Let the bidding war begin.

Viking have 2- #3's & 5th round picks in the 27 draft.

2-of each, is it enough?
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Where the 2026 Vikings rank among worst 6-0 NFL teams ever
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Stephen A.: Kevin O'Connell is lucky he's got a job (2:31)

Aaron Schatz
Oct 31, 2026, 06:00 AM ET
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Let's start with this: Only good teams go undefeated. It's one thing to win a game or two, but if you're starting 6-0, you're a good team. The Minnesota Vikings are undoubtedly a good team.

But not all 6-0 teams are created equal. The 1999 Rams beat their first six opponents by an average of 25.7 points. That is dominance. Compare that with this year's Vikings, who have won four of their six games by less than a touchdown.

So, are the Vikings the "worst" 6-0 team in NFL history? To answer that question, I used my proprietary DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) ratings and simple point differential to look at every team that started 6-0 since the move to the 16-game season in 1978.

The good news for the Vikings is not only are they not the worst 6-0 team in the past 50 years, but that there's a team that was a little worse that won the Super Bowl.

Here's a look at eight of the worst 6-0 teams of all time, and what history says will happen next.



8. 2012 Atlanta Falcons
DVOA: 18.6% (ninth)
Point differential: +58

The Falcons started the 2012 season 6-0 by feasting on an unsustainable turnover margin. They had 17 takeaways in the first six games and turned the ball over only seven times. The Falcons picked up a 27-3 win over the Chargers, but also four wins by less than a touchdown, including a last-second 55-yard field goal they needed to beat the Raiders, who finished 4-12.

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The Falcons were at least balanced in their good-but-not-greatness, however. DVOA ranked them ninth on offense, 11th on defense and 10th on special teams after six games.

What happened next: The turnover margin was, in fact, unsustainable. In their remaining 10 games, the Falcons had a turnover margin of just plus-3. However, they still went 7-3 over the remainder of the season. An easy schedule that ranked 27th in average DVOA of opponent helped. In the playoffs, the Falcons won a hard-fought battle over the Seahawks 30-28 but then fell to San Francisco 28-24 in the NFC Championship Game when Atlanta's attempted late comeback drive ran out of gas on the 10-yard line.


7. 1985 Los Angeles Rams
DVOA: 17.8% (eighth)
Point differential: +44

This team was surprisingly similar to this year's Vikings, driven by excellent defense (second in DVOA through six games) and special teams (fourth). Instead of a free agent quarterback from another NFL team, the Rams' offense was led by CFL star Dieter Brock in his only NFL season. Unlike the current Vikings, the Rams were a run-first team with superstar running back Eric Dickerson.

What happened next: The Rams shut out Kansas City in Week 7 and then stumbled, with a 4-5 record the rest of the way. That still gave them the NFC West title by one game over San Francisco. In the divisional round, the Rams shut out Dallas 20-0. Then, the eventual champion Bears destroyed the Rams 24-0 in the NFC Championship Game, and Brock went 10-for-31 with 66 passing yards.


6. 2026 Minnesota Vikings
DVOA: 17.5% (sixth)
Point differential: +51

The Vikings have won their first six games in an incredibly imbalanced fashion. They rank 30th in offensive DVOA, ahead of only the 1-6 Titans and 0-6 Chargers. The Vikings also rank second in defensive DVOA, trailing only Seattle (due to opponent adjustments), and first in special teams.

As I noted earlier, four of Minnesota's wins have been by one score, with the exceptions being their season-opening 39-22 win over Green Bay and a 23-13 victory over New Orleans in Week 5. However, the Vikings lead the league in point differential per game at 8.5, ahead of the 49ers at 8.3.

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What happens next: The problem for the Vikings going forward is that offensive performance is more predictive of the future than defensive or special teams' performance. That's the main reason the Vikings rank only 16th in ESPN's forward-looking FPI despite being undefeated. The FPI simulations give the Vikings an average of 11.7 wins this season, with just a 4.7% chance to win the Super Bowl.

It's worth noting that by average DVOA of opponent, the Vikings have played the second-easiest schedule in the league so far, ahead of only Kansas City. They have the fifth-hardest-rated schedule going forward, including the second-toughest schedule of opposing offenses behind only Tennessee.


5. 2000 Minnesota Vikings
DVOA: 13.8% (11th)
Point differential: +43

Unlike this year's Vikings, the 2000 edition was driven by offense: Daunte Culpepper, in his first season as an NFL starter, throwing to Randy Moss and Cris Carter. The Vikings ranked fourth in offensive DVOA but 23rd on defense after six games. Five of their six wins came by one possession; the lone exception was a 28-16 win over Chicago, which was 1-5.

What happened next: The Vikings went 5-5 over their final 10 games, although the final loss to the Packers came with their starters sitting on Christmas Eve. By the end of the season, the Vikings had dropped to 18th in DVOA, exceedingly low for a team with an 11-5 record. The Vikings won their divisional round matchup with the Saints, who were only 15th in DVOA, and then were embarrassed 41-0 by the Giants in the NFC Championship Game.


