Vikings vs. Colts Preview: 5-0 Minnesota Comes Off the Bye Healthy as Daniel Jones and a Reeling Indy Visit U.S. Bank Stadium
Vikings vs. Colts Preview: 5-0 Minnesota Comes Off the Bye Healthy as Daniel Jones and a Reeling Indy Visit U.S. Bank Stadium
Two weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings won in the Superdome with a practice-squad call-up recovering a kickoff fumble and a rookie tight end filling in for T.J. Hockenson. This week, they come out of the bye looking like a different roster.
Every Viking on the injury report practiced fully on Thursday. Christian Darrisaw and Hockenson are on track to clear the concussion protocol. Jordan Addison is back. Jordan Mason is back. Justin Jefferson's ankle is no longer a weekly question.
And the opponent? The Indianapolis Colts (2-4) arrive having blown a 13-0 halftime lead to a winless Tennessee team, fired their general manager the next morning, and heard their own fans chant for change. On Sunday, Oct. 25, the Vikings (5-0) host Indy at noon CT at U.S. Bank Stadium with a chance to start 6-0.
Here is everything you need to know.
Game Info: Vikings vs. Colts, Week 7
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026
Kickoff: Noon CT (1 p.m. ET)
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
TV: CBS (WCCO in the Twin Cities), with Ian Eagle and Ross Tucker on the call; streaming on Paramount+
Radio: KFAN 100.3 FM, KTLK 1130 AM and the Vikings Audio Network
Records: Vikings 5-0 (1st, NFC North) | Colts 2-4 (2nd, AFC South)
Betting line: Vikings -6 to -6.5, total 41.5
This is the 29th official meeting between the franchises. The last one came on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 3, 2024, a 21-13 Vikings win at U.S. Bank Stadium. Remember that game. It matters more than you think this week.
The Storyline: Danny Dimes Comes Back to Minnesota
Daniel Jones spent the end of the 2024 season in purple. After the Giants released him, he signed to the Vikings' practice squad in late November, was promoted to the active roster in January, and served as a backup during Minnesota's 14-win season. He chose Indianapolis in free agency, beat out Anthony Richardson for the job, and led the Colts to an 8-2 start in 2025 before a broken fibula and a torn Achilles ended his year.
The Colts bet big on that version of Jones, re-signing him in March. Six games in, the bet looks shaky.
Jones is completing 59.6% of his passes at just 5.9 yards per attempt, with a 71.1 passer rating that ranks third-lowest among quarterbacks who have started every game. He has thrown six interceptions to four touchdowns and has not thrown multiple touchdown passes in a game since returning from the Achilles. Against Tennessee, he went 22-of-42 for 269 yards with a touchdown and two picks.
Shane Steichen confirmed Jones will start Sunday. He also told reporters the Colts are scheming up blitz protection this week, which tells you exactly what Indianapolis is worried about.
Indy's Week From Hell
Losing to the previously winless Titans would have been bad enough. How it happened made it worse.
The Colts led 13-0 at halftime while holding Tennessee to 64 total yards. Then the second half collapsed: a 58-yard punt return set up a Titans score, a holding penalty killed a drive, a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown, and Indy turned it over three times. Tennessee finished with six sacks and won 26-20 as the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd booed, chanted "Fire Ballard" and headed for the exits.
On Monday, owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard after nine-plus seasons. Assistant GM Ed Dodds takes over personnel decisions, with the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching. Eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson, 30 and on an expiring deal, is already being discussed as a trade candidate.
Indy's season so far:
Week 1: Lost to Baltimore
Week 2: Lost at Kansas City in overtime
Week 3: Beat Houston, 19-17
Week 4: Beat Washington, 30-13, in London
Week 5: Lost at Pittsburgh
Week 6: Lost to Tennessee, 26-20
The Colts are scoring 24 points per game, 14th in the league. They are allowing 27.3, which ranks 27th.
The Jonathan Taylor Problem
If the Colts have a path to an upset, it runs through Jonathan Taylor. He has scored seven touchdowns in six games and posted a season-high 151 scrimmage yards against Tennessee, 94 rushing on 21 carries plus 57 receiving.
There are cracks, though. Taylor is averaging 4.0 yards per carry, which would be the worst mark of his career, and he has lost two fumbles. Against a Vikings front that has allowed six touchdowns all season, Indy cannot afford to put the ball on the ground.
The receiving corps is thin. Alec Pierce remains on injured reserve with a heel injury, and tight end Tyler Warren, who had 817 yards as a rookie, missed the Titans game with a groin injury and did not practice Wednesday. Keenan Allen led the team with eight catches for 82 yards last week.
How the Vikings Got to 5-0
You know the formula by now. Minnesota leads the NFL at 12.8 points allowed per game and holds opponents to a 62.9 passer rating, the best in football. The Vikings rank first in defensive EPA per play.
The last game before the bye was the most complete performance of the season. Minnesota held New Orleans, the league's No. 4 passing offense, to 142 total yards and won 23-13. Kyler Murray completed his first 12 passes and finished 24-of-30 for 229 yards and a touchdown, Jefferson made a triple-coverage touchdown catch in his hometown, Aaron Jones Sr. ran for 113 yards, and Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted Tyler Shough twice.
The Vikings have now won 10 straight games dating to last season. Brian Flores' defense has recorded a sack in 33 consecutive games, and Dallas Turner enters with 5.5 sacks.
