There was a time not long ago when losing to the Vikings wasn’t considered to be that big of deal. Not when Minnesota had one of the best defenses in the NFL and an offense that featured Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Co. But these days a loss to Mike Zimmer’s team has become a fireable offense.

Bill O’Brien found this out the hard way on Monday when he was sacked as general manager and coach of the Houston Texans, one day after his team’s 31-23 loss to the Vikings at NRG Stadium. Anyone who witnessed the loss that dropped the Texans to 0-4 couldn’t have been shocked that ownership decided they had seen enough. Even though that almost certainly means writing O’Brien a large check to go away.

It’s interesting what the Texans’ decision says about the Vikings. Houston started the season with losses to defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City; Baltimore, the top seed in the AFC playoffs last season; and the surging Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 3-0. Facing the winless Vikings at home was considered a get well gift for O’Brien’s team. The Texans’ path to victory got even easier late in the first half when Vikings standout safety Harrison Smith was ejected for targeting.

But Houston’s players far too often looked uninterested, O’Brien’s play-calling (yes, he had taken over that assignment, too) was uninspired and questionable and the Texans’ defenders appeared to have an aversion to tackling, especially when faced with the prospect of trying to slow down Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. (This isn’t even bringing up the face that the Texans were playing without standout wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, whom O’Brien gave away to Arizona in an offseason trade.)

Texans fans who were allowed in the stadium, the announced attendance in the 72,220-seat venue was 12,102, were vocal in their disgust. Vikings fans, at least on social media, seemed far more torn to see their team improve to 1-3. It was clear that after watching the Vikings lose to Green Bay, Indianapolis and Tennessee to open the season that plenty of the purple faithful had set their heart on a lengthy streak of ineptitude. This would be the Tank For Trevor — as in Clemson quarterback and potential No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence — crowd.

It makes sense given that the Vikings’ defense, even with Smith on the field, is down three key players and is inexperienced at cornerback. But as poor as this defense might be, especially for one directed by Zimmer, the reality is the Vikings aren’t going to be a true bottom feeder in 2020. They certainly don’t look like a playoff team either, but these Vikings are going to likely win five or six games and that number could go higher, depending on the development of young players.

Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ first-round wide receiver, has shown the past two weeks he’s capable of changing games and that only figures to continue. If Cook can remain healthy, he’s one of the NFL’s elite running backs and a nightmare to try to bring down. These Vikings are a flawed team but are they Jets or Giants bad? Almost certainly not.

Before anyone gets overly excited, those who see the beauty in every Vikings’ loss should be pleased that Minnesota’s next opponent will be Russell Wilson and the Seahawks next Sunday night in Seattle. This should prove to be a great learning experience for the younger players under the bright lights and, if history is any indication, it will drop the Vikings to 1-4 and improve their draft position.

The Vikings will then play host to the Atlanta Falcons the following Sunday before their bye week. Those are the same Falcons coached by Dan Quinn, whose team blew a 25-point lead in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI and then blew leads of 20 points in Week 2 against Dallas and 16 points in Week 3 against Chicago this season. Somehow, Quinn has yet to lose his job, even after 7-9 finishes the past two seasons.

Maybe a loss to the Vikings in Week 6 will earn Quinn a ticket out of Atlanta. After all, losing to the Vikings these days is considered a fireable offense.

• Following the Vikings’ win over Houston on Sunday, Patrick raises the prospect of Mike Zimmer’s team making the playoffs and touches on the Twins’ ouster from the postseason.
• Was it more embarrassing than what happened to the 2006 Twins?
• Also how will the pandemic change the Twins’ payroll for next season and can all Minnesota teams survive in an already competitive market?
• We finish with breaking news on the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.

• Mackey & Judd react with declarative statements after the Minnesota Vikings’ 31-23 win over the Houston Texans in Week 4.

• Mackey & Judd open the show with a pie chart of a praise after the Vikings’ first win of the season.
• (25:30) Vikings nitpicks after a win.
• (33:48) Things we learned in the NFL in Week 4.
• (45:26) Jimmy Butler goes off in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
• (01:06:03) And the Wild trade Ryan Donato to the Sharks.

The Vikings’ 31-23 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium will be seen as a potential springboard to success by some and an unnecessary win that takes away from the potential Tank For Trevor by others.

Either way, the Vikings’ first victory of the season puts them in a tie with Detroit (1-3) at the bottom of the NFC North and will put coach Mike Zimmer in a bit of a better mood this week (maybe) as  his team prepares to play next Sunday night in Seattle.

Here are takeaways from the Vikings’ first win since they upset New Orleans in a first-round playoff game last January.

