With the parity in the NFL, one bad decision, one bad
call, or one player injury is the difference between 10-6 or 6-10, just ask the
Minnesota Vikings. In 2015 the Vikings were looking like legit title
contenders. They had a young quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater that was
developing and wasn’t making many mistakes. Their defense was shaping up to be
one of the better defenses in the NFL. Adrian Peterson even showed that he was
holding off father time. What a difference one season makes!
2016 wasn’t kind to the Minnesota Vikings. Tragedy struck
them early with their young star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater going down in
training camp. The injury left grown men crying, vomiting, and cursing in
discuss because they hopes of winning a title went down with Bridgewater. In a
haste, the Viking traded a first round draft pick to the eagles for then
starting quarterback Sam Bradford. A move that reeked of desperation and didn’t
pay dividends for them in 2016. Could the Viking return to form in 2017?
The Vikings kicked off the 2017 off-season by letting
Adrian Peterson know that he was too expensive for them to keep on their roster.
Peterson is a first ballot hall of fame running back, but missed most of the
2016 season. The Vikings really didn’t have much of a choice as it pertains to
Peterson. He was due $14 million and was on the wrong side of 30. They remedied
this be signing Latavius Murray and drafting Delvin Cook.
The one bright spot for the Viking sin 2016 was Stefan
Diggs. He stepped up for the Vikings and led them in targets, receptions, and
was second in receiving yards. Diggs is a talented wide receiver that the
Vikings will have to figure out how to use. His durability concerns prevent him
from being a true #1 receiver, missing games in both his two season in the
league. He has the size and ability; he just has to stay healthy. The Viking
bought in Michael Floyd and Dalvin Cook should help them in the passing game.
The Vikings offense was an absolute circus last season.
They ranked 28th in yards per game and 23rd in points scored
per game. The offense wasn’t great in 2015 either but they looked like a competent
unit. Losing Teddy Bridgewater forced them to try to create an offense suitable
for Bradford because he and Bridgewater are two different quarterbacks. They were
unable to create a successful scheme, prompting them to fire offensive
coordinator Norv Turner during the season. Most of the offensive issues the
Viking went through stemmed for a terrible offensive line. Teddy Bridgewater
was sacked 44 times in 2015. Now you may say they he held the ball too long at
times, or he didn’t make the proper adjustments at the line. I can side with
you on those points, but Bradford was sacked 37 times in 2016. Bridgewater has
more mobility than Bradford, but Bradford is considered the better passer. If
both of these quarterbacks are getting hit then it has to be an issue with the
offensive line. The Viking didn’t do much to fix this huge problem.
For the past two season, the Viking have been working diligently
to fix their offensive line issues. Thanks to injuries and players under
performing they are still trying to fix that issue. This offseason they brought
in two players, Mike Remmers and Riff Riley to try and solidly they tackle
positons. Mike Remmers has played the last three season with the Carolina
Panthers. The Panthers offense is predicated on the run, particularly the zone
run scheme, with a power element to it. The Vikings feel like he may be an
upgrade over whomever they had playing tackle last season. Riley Riff was
drafted by the Lions in 2012, became the full time starter in 2013, and
successfully played out is rookie deal before being let go. Neither the Lions
or the Panthers had great offensive lines last season. That doesn’t mean these
two players can’t help the Vikings it just means that they didn’t make any drastic
improvements to that offensive line. They’ll be returning Joe Berger and Alex
Boone in the interior at center and guard. They drafted a Pat Eleflin and Danny
Isadora to compete for playing time at one of the guard spots. It would be a
huge leap to expect this offensive line to somehow be dominate, but we will
have to see how they come together. With emphasis being placed on the run game,
maybe Bradford can buy more time with the threat of the run.
2015 was a successful year for the Vikings thanks in part
to the rushing attack and their ability to play defense. In 2015 the Viking
ranked 3rd in yards per carry and 4th in yards per game. Their
ability to move the ball on the ground helped them control the clock and wear
teams down with that great defense. The 2017 offseason saw them attempt to get
back that rushing attack with the signing of Latavius Murray and the drafting
of Dalvin Cook.
Murray is a one cut, downhill runner with the speed to
break the big run. He is a big back at 6’3 225lbs. Murray will give them an every
down running back that can pound a defense, much like Peterson did in 2015.
Dalvin Cook is a home run hitter. He is smaller than Murray but offers more in the
passing game. The Vikings could use packages that have both of them on the
field at the same time. The combination of Cook and Murray give the Viking a
very potent rushing attack, one that offers them versatility and can help the
quarterback. They also give the Vikings two receiving options out the backfield
and provide help in the passing game. The addition of Murray and Cook should
help to speed up their offense, and cut down the sacks. The Vikings beard is
buttered with this defense!
The Vikings defense ranked in the top 5 in yards allowed
per game, and 6th in points allowed per game. They have a legit
championship defense. Xavier Rhodes gives them a shutdown corner back. Harrison
Smith is one of the best safeties in the league and they have one of the best
front fours in all of football. Danielle Hunter came on strong from them with
12.5 sacks last season. Brian Robinson and Everson Griffin gave them 7.5 and 8
sacks respectfully. The pressure that they generate with their front four
allows this defense to be special. The Viking didn’t make any big time changes
to this defense and I expect them to be as good if not better in 2017. Sharrif
Floyd is still rehabbing from a knee injury he suffered last offseason, but
they will get him back and some point. This defense is good enough to win them the
division. They just have to improve on the offensive side of the ball.
The Vikings fall into that 6-10 or 10-6 range for me.
Their success will depend on how productive that offense can be. I don’t expect
them to make a huge jump into the top 10 offensively but I do expect them to
improve. Only one team will come out of this division because the rest of the conference
is so competitive. The NFC East and South divisions will have two-playoff
representative. The Viking must win this division in order to make the
playoffs. I don’t think they’ve done enough to overtake the Packers.
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