The Minnesota Vikings (4-5) might have a discipline problem. The proof is in Sunday's disastrous pre-snap showing.

The Vikings are perhaps a better football team than their record. Even an impartial observer could make that claim. The team's blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals and impressive win over the Lions would give you plenty of support for that claim. But this season, the Vikings have been their own enemy.

On Sunday, the Vikings were penalized for eight false starts. Needless to say, in a league with margins as slim as there are in the NFL, you can't go backward five yards eight times in a game before the ball is even snapped.

It had been 16 years since an NFL squad was flagged for eight false starts in a game. That streak reset on Sunday. Yet it was another barrier between the team reaching its full potential with a young and developing quarterback at the helm.

How much did the false start woes effect Sunday's game? Minnesota lost the game despite starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy nearly doubling his yards total from a week prior in a win over the Detroit Lions.

Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) on X It’d been 16 years since an NFL team committed eight false starts at home. The Vikings ended that streak today. Sunday was another chapter in the 2025 Vikings story. Not remotely close to sharp enough around an obvious work-in progress QB: https://t.co/J1PHevv0PW

The good news is pre-snap penalties are fixable. All it takes is discipline. Albeit training that discipline will take time, and while the penalty problem can be alleviated, it will not be a quick fix.

Minnesota sits right in the thick of the NFC North and NFC Wild Card race just 2.0 games behind the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears for first place and 1.5 games behind the Green Bay Packers for the final wild card spot. The Vikings also have the benefit of facing the Lions and Bears once more along with two matchups remaining against Packers.

Add in a 2-0 divisional record and everything is still in play for Minnesota. But it will need discipline to navigate its tough schedule.

Five of the Vikings' remaining eight games are against teams with winning records, including a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks (7-2).

The margin for error continues to thin for Minnesota, who realistically only has three losses to give if it wants a real shot to make it into the playoffs this winter. Finishing the season at 9-8 probably gets the team into the tournament given the teams it would defeat along the way. 

The Vikings will look to get back on the right track against the Chicago Bears (6-3) on Sunday.