There are a number of snapshot moments that help tell the story of the Vikings amid their 5-0 start this season.

• The interception return for a touchdown from edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel in Week 1 against the New York Giants.

• The electrifying touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold to receiver Justin Jefferson in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers.

• The trio of sacks from edge rusher Jonathan Greenard against his former team in Week 3 win against the Houston Texans.

• The standout performance from running back Aaron Jones against his former team in Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers.

• The viral “Parent Trap” celebration from safety Cam Bynum and safety Josh Metellus across the pond in Week 5 against the New York Jets.

All of those moments have a common thread born out of a conversation between head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores nearly 10 months ago.

Not long after the Vikings limped across the finish line last season and missed the playoffs with a 7-10 record, O’Connell and Flores sat down inside TCO Performance Center, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong in the end. They agreed that the foundation was in place to be successful with the culture they had worked so hard to build.

How could they further tap into that? That question became the ethos of everything the Vikings did from that point forward.

Naturally, O’Connell and Flores started looking ahead to free agency, as well as the 2024 NFL Draft. They knew the next couple of months could be transformational for the Vikings, so they came up with a game plan, landing on specific character traits that were very important to them.

They wanted players who were smart, tough and loved football. It was as simple as that.

Those parameters drove general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the front office as they skillfully navigated the open market.

As soon as free agency started, the Vikings signed Greenard, Van Ginkel and linebacker Blake Cashman in rapid succession to bring an infusion of talent to the defense. They followed that up by signing Darnold and Jones less than 24 hours apart to help shore up the offense.

Those splash moves were followed by shrewd moves as the Vikings signed cornerback Shaq Griffin, defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, edge rusher Jihad Ward and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill to help round out their defense. Maybe the biggest move of all came a few months later when they signed future Hall of Fame cornerback Stephon Gilmore toward the end of training camp.

The transition has been seamless across the board with everybody the Vikings brought in via free agency contributing in some way, shape or form. That production isn’t a coincidence as far as O’Connell is concerned. It goes back to what the Vikings prioritized.

“The guys that are smart, tough and love football tend to do pretty well here,” O’Connell said. “There’s enough of a sample size of that for me to feel strongly in that.”

Never mind that it might sound cliché on the surface. As the Vikings prep for a pivotal game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, those specific character traits continue to show up in the way they prepare.

There’s a reason the Vikings have been able to be so complex on offense and so exotic on defense. They have players on both sides of the ball who are smart enough to understand the different schemes, tough enough to push themselves regardless of circumstance and love football enough to lean into every part of the process.

“This league is about development,” Flores said. “There’s not really a vast difference between Player A and Player B. It boils down to opportunity and who’s going to outwork the guy next to him. The guys that are smart, tough and love football are going to develop.”

As crucial as those specific character traits are to what the Vikings want to do on the field, the secret sauce is that it extends to some of the stuff they do off the field. It seems like pretty much everybody in the locker room is cut from the same cloth. The vibes have been immaculate as a result.

“We’ve got a unique collection of guys that are seeming to fit from a standpoint of those principles,” O’Connell said. “That was the goal.”

It’s something right tackle Brian O’Neill noticed way back in organized team activities when the players actually had to be held back from going 100%. That’s not always the case with workouts typically used to knock off the rust.

“We have guys that want to go hard every chance they get,” O’Neill said. “We love being around each other and love playing ball together.”

It’s something Darnold noticed in the final stages of training camp when everybody was genuinely excited to keep showing up. That’s not always the case with the temperatures approaching triple digits in the middle of the summer.

“You’ve got guys that really love football and love the grind,” Darnold said. “We’ve got a really special group in there.”

It’s something Jones noticed more gradually after feeling the camaraderie continue to build as time has progressed. That’s not always the case with a group of athletes who sometimes struggle to check their ego at the door.

“It’s different from anything I’ve been a part of,” Jones said. “I can’t put my finger on what it is.”

All of it can be summed up in how Van Ginkel described the feeling when he walks into the locker room.

“It’s a child’s game,” Van Ginkel said. “You’ve got to have joy and excitement.”

That sentiment is exactly what O’Connell and Flores were hoping for when they sat down nearly 10 months ago. They were intentional with the vision they put in place and the results have spoken for themselves ever since.

“We’re truly having fun in this locker room,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “That’s how we’re built, win, lose or draw.”

All of it is by design through finding players who are smart, tough and love football.