They came into Monday night almost as a subplot, before a game drenched in anticipation over Adrian Peterson's return to Minnesota and Randy Moss' official enshrinement among the Vikings' greats.
With perhaps the two most dynamic offensive players in team history watching only feet away, the members of the 2017 Vikings offense provided a shot of hope they might be just fine, too.
At least on Monday night, in the Vikings' season-opening 29-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium, the team's offense was a more suitable complement to a stifling defense than it has been in some time.
"We were very confident in the progress we were making, from OTAs to training camp," quarterback Sam Bradford said. "I saw it in our guys, every day. I think [Monday] was really the first time it translated onto the field. I think we have the capability of doing that on a regular basis."
Given a surplus of time behind his reworked offensive line, Bradford turned in the best of his 16 starts with the Vikings, going 27-of-32 for 346 yards and three touchdowns. He found Stefon Diggs for the first two scores, as the third-year receiver became the first Vikings wideout to catch two TD passes in a season opener since Moss — who was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor at halftime — did it in 2004.
And while Peterson fizzled on the field and fumed on the sideline, following Saints coach Sean Payton in one heated exchange captured by ESPN's cameras, the running back the Vikings drafted to help replace their career leading rusher upstaged Peterson.
Dalvin Cook finished with 137 combined rushing and receiving yards, breaking out after halftime as the Vikings put together an 89-yard touchdown drive to effectively ice Peterson for the evening. Peterson had 18 yards on a career-low six carries, coming out of the game on most third downs as he did in Minnesota.
The Vikings' own run game remained a work in progress early, averaging only 2.94 yards per carry through the first three quarters before Cook's 32-yard burst opened the fourth. But the team's new offensive line gave Bradford ample time to stress the continuity of a Saints defense with eight new starters.