Week 4 Preview: A Passing Interest

The Minnesota Vikings return home to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday to face a 0-3 Miami Dolphins team looking ahead to the 2027 NFL Draft. Their best offensive player, De’Von Achane, is officially out for the year with a torn ACL suffered last week. The Dolphins are tied for the league low with 36 points and have an abysmal -50 point differential. The next worst is the Green Bay Packers at -35. That’s a shame.

Other than the Raiders, the Dolphins are probably my favorite AFC team, which makes it sad to see them circling the drain so early in the 2026 season. The NFL seems better when these legacy franchises do well. Whether they’re on a “March for Arch,” “Tanking for Trinidad,” or looking elsewhere, like WR Jeremiah Smith, I hope it works out for them.

Whenever the Dolphins visit Minneapolis every eight years, I’m reminded of one of my favorite NFL regular-season games ever from 1994. It was a wild game. Coincidentally, it was also played in Week 4. The Vikings went up 28-0 as Warren Moon and the Vikings offense rolled, and the defense intercepted Dan Marino three times. But, of course, since we are the Vikings, nothing is ever easy. Ever. Marino went berserk and tied the game at 28-28. Moon and company made enough plays down the stretch to hold on for a 38-35 victory.

We’ve gone from Moon and Marino combining for 757 passing yards to Malik Willis and a Vikings offense that feels like it won’t reach 757 passing yards for the rest of the season. Will this be the week the offense finally shows signs of life?

VIKINGS ON OFFENSE

If Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings’ passing game can’t make hay at home this week (Justin Jefferson or not), it may be time to dust off the panic button. The Dolphins are 28th in points allowed, 32nd in opponents’ completion percentage, 31st in QB pressures, and 32nd in sacks. They have zero sacks so far in the 2026 season. Yes, zero.

The Dolphins rank a respectable 12th in the NFL in rush yards allowed, but that may be because teams find it easier to get to the scoreboard through the air. This defense is giving up completions at an astonishing 80.3% clip. That’s really bad, folks.

This parade of statistical ineptitude will put enormous pressure on KOC, Kyler Murray, and the passing offense in a get-right game. If not now, when? Seriously. With Aaron Jones not 100%, Jordan Mason on IR, and no one else averaging more than 3.3 yards per carry, it feels like the time to look more like the 1998 Vikings than the 2012 version (in the first half, anyway). Given the numbers, it should be a case of “No Jefferson? No problem” for KOC and company. It better be. If not, it may be fair to ask what exactly was going on all spring and summer.

VIKINGS ON DEFENSE

I suspect a shipment of Excedrin Extra Strength and Pepto Bismol was dumped in front of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s office this week. He’ll need it. Without their premier offensive weapon (Achane), he now faces Brian Flores and a Vikings defense that is allowing only 13.7 points per game. Oh, and it’s also ranked 1st in sacks, 1st in QB hits, 1st in fewest points per drive, 1st in DVOA, and 1st in EPA.

So far, the Dolphins offense has struggled: 31st in points per game (12.0), 26th in total yards, and 25th in sacks taken. They’re a bit better in passing and rushing yards per game (20th in each) and in yards per play (19th). I’m a fan of Malik Willis and think he can be a good NFL starter, but so far things haven’t gone well. He’s currently 29th in passer rating and 27th in QBR. He has very little help, which is a big reason for these numbers.

Hey, as a Vikings supporter, I’m not gonna sit here and make jokes about a team’s poor offensive stats, since 200 passing yards for us is the football equivalent of scaling Mount Everest with your hands and feet tied together. That said, we’re not the ones about to enter Flores’ house of horrors, either. It won’t be a treat, I can guarantee. FearFest may be on AMC all of October, but for one afternoon it’s taking a detour through U.S. Bank Stadium.

PREDICTION

If the Vikings don’t shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers or poor special teams play, I’m having a hard time seeing how the Dolphins can even score 10 points on us, let alone multiple touchdowns.

If KOC and the offensive coaches can’t figure out a way to make the passing game look at least mediocre this week, I’ll be shocked. I expect Justin Jefferson to (wisely) sit this one out, but it shouldn’t matter. This has to be the time. I’m putting my money where my mouth is. I already had Kyler Murray as a backup in one fantasy league and picked him up after Week 1 in another. Drake Maye and Justin Herbert (don’t even get me started on that guy) are getting the boot. Jordan Addison will start on my one team, too. Let’s do this.

Even if the Vikings’ offense wakes up this week, I’m still taking a wait-and-see approach before declaring the issue resolved. Things get tougher in a hurry, and I’ll have to see it against playoff-level competition before officially showing my buddy skepticism the door.

But you have to start somewhere, right?

Minnesota Vikings: 27

Miami Dolphins: 7