[OC] The 2017 Minnesota Vikings – A Feeling of Deja Vu?
If the Minnesota Vikings success this season feels familiar, it just might be because we've been here before. Looking back over the past several playoff seasons, 2017 seems eerily a lot like another where the Purple dominated—2009.
Both seasons Minnesota ended up winning the most games since 1998 when the team finished 15-1. Both the 2009 and 2017 teams were dominated on one side of the ball. For 2009 the offense finished second in scoring and fifth in yards, while this season the defense dominated leading the NFL in both categories.
A few other similarities follow.
Quarterback
Both the 2009 and 2017 versions of the Vikings found themselves with a quarterback leading them to their best record since 1998. In '09 Brett Favre joined Minnesota and produced a 12-4 record resulting in the second seed in the NFC playoffs. The 12 wins matched the second-most in a season with teams from 1969, 1970, 1073 and 1975.
This season Case Keenum, an offseason signing to provide depth at quarterback, stepped up in Week 2 and helped the Vikings to a 13-3 record—not only bettering Favre's result in 2009 but producing the second-most wins in franchise history.
The difference between Favre and Keenum could not be any more different. One joined the team after 18 seasons in the NFL with 169-100 record as a starter. The other, a relative unknown, brought only a 9-15 record through five nondescript seasons.
Farve came with two league MVP's and a Super Bowl win, Keenum came looking for a chance to play.
Despite all the differences they both delivered the best regular season, statistically, of their careers.
Favre's career passer rating before joining the Vikings was 85.4. His best season came in 1995 with the Packers when he finished with a 99.5 rating. In 2009, Favre had his best season with a 107.2 rating. He threw 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions—the fewest interceptions he threw in any season where he started all 16 games.
Keenum joined the Vikings with a 78.4 passer rating and a 9-15 record, never having played in more than 10 games in a season. The 11 wins credited to Keenum this season are two more than the nine he had in his four previous seasons with the Texans (2) and the Rams (7). In 2017 he finished with a 98.3 passer rating with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In his previous five seasons combined, he threw only 24 touchdowns. His previous best passer rating was 87.7 in 2015 going 3-2 as the starter for the St. Louis Rams.
While both quarterbacks had exceptional debuts in their first season with the Purple, Keenum's is much more surprising considering where he came from. Here's hoping Keenum can exceed the comparison and take the Vikings at least one game further than Farve did in 2009.
A Breakout Season for a Wide Receiver
Both 2009 and 2017 saw the emergence of a wide receiver leading the Vikings with more than 1,200 receiving yards. In '09 Sidney Rice, in his third season with Minnesota, finished with 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns. This past season Adam Thielen, in his fifth with the Vikings, finished with 1,276 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The comparison between the two quickly fades after that. Rice joined the Vikings in 2007 as a second-round draft pick and immediately made the active roster. As a rookie, he caught 31 passes and had four touchdowns.
For Thielen, the road was a little longer as an undrafted free agent signed in 2013 he spent two seasons on the practice squad earning a spot on the active roster in 2015 as a special teams player. His first touchdown came on a punt he blocked and then returned for the score in 2014. He broke into the starting lineup in 2016 when he started 10 games at wide receiver and leading the team with 967 receiving yards and finished second with 5 receiving touchdowns.
There is also the connection that between Rice in '09 and Thielen in '17, no other Vikings' receiver has reached the 1,000-yard plateau.
The Competition
The seasons of 2009 and 2017 were also very similar in the results of the games they played.
As in 2009, the Vikings faced the AFC North. Just like in 2009 the Vikings finished 3-1 against them. The only loss came against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The similarities end there. In 2009 the AFC North sent two teams to the playoffs—the Bengals won the division and the Ravens made the playoffs as a wildcard team.
In both seasons the Vikings rattled off a long winning streak. In 2009 it was six games, in 2017 eight. They also were able to pull off the feat all Vikings fan love—a sweep of the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately, between 2009 and 2017 the Vikings were only 3-11-1 against Green Bay including losing a playoff game at Lambeau. In the three seasons prior to 2009 Minnesota was only 1-5 against the Packers.
Along with losing to the Steelers, both teams also lost to the Panthers in Charlotte. A huge difference however to this similarity is that neither the Steelers or the Panthers made the playoffs in 2009.
Head Coaches
For both the '09 and '17 teams, coached by Brad Childress and Mike Zimmer, there are multiple similarities as well. Minnesota was their first opportunity in the NFL as a head coach. For both the defining season was the fourth with the Vikings. Childress became the head coach of the Vikings in 2006 following four seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator, while Zimmer took over in 2014 after six seasons as the Bengals defensive coordinator.
Zimmer, like Childress, both seem to have a disdain for the media and have a way of answering questions without really providing any insight what they really think or feel.
2009 was the second journey into the postseason for Childress who built a 36-28 record with consecutive NFC North division championships. Zimmer heads into the 2017 postseason, also his second, with a 39-25 record at head coach winning his second division title in three years.
