The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the early-season surprises around the NFL.

Well, they have been a surprise to those who just look at the quarterback position.

The Vikings signed Sam Darnold in the offseason once Kirk Cousins went to Atlanta in free agency. Minnesota also drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round but committed to Darnold being the starter to begin the season. Once McCarthy went down for the year with a knee injury, it was officially Darnold’s job for the year.

This made many jump off the bandwagon but the early success of the Vikings should not be a surprise when looking at the overall roster and coaching staff.

Kevin O’Connell came into the season as one of the most underrated coaches in the NFL. He is a great offensive mind and is the reason that no one should be surprised by the quick start from Darnold and the Vikings. On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been a great hire once he was blackballed out of Miami.

In two games, Darnold has completed 72% of his passes for 468 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Minnesota went to MetLife Stadium and dominated the New York Giants in the season opener. The Giants are near the bottom of the league and this kept fans skeptical.

Minnesota returned home for the opener in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. The underdog Vikings played strong defense and a 97-yard touchdown fro Justin Jefferson provided the big highlight in a statement victory. This is the type of win that put the league on notice early on. So, the question remains, is it too early to overreact to the Vikings?

The answer is no.

Darnold has made the necessary plays and has been extremely efficient in O’Connell’s offense. He did not find success under the horrendous coaching staffs of the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers early on. When he went to San Francisco, Darnold looked fine when he was on the field but did not get a chance to start consistently. Now, he is getting his chance and making the most of it.

At full strength, the Vikings have a chance to be a dark-horse in the NFC North, where they were written off before the season started. O’Connell has his team clicking on all cylinders early on and it will be interesting to see if this can continue.