Thank you for submitting questions for this postgame Vikings mailbag after the 24-16 win over the Dolphins in Miami. You can always send questions to @Andrew_Krammer on Twitter or andrew.krammer@startribune.com, and listen for answers on the Access Vikings podcast.
Q: What can we really take away from this 5-1 start? Seems like a lot of close games against inferior opponents. — Evan
A: The thing that doesn't seem replicable is the pass rush. According to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, the Vikings' Za'Darius Smith, Danielle Hunter, Patrick Jones and company combined for 25 quarterback pressures — the franchise's most in a game since 2016. A large part of that is Miami right tackle Greg Little moving to the left side and being replaced by veteran journeyman Brandon Shell. Huge game by those Vikings defenders, but they won't be playing Little and Shell every week.
—
Q: What was that? — @reitan77
A: A pretty subpar opponent and a Vikings offense that didn't really come to play until later in the game. The Dolphins did not play well, and that's to be expected when Teddy Bridgewater is cleared from the concussion protocol on Saturday and plays Sunday with minimal practice. A week after converting 12 third downs, the Vikings offense sputtered, going 2 of 12 in Miami. They're not a consistent group, but they're finding ways to win. In a way, that's at least increasing their margin for error down the road as they build an early two-game lead on Green Bay in the division.
—
Q: Why did our offensive line struggle? — @ryland86