MINNEAPOLIS— There are only two undefeated teams left after week 5 of the NFL season: the Minnesota Vikings and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Both fan bases may already have their sights set on the playoffs, but how successful are NFL teams that start 5-0? Good question.

This is why Vikings fans should be both excited and cautious, given the team’s history.

Sit back and relax, Vikings fans, because the sweet taste of victory is all you know right now. Fans told WCCO that they are optimistic and good about the team so far. Opposing fans are surprised to see the purple and gold at the top of the NFC North Division.

When asked if it’s fair to start thinking about the postseason, Vikings fan Mike Applequist said, “I’m not quite there yet. I would say there are three to four games left to play, and that will be .”

From 1990, when the NFL expanded the playoffs, through the 2023-2024 season, 64 teams have started the season 5-0.

The Vikings did it five times during that period, in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2009 and 2016.

What percentage of teams that start with a 5-0 record advance to the playoffs? Fans guessed between 75-85%.

Of the 64 teams mentioned, 58 made the play-offs, or 91%.

Only six teams missed the playoffs. Unfortunately, two of them were the Vikings. First in 2003, after a heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals in the final game of the season. Their final record that year was 9-7.

The second time happened in the 2016 season.

“All of a sudden one day they went to Philadelphia, got beat up and didn’t look like the same team anymore,” said Mike Max, WCCO athletic director. The Vikings finished with an 8-8 record that year.

What separates the 2024 team from the two teams that didn’t make the playoffs? Max didn’t say much at all. All three teams win and lose by razor-thin margins and have equal talent on the roster.

“In the last two games, one drive could have cost them the game against Green Bay (Packers) and the (New York) Jets,” he said. If there is one thing that stands out positively about the current team, it is the defense, according to Max. “It seems like the defense can keep you in every game.”

Since 1990, nine teams that started 5-0 have won the Super Bowl. The last team to do this was the Denver Broncos in 2016.

In 1998, the Vikings started the season with seven straight wins while scoring 29 points or more in each of those games, giving fans Super Bowl aspirations. The team finished the regular season 15-1, but lost in the NFC Championship. Fans will remember that kicker Gary Anderson missed a key field goal that game, especially since he didn’t miss a single kick all season.

History would repeat itself a few years later. After a 7-0 start in 2000, the team finished with an 11-5 record and lost again in the NFC Championship. The New York Giants eliminated them 41-0.

Quarterback Brett Favre led the 2009 team to a 6-0 start and a 12-4 record. The team infamously lost after Favre threw an interception in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship.