1. The Vikings defense has become so dominant that Sunday's game seemed ho-hum. The Vikings sacked Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler four times, picked him off once and limited the Texans to 3.4 yards per pass play when factoring in sacks. The Vikings offense's fast start pretty much took the Texans running the ball out of the equation, but when speedy Lamar Miller did get the ball, he averaged only 2.5 yards per run. The Texans' leading receiver was neither Pro Bowl player DeAndre Hopkins nor speedy rookie Will Fuller. It was C.J. Fiedorowicz, a tight end you've probably never heard of. While Osweiler remains a 6-foot-7 question mark, the Texans have a few playmakers. And the Vikings seemingly shut them down with ease. They have wrecked some good offenses the past few weeks. It's going to be fun to watch them beat up on some bad ones.

2. Slot receiver Jarius Wright showed why he needs to be active on gameday. Wright, the oldest and most experienced member of his position group, was a healthy scratch in three of the first four games this season and was used sparingly in the one game he did play. But with Stefon Diggs, who has snagged many of Wright's snaps in the slot, out because of a groin injury, the Vikings got the reliable route-runner back in the mix. Wright's stat line of four catches for 32 yards won't pop out of the boxscore. But he gave us a reminder of what he can do on their field-goal drive that made it 17-0. On third-and-6, quarterback Sam Bradford got popped in a hurry. But Wright was able to quickly gain separation and move the chains with a 10-yard catch-and-run. Later in the drive, he delivered again on third-and-7. Wright is no longer one of the team's top two or three wideouts, but he can still help.

3. The early bye week is coming at a good time for the banged-up Vikings. Typically, when you have Super Bowl aspirations, you would like the bye to be later than sooner for some midseason battery charging. But the Vikings are welcoming the Week 6 bye. While running back Adrian Peterson and offensive tackles Andre Smith and Matt Kalil are on injured reserve, and only one can theoretically return in the season's second half, the next couple of weeks could help the Vikings get a few regulars back. Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd hasn't yet practiced after last month's knee surgery, but the hope is he will be back in pads after the bye week. Several players are battling through "minor" injuries as well. At the very least, it looks like the Vikings should have guard Brandon Fusco, who suffered a concussion Sunday, and Diggs back when their season resumes Oct. 23 at Philadelphia.

MATT VENSEL