• It would be unfair to compare Vikings’ first-round pick Justin Jefferson to Stefon Diggs after only four games, but the past two weeks have confirmed the Vikings hit on a heck of a wide receiver with the 22nd pick in the draft last April. Jefferson’s breakout game came in last week’s loss to Tennessee as he caught seven passes for 175 yards with a 71-yard touchdown. He followed that by catching four more passes for 103 yards, an average of 25.8 yards, against the Texans. Jefferson was targeted five times and had no chance on the Kirk Cousins throw he did not catch. Opposing defenses will not have the luxury of focusing the majority of their attention on Adam Thielen, given Jefferson’s big-play capabilities. Thielen benefited from this Sunday, finishing with a season-high eight receptions (on 10 targets) for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Justin Jefferson. #NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Speak it into existence. pic.twitter.com/p7GJJ11HDc

— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) October 4, 2020

• Running back Dalvin Cook tied his career-high with 27 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns and also caught two passes for 16 yards. This is a lot of work for a player with an injury history, but that’s not something the Vikings can worry about this season. Cook was replaced by his backup, Alexander Mattison, for three plays in the fourth quarter on Sunday on a drive in which the Vikings stalled and ended up giving the ball back to Houston only up by eight. The Texans nearly scored and could have tied it with a two-point conversion. Cook was shaken up late in the game — he did return — and he should have been given at least 30 carries. Cook didn’t get a big contract just before the season so he could be saved, he got the contract because he’s one of the NFL’s best running backs. On this team, he needs to have a minimum of 25 carries each week (that doesn’t include receptions) and at times that number is going to go north of 30. This isn’t up for debate, given the state of the Vikings’ defense.
• As we wrote in our game preview, this is the first time that Zimmer does not have a good defense. Some of this is on him (not bringing in any veteran help at cornerback is a head-scratcher) and some of it isn’t (injuries to Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr and Mike Hughes and Michael Pierce’s decision to opt-out). The Vikings suffered another big loss on Sunday, when safety Harrison Smith was ejected from the game for leading with his helmet on a tackle late in the first half. Fortunately for the Vikings, Texans coach and play-caller Bill O’Brien had a terrible day and there were times when it appeared as if Houston quarterback DeShaun Watson (300 yards, two touchdowns, no picks) didn’t know what he should do.
• The Vikings entered Sunday with four cornerbacks active (Holton Hill and rookies Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler and Harrison Hand) and with veteran safety George Iloka having spent the week working at nickel corner in case he was needed. Dantzler had missed the past two games because of a rib injury and left again in the opening quarter. He was replaced by Iloka. Dantzler quickly returned but when Smith got ejected, Iloka had to go in and play safety, a position he hadn’t practice at all week. There was clearly confusion, no surprise, on Watson’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller that pulled the Texans within four in the third quarter. Such is the state of things in the Vikings’ once-strong secondary.
• Kirk Cousins finished 16-of-22 for 260 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions, three sacks and a 127.1 passer rating. That’s far from a bad line in the box score, but as is always the case with Cousins, you didn’t get a full picture of this game without seeing his performance. Let’s focus on two second-half series that involved Cousins.
• The first came in the third quarter with Minnesota up by one point. On second-and-8 from the Vikings 40, Cousins was sacked for a 2-yard loss by defensive tackle P.J. Hall. Fox analysts Greg Jennings and Brock Huard were quick to point out that Cousins missed an opportunity to hit Jefferson on a pass, and thus put the Vikings in a third-and-10. This is the exact type of play a highly paid quarterback has to make. But on third down, from the Vikings 38, Cousins hit Jefferson on a 23-yard pass to the Houston 39 to erase his previous mistake, and he followed that with a gutsy 19-yard throw that was caught by tight end Kyle Rudolph at the Houston 20. Two plays later, Cousins threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Thielen. This was quintessential Cousins. Following up an indecisive play that leads to a sack and drives offensive coaches crazy, with two plays that lead to a touchdown.
• The second example: The Vikings were up by eight with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter and faced a third-and-6 at their own 48-yard line. A first down would have gone a long way toward ending the game. Cousins took a shot down the left sideline for Thielen but it was broken up, in part because the ball was underthrown. Thielen would have caught an on-the-mark pass and Cousins’ paycheck means he’s a guy who has to put that ball on the money. He didn’t and the Texans had life.
• Houston got to the Vikings’ 1-yard line but actually managed to move back 4 yards and had a fourth-and-goal from 5 with 1:15 left. Fuller, who beat Gladney to make a 43-yard grab at the Vikings 8 in the third quarter, made an unbelievable catch over Hill in the corner of the end zone but was unable to hold onto the ball as he came down. It was called a touchdown initially but reversed upon review. Hill was fortunate that Fuller could not maintain possession, but no one should count on the Seahawks having similar issues next week against this secondary.
• The Vikings time of possession in the first half on Sunday was 19 minutes, 37 seconds. Their time of possession for the entire game against Green Bay in Week 1 was 18:44. The Vikings ended up having the ball for 36:31 on Sunday.

