The Minnesota Vikings opened a 34-26 win over the Arizona Cardinals with a 75-yard touchdown drive and ended with a sack. 

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They had 381 yards on offense, four sacks and two interceptions on defense, and a takeaway on special teams. They were nice and efficient, leaving me to confidently say:

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I'm no more aware of how good the Vikings really are now than I was before entering US Bank Stadium. Yes, they've won five in a row and are 6-1 overall. 

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Yes, their closest competition in the NFC North is 3-5. Yes, each victory in the winning streak has been by one point. And yes, their only loss was to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.

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But trying to understand what that means is challenging because the Vikings have been good, not great. 

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Two of their opponents had winning records at the time they played, and when five of your six wins are by eight points or less, 

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that usually means you're one bad game away from tilting the outcome the other way. 

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Furthermore, when you're unable to decisively put away opponents despite holding double-digit leads in the second half, 

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as they have in each of their last three games, it sometimes speaks to survival mode, not dominance.

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What a Vikings assistant coach told me before a game, when asked how good the team is, is as simple as the answer: "As good as we have to be," he replied.

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What a perfect description for these Vikings, who have done enough to get by. They are not where they want to be, nor where they expect to be. 

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But they're stacking wins to get there, focused on the journey rather than the destination.

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