Reichard, the Record and a Familiar Opponent
Here is the subplot that writes itself.
Will Reichard has made 34 straight field goals, the longest active streak in the NFL. Gary Anderson owns the franchise record at 35, set during his perfect 1998 regular season. One make Sunday ties Anderson. Two makes breaks it.
The opponent? The last time Reichard missed a kick in a game against Indianapolis, it was that Nov. 3, 2024, Sunday night game. He entered it perfect on the season and missed from 53 and 31 yards while playing through a quad injury, then went to injured reserve two days later.
Two years and one first-team All-Pro season later, Reichard gets the Colts at home with franchise history on the line. With an offense that still scores touchdowns on only about half of its red zone trips, there is a good chance he gets the attempts.
The Injury Report: The Bye Did Its Job
Vikings (as of Thursday):
Christian Darrisaw (concussion) and T.J. Hockenson (concussion): Two straight full practices. A full practice is the final step of the protocol, and both are expected to play.
Jordan Addison (hamstring): Full participant all week after missing the Saints game.
Justin Jefferson (ankle): Limited Wednesday, full Thursday. He says the ankle improves every day. Sunday would be his first full game with Murray healthy and Addison next to him since Week 2.
Jordan Mason (thumb): Designated to return from injured reserve and practicing fully. Mason ran for 59 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 before fracturing his thumb. Expect him to take some of the load off Jones, who carried 85 times in four games before the bye.
Brian O'Neill (knee) and James Pierre (foot): Upgraded to full Thursday.
Donovan Jackson (knee): Remains on injured reserve.
Colts:
Sauce Gardner (calf): Diagnosed with a mild calf strain, considered week-to-week, and did not practice Wednesday. He is unlikely to play, which means Cam Taylor-Britt draws a healthy Jefferson and Addison.
Tyler Warren (groin): Did not practice Wednesday after missing Week 6.
Matt Goncalves (ankle): The starting right guard missed Wednesday's practice.
Rigoberto Sanchez (foot): The punter was hurt on the blocked punt; Indy signed Thomas Morstead to the practice squad as insurance.
Final designations come with Friday's report.
Matchup to Watch: Jones vs. the Flores Blitz
This is the whole game.
Flores loves a quarterback who holds the ball and makes risky decisions under pressure. Jones has turned it over in nearly every game this season, with fumbles dogging him since September, and his interior line has struggled in pass protection. Tennessee got home six times last Sunday.
Steichen's answer has to be quick game, Taylor in the screen game, and Jones' legs on the edge. If Jones can't get the ball out on time, Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman will be waiting. Two former Colts linemen, center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries, now block for Minnesota and know Indy's defensive front as well as anyone.
Keys to the Game
For the Vikings:
Win the turnover battle. Minnesota is 38-4 under Kevin O'Connell when it wins or ties the turnover margin, and Jones is giving the ball away.
Feed the 1-2 punch. Jones and Mason together against a defense allowing 27 points per game should control the clock.
Attack the secondary. With Gardner likely out, this is the week for Murray, Jefferson and Addison to finally play a full game together.
Finish drives. Touchdowns, not field goals, put away a team that has already lost a 13-point lead this season.
For the Colts:
Protect the ball. Three turnovers lost the Titans game. One against this defense might lose this one.
Ride Taylor. Twenty-plus carries keeps Jones out of third-and-long.
Clean up special teams. A blocked punt and a long return cost them last week.
Vikings vs. Colts Odds and Prediction
Minnesota opened as a 6-point favorite with a moneyline around -228, and the line has ticked to 6.5 at some books. The total sits at 41.5. Prediction markets give the Vikings roughly a 71% chance to win, and one model simulation projects 24-19.
SPSN's last pick was Vikings 23, Saints 17. Minnesota scored exactly 23.
SPSN Prediction: Vikings 24, Colts 13.
Flores' defense forces two turnovers and sacks Jones at least four times. Mason scores in his return, Jefferson tops 80 yards with the Colts' best corner on the sideline, and Reichard ties Gary Anderson's franchise record before the half. The Colts keep it close for a quarter behind Taylor, then the Vikings pull away in the second half.
What It Means for the NFC North
The Vikings left the bye with a two-game cushion over Chicago, which entered Week 7 at 4-2 after hosting New England on Thursday night. A win Sunday sets up a massive Week 8 trip to Detroit with Minnesota still unbeaten.
Bottom Line
This is the kind of game good teams win without drama. The Vikings are rested, nearly whole and playing at home against a team that just fired its general manager and is starting a quarterback with more turnovers than touchdowns.
The stakes are bigger than one win. It is a 6-0 start, a franchise record within reach for the most reliable kicker in the league, and the first look at what Kevin O'Connell's offense looks like with every weapon finally on the field at once.
Stay locked in with Scene Projects Sports Network for Friday's final injury report, Sunday's inactives, and the full recap after Vikings vs. Colts.
Sources: Vikings.com (injury reports, how-to-watch, Jordan Mason update); Colts.com; Associated Press via ABC News; NFL.com; ESPN; Newsweek; CBS Sports; CBS News Minnesota; FOX 9; Fox Sports; Tennessee Titans postgame notes; Pro Football Reference; Covers; Dimers; Squawka; Athlon Sports; Daily Norseman; Lakes Area Radio; Wikipedia. Odds, stats and injury statuses as of Oct. 23, 2026, and subject to change.
