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Vikings Legends Weekend began with a Celebration of Life in honor of 14-time captain Jim Marshall and ended with a commanding 48-10 win over the Bengals.

Sunday's outcome was a reminder of how different each week can be in the NFL.

Instead of the doomsday vibes that began last Monday morning (after very limited sleep), fans in Minnesota and beyond are enjoying their first "victory Monday" of 2025 (to go along with the "victory Tuesday" that occurred after Week 1).

Isaiah Rodgers' two-return-touchdown, two-forced fumble game had teammates fanning him on the sidelines and prompted robust applause every time he was shown on the video board with another historical note. It also made fantasy football owners of the Vikings defense (I know a few personally) quite pleased.

Rodgers' returns went along with gigantic impacts of Christian Darrisaw, Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel in their returns to action.

Carson Wentz made his Vikings debut less than a month after joining the team that he grew up cheering for. He capitalized on his first opportunity to fill in for J.J. McCarthy.

Oh, and Will Reichard absolutely drilled a franchise-record 62-yard field goal to cap a splendid first half.

Up next is a one of the most interesting stretches of Vikings football ever, with Minnesota becoming the first NFL team to play back-to-back road games in two different countries beyond the U.S., beginning with Sunday's game against the Steelers in Dublin and followed by Week 5's contest against the Browns in London.

Let's get to some questions.

Congratulations to the coaches and team for rallying from last week's speed bump. There was no surprise that Atlanta won because we were not at full strength on either side of the ball.

It takes spectacular O-line and D-line play to have an exceptional season. The "skill players" should be buying them dinner many times during the year.

Sunday demonstrated the professionalism required to "move on" game to game. It will be a tremendous challenge to play in Europe the next two weeks. There will be many distractions so I expect the entire organization will remain focused.

— Rick Weitzel

For all the highlights' focus and scoreboard watching every week on "skill players," blocking and tackling play important parts in football games.

When teams block, tackle and other players make plays on the football in sync, a team can really hum along.

It was a tremendous bounce-back by the Vikings, even if the Bengals also were starting a backup QB.

I do think Vikings skill players — I've heard stories about McCarthy already taking care of linemen off the field, and I'm sure Wentz also values that group — have an appreciation across the roster.

I also believe the Vikings having such a bad showing in Week 2 will not be forgotten soon as the team prepares for upcoming challenges.

Minnesota is undefeated on international soil, and there's a point of pride in trying to continue that mark in consecutive weeks.

Most of this week's preparation will mirror what Minnesota has done previously under O'Connell when visiting London for one game.

The team will fly to Ireland Thursday overnight and arrive there Friday morning, power through workouts and a practice, then go through Saturday prep. Minnesota will stay in Ireland until Monday evening before flying to England and try to simulate as normal of a week as possible.

As for fan events, the team's pub headquarters in Dublin will be J.R. Mahon's on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Before Sunday's game, a fan club-led tailgate is scheduled for Phil Ryan's Hogan Stand.

In London, the team pub will be Redwood, with festivities Oct. 2-4. The fan club-led tailgate is scheduled at Two Brewers and the Victoria on Oct. 5. A major fan rally will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Battersea Power Station on Oct. 4.

Wow! What a debut for Carson! He was fantastic and looked the part of a 10-year vet. Thank God Darrisaw came back healthy. What a difference he makes. I think both Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott have shown what a dynamic running back combo can do, and if I was to guess, I'd say they're the answer to our running game the Vikings have been hoping would come along. No offense to Aaron Jones, Sr., but those two bring a different, more powerful energy. And what more can be said about the defense? What a bunch of opportunistic monsters! Fantastic job, Mr. Flores! All in all, an outstanding game from the offense, the defense, the special teams, and the coaches. Well done, boys!

— Skip Ringerud, Season Ticket Holder since 1961

Darrisaw received a game ball from O'Connell in the locker room for all that he put into his return. It's kind of hard to believe the timeline of him suffering the knee injury in Week 8 of 2024 and returning to action in Week 3 of 2025.

The Vikings exercised discipline in waiting to bring him back until he was ready and were able to ramp him up on a snap count, which was made easier once the scoreboard became so cattywampus.

O'Connell said Darrisaw was getting taped up to come back out for the second half when Minnesota got the ball with 20 seconds remaining in the first half after the fumble forced by Jalen Redmond and recovered by Jonathan Allen. Blake Brandel came into the game for Darrisaw at that point and later relieved him. Brandel also filled in for a bit at left guard while Donovan Jackson dealt with a bloody nose.

As for the running game, the Vikings were able to win at the line of scrimmage and start cooking with the physicality of Mason and Scott. Both had nice games as Minnesota played without Jones for the first time since he joined the team. Jones is a great player, and his touchdown catch at Chicago was so critical to Minnesota's win in Week 1.

Feel like the smash-and-dash combination can be formed as this season progresses once Jones returns. Until then, maybe it's smash-and-smash?

Defensive success was widespread Sunday, with Minnesota recording four sacks, seven tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, two interceptions, five passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and the two scores.

Hats off to the defense for keeping us in the game last week and the phenomenal win this week. I was glad to see our starters returning to the offensive line. We sure could've used them last week, and it could've made a huge difference. They were able to make holes for the running backs and give the quarterback time to throw. My only regret was that Max Brosmer didn't play the whole second half. It would've given him the needed experience. The only reason they had to bring Wentz in.

I think O'Connell called a great game this week and last week. You can't blame the coach if the execution is not there.