Evening Judd: The 2 best things from the Vikings’ victory. pic.twitter.com/beqP3pKvV7

— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) October 4, 2020

• Mackey & Judd and Vikings fans react to the Vikings picking up a 31-23 victory over the Houston Texans for their first win of the 2020 season.

Dalvin Cook’s career-high 181-yard rushing performance a week ago against Tennessee was overshadowed by the breakout performance of rookie teammate Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ epic meltdown in their final possession and ultimately an ugly loss to the Tennessee Titans.

But following the Vikings’ 31-23 victory over the Texans on Sunday in Houston, there was nothing to bump Cook’s name off the marquee. Cook, signed to a five-year, $63 million contract extension just before the regular-season opener, finished with 27 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 16 yards. The 27 carries tied Cook’s career-high. He also had 27 rushing attempts during his rookie season (2017) against Tampa Bay.

This was the type of workload the 25-year-old Cook needs to get on a regular basis. It’s no accident that as Cook’s importance in the offense increased the Vikings (3-1) went from looking incompetent in their first two losses, to being competitive against the Titans and finally winning their first game of the season against the Texans.

Running so angry

: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/ph2z0UExgg

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 4, 2020

Yes, the Texans fell to 0-4, are a mess on the field and appear to have little desire to actually tackle or cover opponents. But the Vikings needed a win and how they got it, or who they got it against, wasn’t an a concern for coach Mike Zimmer’s team.

The only concern was getting the victory and the formula began with putting the ball in Cook’s hands as much as possible. No one has ever questioned that Cook is an elite running back, but giving him the contract he wanted, and ultimately got, was a concern based on his ability to stay healthy. A knee injury ended his rookie season after only four games and hamstring issues limited him to 11 games in 2018. Cook played in 14 games last season, along with the Vikings’ two playoff games, but still battled a chest injury that impacted him late in the regular season.

But now that Cook has his contract, the one thing the Vikings can’t worry about is protecting him. He’s too valuable and, being a running back, there is no reason to save him. It’s not as if limiting him by five carries per game in 2020 is going to pay off with Cook taking on a bigger workload in 2024. The Vikings’ offense needs Cook right now and the fact Minnesota doesn’t look like a playoff team can’t factor in the thought process of general manager Rick Spielman, Zimmer or offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

Evening Judd: The 2 best things from the Vikings’ victory. pic.twitter.com/beqP3pKvV7

— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) October 4, 2020

Cook has a burst off the edge and a willingness to take on tacklers up the middle. He’s quick, he’s strong and he’s a player the Vikings need to give the ball to a ton and worry about the impact later.  The thing with Cook is the Vikings are going to have to hold their breath each game with Cook, given his injury history.

He left Sunday’s game early in the fourth quarter after his 15-yard gain put the ball at the Texans’ 4-yard line. Cook gingerly walked off the field, but when Alexander Mattison followed with a touchdown run on the ensuing play to put Minnesota up by 15 points, Cook came out to celebrate with his backup.

Cook returned to the field on the Vikings’ next possession after the Texans had pulled within eight points. Cook got his first carry on second down and immediately broke another tackle to get a first down. He followed that up with a 9-yard run. The Vikings decision-makers then shocked everyone by taking Cook off the field in favor of Mattison. Mattison gained 8 yards over three carries to set up third-and-6 from the Vikings 48. Cook trotted back on the field, but Kirk Cousins’ pass for Adam Thielen was broken up and Minnesota had to punt.

The Fox announcing team, like everyone else, was mystified as to why Cook was standing on the sideline. Was he banged up? Sure. Could he be on the injury report this coming week? Yes. But if Cook is able to stand on the sideline, in no obvious pain, not having him in the game at that moment was football malpractice.

Fortunately for the Vikings, Cook’s excellence for much of Sunday overshadowed his team’s late-game decision-making.

The Vikings’ already shorthanded defense suffered a significant loss late in the first half of a 31-23 victory over the Texans on Sunday when safety Harrison Smith was ejected for his hit on Jordan Akins after the tight end caught a 26-yard pass from DeShaun Watson.

