Each of these views is true:
• The Vikings are a week removed from being one of two undefeated teams in the NFL. They have perhaps the best receiver in the league, and their star tight end is about to return from injury. They are well-coached and their two losses are understandable — one, by two points, to a frighteningly good Lions team, and one on a short-week trip to the West Coast, where the Vikings haven’t won a night game since 1996. This is no time for panic.
• The Vikings entered the season with obvious question marks and are on a two-game losing streak, just lost their star left tackle to injury, are getting little help from recent draftees, can’t stop making silly mistakes on offense, and look vulnerable on defense.
The question for the Vikings’ brain trust as the trade deadline approaches is, which view will have more influence on their decisions?
It’s a trickier question than you might think.
Should the bosses treat this team like a championship contender and sell out to win now?
Or take the long view, admit to themselves that this team isn’t a true Super Bowl contender, and conserve assets for the future?
What could complicate these decisions is that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell are in the third year of four-year contracts, and were told by the Wilfs this summer that they would not be receiving extensions before the start of the 2024 season.