4. 2006 Indianapolis Colts
DVOA: 11.8% (ninth)
Point differential: +49

The 2006 Colts were the polar opposite of the 2026 Vikings. After six games, the Colts ranked second in offensive DVOA with Peyton Manning at quarterback but just 22nd on defense and 30th on special teams. Only one of their first six opponents finished the season with a winning record (the 10-6 Jets).

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What happened next: The Colts kept winning to start the season 9-0 before they lost to the Cowboys in Week 11. The Colts finished the season 3-3 and finished 12-4. By the end of the regular season, the Colts led the league in offensive DVOA but were 25th on defense and special teams.

Then, safety Bob Sanders returned from an injury, and the Colts' defense totally flipped the switch. They held Kansas City and Baltimore to fewer than 10 points in the playoffs. They came back from a 15-point halftime deficit to take out the rival Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Then, the Colts beat the Bears 29-17 to win the Super Bowl. It's hard to imagine that this team provides any guidance on what will happen with the Vikings, because the Colts' powerful offense makes them such a clear contrast.


3. 2015 Carolina Panthers
DVOA: 11.0% (seventh)
Point differential: +52

The Panthers ranked seventh in DVOA on offense and defense after their 6-0 start. They were an interesting team because they were quite imbalanced on both sides of the ball. They were much better running than passing, but the defense was much better against the pass than the run. Despite the low DVOA, three of their first six wins came by multiple scores.

What happened next: The Panthers marched through the easiest schedule in the NFL that season, not losing until Week 16 against the Falcons. The Panthers' defense improved, eventually finishing second in the NFL by DVOA. Quarterback Cam Newton was named league MVP. In the playoffs, the Panthers dispatched the Seahawks and Cardinals before a 24-10 loss in Super Bowl 50 to the Broncos. We'll get to Denver in a moment.


2. 1983 Dallas Cowboys
DVOA: 9.7% (seventh)
Point differential: +50

The Cowboys didn't look bad through their first five games, although their wins were built on a lot of defensive and special teams touchdowns, which tend to be unrepeatable. The Cowboys were only 14th on offensive DVOA but sixth on defense. In Week 6, the Cowboys needed overtime to beat Tampa Bay, which finished the season 2-14, and that's the main reason they rank as one of the two worst 6-0 teams.

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What happened next: The Cowboys improved a bit and finished the season fifth in DVOA. They went 6-4 over their final 10 games. Though the first two losses were very close, they were destroyed by Washington (31-10) and San Francisco (42-17) in the final two games of the regular season. That last game was meaningless as Washington had already clinched the NFC East, but coach Tom Landry played all of his starters against the 49ers anyway.

The next week, the 12-4 Cowboys hosted the wild-card game against the 9-7 Rams and lost 24-17 at home.


1. 2015 Denver Broncos
DVOA: 8.5% (ninth)
Point differential: +37

The 2015 Broncos were the worst 6-0 team of the past 50 years, whether you look at DVOA or just point differential. They were also the team most similar to the 2026 Vikings. Peyton Manning had declined a bit in the second half of 2014, but he fell off a cliff in his final NFL season. The Broncos ranked last in offensive DVOA despite being undefeated. However, they ranked second on defense (behind the Jets) and 10th on special teams. Five of Denver's six wins were decided by a touchdown or less.

After Week 6, the Broncos were ranked only 11th in ESPN FPI. (Carolina, which was 5-0 at the time, ranked 10th.)

What happened next: This is the best-case scenario for Minnesota. We know that offense tends to be more predictive than defense, but it isn't always that way.

The 2015 Broncos kept playing fantastic defense, while the offense found its legs a little bit when Manning got hurt and Brock Osweiler replaced him. Denver ended the season 23rd in offensive DVOA, including an above-average offense in the seven games started by Osweiler. The Broncos went 6-4 over their last 10 games but snagged the AFC's top seed thanks to overtime head-to-head wins against the Patriots and Bengals.

The Broncos won their first playoff game over the Steelers 23-16. In the AFC Championship Game, the Broncos topped the Patriots 20-18 when a missed Stephen Gostkowski extra point attempt forced the Patriots to go for two to tie the score at the end, and they couldn't convert. Then, in Super Bowl 50, the Broncos had a dominating defensive performance and took out the Panthers.

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NFL to review additional allegations against Packers RB Josh Jacobs
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The NFL said Saturday it will look into additional allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs that were revealed as part of a public records release from the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department.

The allegations, released Friday night in response to a public records request, show that three women alleged abuse by Jacobs to the department in incidents dating back to April 2021. The women came forward after learning of Jacobs' arrest in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident in May.

"We will review these allegations as part of the investigation which has remained open," the NFL said in a statement.

Along with the allegations made by the three women, police released reports from the investigation as well as body camera and police dash camera footage from Jacobs' arrest. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal damage to property.