As Akins caught the ball, Smith came flying into the play and led with his helmet. That resulted in a penalty that moved the ball to the Minnesota 10-yard line with 1:05 left in the second quarter. After the flag was thrown by referee Brad Rogers’ crew, the play was reviewed in New York and the decision to disqualify Smith was made. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer argued the call but the decision had been made.

#Vikings Harrison Smith ejected for this? pic.twitter.com/G9h6DhqpwW

— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) October 4, 2020

The Texans got a field goal on the drive as the Vikings led 17-6 at halftime. Akins was lost for the game after he failed the concussion protocol tests he was put through.

“I love Harrison Smith like he’s my son, first of all,” Zimmer said. “My issue is the quarterbacks can throw the ball in the middle of the field and there are no repercussions whatsoever. And Harrison is not a dirty player, he’s never been a dirty player. I feel like he tried to get his shoulder in there. They told me that the league office (in New York) ejected him and … if they want to give us a penalty, fine, give us a penalty. But don’t eject guys. This guy is one of the best players in the NFL and one of the best people in the NFL. He’s not a dirty player and so that’s kind of what irritated me.”

The Vikings entered the game shorthanded in the secondary with cornerbacks Mike Hughes (neck) and Kris Boyd (hamstring) having been declared out. Veteran George Iloka, promoted from the practice squad on Saturday, replaced Smith at safety alongside Anthony Harris.

As the Vikings watched nine players, including five starters, depart from their 2019 defense, there were many who wondered if Mike Zimmer would be able to continue working his magic on that side of the ball. Zimmer had been hired as the Vikings’ coach in 2014, following a season in which Minnesota’s defense had finished last in the NFL in points allowed and second-to-last in yardage surrendered per game en route to a last-place finish (5-10-1) in the NFC North.

General manager Rick Spielman had figured if he couldn’t find a franchise-changing quarterback to guide his offense, he would hire a longtime successful NFL defensive coordinator to stop the quarterbacks who were too often feasting on the Vikings. The Vikings went 7-9 in Zimmer’s first season, finishing 11th in points surrendered and 14th in yards allowed. But as Zimmer brought in more of his type of players, the retooled Vikings defense improved and so did the team’s record.

The Vikings entered this season having finished with a .500 or above record in every season since 2015, having made three playoff appearances and never having been outside the top 10 in points given up. From 2016 to 2018, the Vikings were third, first and fourth in yardage allowed.

That success is likely the reason why about two months ago Zimmer provided Tom Pelissero of NFL Network with a quote he is going to likely regret. “I’ve never had bad defense, ever,” he said. “So I don’t anticipate that changing.”

Three games into the season, Zimmer’s defense isn’t just bad, it’s awful. The Vikings have given up 34 points per game, second-to-last in the NFL; are surrendering 440 yards per game, 30th out of 32 teams; are 30th in passing yards allowed; and 26th in rushing yards allowed. It used to be that teams had to get creative against the Vikings’ defense. These days there is no creativity required and too often success is assured.

The Vikings gave up 43 points in the regular-season opener against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium, then surrendered 28 in a Week 2 defeat at Indianapolis; and followed that up with a 31-30 loss against Tennessee at home last Sunday in which the Vikings led by 12 points in the third quarter.

The Vikings will try to end their season-opening skid on Sunday against quarterback DeShaun Watson and the Texans in Houston. The Texans also are 0-3 but their losses have come against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, followed by Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Watson has only four touchdown passes and three interceptions so far, but he’s clearly thinking he can get on the right track against the Vikings.

So what are the Vikings thinking?

That’s where this gets interesting for Zimmer. The Vikings didn’t just lose five starters from last season — defensive end Everson Griffen, nose tackle Linval Joseph and cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander — but they also are without Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter (neck) and linebacker Anthony Barr (pectoral), likely for the rest of the season. Nose tackle Michael Pierce, signed to replace Joseph in free agency, opted out of the season because of concerns related to COVID-19.

Some of the Vikings’ issues on defense have been self-inflicted and others are the product of injury, or in Pierce’s case, a wise decision to put his health ahead of football. It now seems laughable that many of us thought the Vikings defense might be back to its old self right before the season when the team made a trade with Jacksonville for Pro Bowl edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. The feeling was that Ngakoue would create an incredible one-two punch from the edge with Hunter, who had 14.5 sacks each of the past two seasons, coming off the left side.

It turned out, Hunter was nowhere near returning and the decision to put him on injured reserve for three weeks to open the season was only the start of what will be a long-term absence for a player who reportedly has a cervical spine disc herniation and just got a second opinion in New York this past week.

