 2024: 5.6, 43.7% and 14.3%. Solak worded it as "an average offensive day in that Darnold year."

And that's dang good.

Here's an excerpt from Solak's story:

The film is encouraging. The Vikings should have had a much fatter scoreboard if not for two fumbles in the red zone — one of which was returned for a Saints touchdown. Most notable is Murray's arm talent, which opened up a couple of sick throws to Justin Jefferson specifically. Because Jefferson is so spectacular in contested situations, Murray can reliably throw to him instead of running around and improvising — something he still does well but should do only in moderation.

Another point Solak made is that the impending return of co-starting running back Jordan Mason shouldn't be underrated. Minnesota ran the rock well Sunday and has shown a real commitment to moving the line of scrimmage and controlling possession this season, but Solak said the Vikings "want to do so much more in the designed running game with Murray and in the power play-action game with Mason as a bruising back."

Click here to read up on the Vikings and Solak's other thoughts about Week 5.

Roles to watch after the bye

Emily Leiker of the Star Tribune on Tuesday wrote about a handful of young players who could be candidates for more snaps when Minnesota resumes its schedule in Week 7.

Leiker posed the following questions before offering some analysis on each topic:

1. Will Tai Felton and Myles Price get more opportunities at receiver?

2. Can Gavin Bartholomew and Joe Huber build on their expanded roles?

3. Will young Vikings defenders earn more playing time after the bye?

Let's start at the top.

Leiker noted Felton and Price, both second-year players, have played a considerable amount over the first five games due to Addison, Jefferson and Jauan Jennings each missing time.

A considerable amount in this case is Felton and Price basically tripling the number of offensive snaps that they played as rookies. The former has been on the field for 128 and had his first career game with multiple catches at New Orleans, snagging two targets for 27 yards. Meanwhile, Price has played 57 snaps along with crushing on special teams and made the first five catches (three Sunday) of his career for 26 yards over the past two games. They both have looked capable, and Felton has increased his routes run and average separation in three consecutive games, going from 21 routes and 1.4 yards at Tampa Bay to 27 and 2.9 against Miami and 31 and 3.1 on Sunday, according to Next Gen Stats.

Next, Leiker explored Bartholomew and Huber stepping in for Josh Oliver and Donovan Jackson, who suffered injuries in Week 3 and Week 4, respectively, that required surgeries.

Bartholomew had a breakout game at the Saints, making five catches for 33 yards, after T.J. Hockenson entered concussion protocol during the first series. It wasn't a surprise, really, since Bartholomew was productive in the spring/summer and coaches have touted his skill in the run and pass phases. And Huber, undrafted out of Wisconsin a year ago, inserted at left guard and received praise for his physicality in his second career start and first of 2026.

Lastly, Leiker checked in on the defense, which has benefited from minimal changes so far and is easing their youngest players into roles. Leiker zeroed in on inside/outside linebacker Jake Golday, who made his biggest play to date when he forced a fumble while covering a kickoff return Sunday.

For what it's worth, other rookies, such as Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange have performed well on a defensive line that stays fresh with interchanging waves of players.

Check out Leiker's full article here.

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