Vikings mailbag: What to take from a 5-1 start? Why is the offense struggling? Who's good in the NFC?

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.

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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.

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Q: Why did our offensive line struggle? — @ryland86

A: Quarterback Kirk Cousins took seven hits (three sacks) by a Dolphins defense that played aggressively against the Vikings offense. O'Connell noted postgame how often Miami stayed in base personnel even when the Vikings went with three wide receivers on offense, and it showed as Dalvin Cook had 17 yards on his first nine runs before his 53-yard touchdown. Rookie guard Ed Ingram got tossed aside by Dolphins defensive tackle Raekwon Davis on one sack. More pressure came up the middle past center Garrett Bradbury and Cook in the backfield during linebacker Elandon Roberts' sack. O'Connell referenced a 2020 loss with the Rams in Miami when then-quarterback Jared Goff had four turnovers: "I have some experience here where you could end up with a five- or six turnover-type of day. We wanted to account for a lot of things, maybe play it a little bit more conservative and as we tried to find our footing offensively."

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Q: Was Patrick Jones a little bit of a revelation from this one? He was getting after it from the jump and the Vikings need people behind Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith. — Bryant

AK: Jones, a 2021 third-round pick, had his first two NFL sacks after getting one apiece on Skylar Thompson and Teddy Bridgewater. The first was set up by a stunt inside and the second came by beating Little, the Dolphins' right tackle who moved to left tackle, with a spin move to chase down Bridgewater. Jones' position coach, Mike Smith, raved about him as early as spring practices, and it's easy to see his athleticism jump out of the crowd. Smith and Hunter have played about 75-80% each game, and play like that from Jones could help manage their mileage.

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Q: Everyone's complaining about being 5-1, but who looks unbeatable in the NFC? — Ryan

AK: The Eagles are obviously a force with talent on both sides of the ball and a mobile quarterback in Jalen Hurts who seems to have taken the next step. The Packers, 49ers and Buccaneers all lost games on Sunday that dampened hopes around their franchises. The Giants are 5-1 on the back of a defense that hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 23 points through six games. The Cowboys are perhaps the team that could get hot at the right time should quarterback Dak Prescott return to form in the second half of the season and their defense stays healthy.