As far as Zimmer’s favorite position, the corners, that remains a week-to-week work in progress with a group that too often appears to be paying tribute to Josh Robinson, Asher Allen and Marcus McCauley. Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler, early picks in the 2020 draft, eventually might be fine, but they aren’t yet ready to stop NFL wide receivers consistently and Holton Hill’s play thus far makes one wonder why the Vikings bothered putting up with is off-the-field problems a year ago.

If Zimmer did have any plans on having his defense be respectable this season, it’s fair to wonder why he didn’t convince Spielman to pursue a veteran nose tackle after Pierce opted out, or a veteran corner or two after losing key players. It’s one thing to have confidence in your ability to coach players, it’s another to allow your own hubris to interfere with what’s best for your team. Especially when you know a pandemic means that much of the regular on-the-field instruction won’t be possible.

This isn’t to say that Snacks Harrison or Dre Kirkpatrick would have saved the season for the Vikings, but they could have been signed at a reasonable price and bought Zimmer and his staff time to coach-up younger players, or not expose veterans to roles they simply can’t handle.

The hope now has to be that guys like Gladney and Dantzler gain valuable experience this season, and the Vikings also find out who can play and who can’t play on defense. The return of the injured players — and Pierce — should provide a boost in 2021.

In the meantime, Zimmer is going to have to acknowledge one thing: He is now the coach of a bad defense and he must accept some of the blame for that.

The Vikings declared cornerback Kris Boyd (hamstring) and wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (illness) as out for Sunday’s game at Houston. The Vikings elevated veteran safety George Iloka from the practice squad to the active roster for the second consecutive week.

Boyd played in the Vikings’ loss last Sunday to Tennessee, while Sharpe was inactive for the game. Sharpe played for the Titans last season. Boyd had been listed as doubtful on the Vikings’ injury report on Friday.

The Vikings are expected to get rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler (ribs) back after he missed the past two games.

Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter likely won’t be returning anytime soon.

Hunter, who missed the majority of training camp because of what coach Mike Zimmer termed a “tweak,” is in New York to get a second opinion for what ESPN’s Courtney Cronin is reporting is a cervical spine disc herniation. Hunter was placed on injured reserve before the regular season and was eligible to come off that list for the Vikings’ game Sunday in Houston.

Hunter will remain on IR and it’s not clear when or if he will return this season. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported late Friday afternoon that it was recommended to Hunter during his visit to New York that he not play again this season.

Source said #Vikings DE Danielle Hunter went this week to Hospital for Special Surgery in New York (it's run by Giants team Dr Scott Rodeo) & there was a recommendation he not play again this year. We'll see if that ends up being the case. Mike Zimmer said he got "second opinion"

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 2, 2020

Hunter, who will turn 26 on Oct. 29,  is coming off back-to-back seasons of 14.5 sacks and has 54.5 sacks in 78 career games over five seasons.

Afternoon Judd: Danielle Hunter’s injury cause for major concern. pic.twitter.com/28GxKsGtye

— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) October 2, 2020

The Vikings (0-3) also will be without cornerback Mike Hughes (neck) for a second consecutive game on Sunday and cornerback Kris Boyd (hamstring) is doubtful. Hughes suffered what was reported as a broken vertebra in his neck late last season and missed both of the Vikings’ playoff games. Cornerback Cameron Dantzler, who missed the past two games because of a rib injury, is expected to return. He likely will see time as one of the Vikings’ top three corners along with first-round pick Jeff Gladney and Holton HIll.

JUST IN: Danielle Hunter is getting a second opinion on his injury.

He has yet to play this season and remains on the injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/yPjmilqDFY

— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) October 2, 2020

• Mackey & Judd are joined by Courtney Cronin for confidences, concerns and curiosities for Vikings vs. Texans for their Week 4 matchup.

• Mackey & Judd are joined by Courtney Cronin from ESPN to talk best-case scenarios for the 2020 Minnesota Vikings.

• Makey & Judd open with a cliche mount rushmore of the best months of the year; (17:00) Judd’s keys to a Vikings win over the Houston Texans!; (31:50) Wrap with Reusse: (49:24) And Action Movie Rewind: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior!

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• Star Tribune sports columnist Chip Scoggins joins Judd to talk about the Twins’ postseason losing streak hitting 18 games. How is it even possible?
• The former Access Vikings duo breaks down what happened to the Twins and Rocco Baldelli’s baffling decisions in the two games against Houston.
• Has Baldelli learned from his playoff experiences? Chip talks about the moves he thinks the Twins will make this offseason.
• Do the Vikings have a chance on Sunday in Houston? Chip has a quick answer.