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"The Brown County District Attorney's office had these uncorroborated, old, and previously unreported allegations for months," Jacobs' attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III said in an emailed statement Saturday. "They conducted their own exhaustive investigation, along with the police department, and the D.A. determined that only two misdemeanor charges were warranted. They then entered into a plea agreement with Josh Jacobs. Josh has repeatedly expressed his remorse and is honoring the terms of the agreement."

In the 129-page report of the incident released Friday night -- some of which was heavily redacted -- the woman making the initial accusations against Jacobs told police he "looked like a different person" during the alleged battery and said he attempted to strangle or suffocate her two times. She told police it was the first time he had ever strangled or suffocated her.

In the report, police wrote she "described Joshua's demeanor as 'enraged' and said she thought she was going to die."

A 911 call from the May 23 incident released by police Friday evening showed yelling in the background by a male, but no one spoke with police before the line was disconnected. Police were then dispatched to the address about a possible disturbance.

The woman alleged the incident began when she accused Jacobs of speaking with other women. When the woman tried to leave the home, the report alleged Jacobs would initially not let her, broke her phone and eventually grabbed her by the neck in the garage and slammed her to the ground, hitting her head on the concrete floor and causing her to lose consciousness. When she woke up, the report claimed she told police it was hard for her to walk, she had blurry vision and she was "seeing dots/stars" in her vision.

The police department withheld some records, including surveillance video from the garage where part of the alleged incident occurred. Both Jacobs and the woman sued the police department to block the release of the records. In a letter explaining the withholding, the department said it "would have released the garage video, with the victim's entire body being pixelated," had it not been restricted from doing so.

After the incident, the woman went to a neighbor's home for help, according to the report.

Police interviewed two of the woman's friends who communicated with her by phone and text message in the hours following the incident about what occurred, according to the documents. The reports from the friends mirrored what the woman told police, although neither friend was present during the incident and based their statements on what the woman told them during those phone conversations.

After Jacobs was arrested after a car he was a passenger in was pulled over on May 26, he told officers he didn't have identification on him and that he had already given his cell phone to his attorneys because he was planning on turning himself in.

As Jacobs arrived at the police station after being transported there by police, he was read his Miranda rights, and he told the arresting officer he did not want to make a statement until his lawyer arrived. Jacobs then proceeded to have a brief conversation with the arresting officer, according to footage released from the police car.

Jacobs: "In this situation, right, if I know I'm 100% didn't do anything wrong, what can I do in a situation to, like, you know, avoid it. To me, it's like, unfair, you know what I'm saying. So I don't really understand."

Officer: "It's up to your lawyer. He gets paid a s--- ton more than I do. He does his thing."

Jacobs: "I'm saying like legally, though, if I was to call, it wouldn't have made a difference and I would still be the one."

Officer: "Remember, these charges aren't set in stone. They are referrals."

Jacobs: "It's just what they think. OK."

Officer: "So there's a chance you could get convicted. There's a chance they could be dropped. These are referred to the [district attorneys] saying this is what we've got based upon our initial investigation. It's up to the DA and the judges to do what they want with it."

The officer then closed the door for a few moments before Jacobs was led out of the police car.

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Sources: Colts willing to trade RB Jonathan Taylor, active in talks with teams
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Jeremy Fowler: Interest in Jonathan Taylor is 'heavy' and 'real' (1:08)
Oct 31, 2026, 07:15 AM ET
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The Indianapolis Colts are now open to trading star running back Jonathan Taylor, sources told ESPN and NFL Network.

Multiple teams have reached out to Indianapolis, and those talks are said to be active and ongoing, according to sources.

The list of teams that have expressed at least some level of interest in trading for Taylor is thought to include the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks, sources said.

As they discuss potential Taylor trades with teams, the Colts already have received at least one offer that includes a second-round draft pick, along with additional compensation, sources told ESPN.

Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Taylor met this week and had what sources described as an in-depth conversation to discuss the future. Irsay-Gordon is said to have an affinity for the three-time Pro Bowler, and the Colts would prefer for Taylor to be a part of their rebuild.

the Colts also recognize the potential haul Taylor could bring in a trade.

In 2022, the San Francisco 49ers traded second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks to the Carolina Panthers for running back Christian McCaffrey. The Colts would seek a similar compensation package from teams looking to acquire Taylor, according to sources.

Taylor, 27, is under contract in 2027 for $15 million and in 2028 for $9.46 million, making him even more attractive to any acquiring team. Indianapolis already paid him a signing bonus of $15 million before the season.


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Tony Pollard?
Yes please. I think he's better fit for what the team needs.( Outlet reciever/ pass pro- 3rd down back). Also- Aaron Jones? What's his status with Taylor added? I'm all for a full house backfield crunching heads & clocks as a compliment to the Flores d. I think Murray would be a great fit doing the Bob Griese 20 pass attempts on the way to 17-0. But that ain't even a blip on the oconnel repertoire of what if we ...


Nope, I think Pollard is the better compliment to Jones, Mason and 1 trick KOC. But can he be pried away from the Titans?