— Jerry LaFreniere in Side Lake, Minnesota

Week 3 sort of turned into Preseason 3 by the start of the fourth quarter, as multiple reserves, including Brosmer logged significant play time, but there's still a good bit of difference between Wentz (now) having 99 regular-season games vs. two for McCarthy and part of one for Brosmer.

It seemed like the Vikings were really able to build around Wentz's strengths and successes in the NFL while integrating some of O'Connell's system. The use of more quick passes, which was something multiple emailers requested last week, helped the offense generate some yards after catches.

The Vikings are excited to continue developing McCarthy and Brosmer while working with Wentz.

We have really missed Christian Darrisaw. Last week, Atlanta had 11 QB hits and six sacks. This week, Cincinnati only had five hits and three sacks. How big a part did Darrisaw have in lowering those numbers?

— Gerald Goblirsch

The schedule said Bengals, Steelers, Browns. The matchups for a left tackle meant Trey Hendrickson and likely T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett.

Pro Bowler, Pro Bowler, Pro Bowler, as well as three of the top four vote-getters in the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year tally in 2024 (won by Denver CB Patrick Surtain II).

Darrisaw's presence in the run game showed up immediately and repeatedly, and a run game can slow down a pass rush.

What was Hendrickson's stat line on Sunday? One tackle.

Wow. What a fun victory to be a part of at U.S. Bank Stadium!! That looked like the team we have envisioned all offseason.

Great to see Darrisaw, Smith and Van Ginkel back this week.

Isaiah Rodgers should be Defensive Player of the Week and Month after that performance. Also credit Harrison Smith for the deflection and a great downfield block by Jonathan Greenard on the return. Bengals really didn't know what hit them, and that defense disrupted everything they wanted to do.

Jordan Mason showed his talent, and Wentz played a steady, solid game once he started speeding up his release. We still need to clean up those pre-snap penalties, but a really great effort and a real statement about who this team can be.

Skol Vikes!!

— Mike in Arden Hills

While we won't have confirmation on the weekly award for Rodgers, we do plan to prewrite a story about him winning this week's award and don't believe it will be a misplacement of time.

One potentially under-the-radar play that I think showed a good deal about why Brian Flores wanted to bring Rodgers to Minnesota was his pass breakup in 1-on-1 coverage against Tee Higgins on a jump ball that was eerily similar to one Higgins caught — from Browning, no less — during Cincinnati's comeback victory in 2023.

Smith deflected the pass that Rodgers intercepted and returned 87 yards for the score. Van Ginkel recorded 2.0 sacks. The circumstances of the scoreboard allowed Minnesota to rest Smith and Van Ginkel for much of the second half.

I thought Greenard was an influence on the game at multiple points, including his effort during the return.

The worst part of an otherwise mint condition stat sheet was Minnesota's 13 penalties for 105 yards. That's uncharacteristically high for a team under O'Connell and needs to be reduced since few games will ever be that skewed.

I hate that I live in North Carolina instead of back home on the North Shore of Lake Superior. All I have to satisfy my thirst are highlights. And boy did I almost drown that thirst on highlights Sunday.

First of all, whoever was going to be sitting next to Isaiah Rodgers on the flight to Ireland can stretch out, because after the performance he had against the Bengals, his feet haven't touched the ground yet, and he's coasting along the jet stream there. I'm surprised his cleats gathered any turf on his second TD scoop & score.

Clearly today's Vikings were not just a night & day difference from last week, but it's like Coach Flo' had his guys doing donuts out in the parking lot, hence the 540 reference. And speaking of the defense, it was like Gink' was making up for lost time in last week's loss.

And the offense sounds like it finally gelled. Which is no slight against the injured or missing players. McCarthy needs to heal his body, but perhaps his psyche, as well, because he's clearly been rattled out there the first two weeks of the season. And maybe holding him out of most of the preseason wasn't such a good idea in hindsight. He clearly could have used the reps. And while Aaron Jones, Sr., is healing up from his injury, Jordan Mason is not skipping a beat. Though having them both in the backfield would be more intimidating. However, it's great to see Cam Akers back in Purple. I hope his contributions are rewarding for the team and for him with a more long term role.

So to sum up: Wentz is playing great, Brosmer even got in some playing time, and J.J. needs to meditate more to calm his process. Reichard has a cannon for a foot, if that's apt, or is it more of a rocket launcher. The defense is gelling AND back to eating offenses like trail mix. Next week we get Jordan Addison back. And signing Isaiah Rodgers was one of the smartest moves that the Vikings made this offseason.

Sincerely,

— David A. (Still from the North Shore and still stuck in the South)

McCarthy has shown quite a bit of mental toughness and determination already in his young career. He'll continue to do so, even if the start of his second pro season hasn't been what he would have hoped for. He had a tremendous rapport with Addison, in part because of the amount of time Jefferson missed because of his training camp hamstring injury. If Addison is able to resume where he was during a phenomenal camp, then he'll be quite an addition for Minnesota's offense to add to the mix.

Are you kidding me? They stop televising the game because we are winning by too much!! When will the Vikings get the respect they deserve?!

— Derek in North Dakota

We became aware during the game that fans participating in the chat hosted by Vikings.com's Lindsey Young and Rob Kleifield that some viewers had their programming switched.

I'm sure that had to be a disappointing element of Minnesota playing such a dominant game.

We've got you covered with highlights and other breakdowns on Vikings.com.

And I can relay that the next two games are exclusive TV windows, so the entirety of these international contests should be shown.

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