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The Vikings had low expectations in 2017, especially after quarterback Sam Bradford made an early exit with a knee injury. They grossly surpassed them.

In 2018, the expectations became sky high, with the arrival of quarterback Kirk Cousins. They failed to even make it to the playoffs.

This year, the expectations are sort of in the middle. On Sunday, the Vikings performed like anything but a sort-of-in-the-middle team, smashing the Falcons, 28-12.

But defensive end and team captain Everson Griffen has a warning for his teammates.

“Don’t take the cheese,” Griffen told PFT by phone after Sunday’s victory. “There’s a long way to go. This is just the beginning.”

The worst thing any team can do is listen to external praise and hype, but in this day and age it’s virtually impossible to tune it out. If they keep winning, the hype will grow, and they’ll have to deal with it, without losing focus on the one-game-at-a-time task at hand.

In six days, the Vikings will literally try to take the cheese, when making their annual trip to Lambeau Field. Last year, the two teams battled to an epic 29-29 overtime tie. This year, the winner (if there is one) will take early control of the NFC North.