Credit the Vikings for not looking too far into the future. Or at least not admitting to it.
Asked this week about how the next month could shape the rest of this season, the Vikings as one steered the focus to the Detroit Lions. The cliché about going 1-0 this week was spread throughout the locker room. It appears they all understand that Sunday’s NFC North matchup at Ford Field will be their toughest test to date.
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A win certainly would help the Vikings silence their critics. Despite being the last unbeaten team in the NFL, the team inspires mostly mixed feelings.
Some think this is an ascending group with the potential to compete for a Super Bowl. Others believe this is a bunch masquerading as contenders.
In any case, the Vikings have the power to dictate the narrative with their performances during what always figured to be a defining stretch of the season — a murder’s row of competition that features the Lions, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers in succession.
If the Vikings notch even a couple of wins in that span, it will be tough to say they aren’t among the best teams in the NFL. If they lose every one of them, it will be tough to argue t...