Again, like the quarterback comparison here's hoping that Zimmer can win at least one more game this year than Childress won in 2009. That loss in the NFC Championship game to the Saints in New Orleans arguably started Childress' downfall in Minnesota. In 2010 Childress was replaced with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier after 10 games.
Yes, there are a lot of similarities between these two seasons, two seasons that have produced the most excitement this side of 1998. Let's hope the comparisons of the regular season are where the similarities end and that Zimmer can do what no other head coach, not even the great Bud Grant whose 158 wins are the most in franchise history, can do and bring a Super Bowl championship to Minnesota.
Both seasons Minnesota ended up winning the most games since 1998 when the team finished 15-1. Both the 2009 and 2017 teams were dominated on one side of the ball. For 2009 the offense finished second in scoring and fifth in yards, while this season the defense dominated leading the NFL in both categories.
A few other similarities follow.
Quarterback
Both the 2009 and 2017 versions of the Vikings found themselves with a quarterback leading them to their best record since 1998. In '09 Brett Favre joined Minnesota and produced a 12-4 record resulting in the second seed in the NFC playoffs. The 12 wins matched the second-most in a season with teams from 1969, 1970, 1073 and 1975.
This season Case Keenum, an offseason signing to provide depth at quarterback, stepped up in Week 2 and helped the Vikings to a 13-3 record—not only bettering Favre's result in 2009 but producing the second-most wins in franchise history.
The difference between Favre and Keenum could not be any more different. One joined the team after 18 seasons in the NFL with 169-100 record as a starter. The other, a relative unknown, brought only a 9-15 record through five nondescript seasons.
Farve came with two league MVP's and a Super Bowl win, Keenum came looking for a chance to play.
Despite all the differences they both delivered the best regular season, statistically, of their careers.
Favre's career passer rating before joining the Vikings was 85.4. His best season came in 1995 with the Packers when he finished with a 99.5 rating. In 2009, Favre had his best season with a 107.2 rating. He threw 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions—the fewest interceptions he threw in any season where he started all 16 games.
Keenum joined the Vikings with a 78.4 passer rating and a 9-15 record, never having played in more than 10 games in a season. The 11 wins credited to Keenum this season are two more than the nine he had in his four previous seasons with the Texans (2) and the Rams (7). In 2017 he finished with a 98.3 passer rating with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In his previous five seasons combined, he threw only 24 touchdowns. His previous best passer rating was 87.7 in 2015 going 3-2 as the starter for the St. Louis Rams.
While both quarterbacks had exceptional debuts in their first season with the Purple, Keenum's is much more surprising considering where he came from. Here's hoping Keenum can exceed the comparison and take the Vikings at least one game further than Farve did in 2009.
A Breakout Season for a Wide Receiver
Both 2009 and 2017 saw the emergence of a wide receiver leading the Vikings with more than 1,200 receiving yards. In '09 Sidney Rice, in his third season with Minnesota, finished with 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns. This past season Adam Thielen, in his fifth with the Vikings, finished with 1,276 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The comparison between the two quickly fades after that. Rice joined the Vikings in 2007 as a second-round draft pick and immediately made the active roster. As a rookie, he caught 31 passes and had four touchdowns.
For Thielen, the road was a little longer as an undrafted free agent signed in 2013 he spent two seasons on the practice squad earning a spot on the active roster in 2015 as a special teams player. His first touchdown came on a punt he blocked and then returned for the score in 2014. He broke into the starting lineup in 2016 when he started 10 games at wide receiver and leading the team with 967 receiving yards and finished second with 5 receiving touchdowns.
There is also the connection that between Rice in '09 and Thielen in '17, no other Vikings' receiver has reached the 1,000-yard plateau.
The Competition
The seasons of 2009 and 2017 were also very similar in the results of the games they played.
As in 2009, the Vikings faced the AFC North. Just like in 2009 the Vikings finished 3-1 against them. The only loss came against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The similarities end there. In 2009 the AFC North sent two teams to the playoffs—the Bengals won the division and the Ravens made the playoffs as a wildcard team.
In both seasons the Vikings rattled off a long winning streak. In 2009 it was six games, in 2017 eight. They also were able to pull off the feat all Vikings fan love—a sweep of the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately, between 2009 and 2017 the Vikings were only 3-11-1 against Green Bay including losing a playoff game at Lambeau. In the three seasons prior to 2009 Minnesota was only 1-5 against the Packers.
Along with losing to the Steelers, both teams also lost to the Panthers in Charlotte. A huge difference however to this similarity is that neither the Steelers or the Panthers made the playoffs in 2009.
Head Coaches
For both the '09 and '17 teams, coached by Brad Childress and Mike Zimmer, there are multiple similarities as well. Minnesota was their first opportunity in the NFL as a head coach. For both the defining season was the fourth with the Vikings. Childress became the head coach of the Vikings in 2006 following four seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator, while Zimmer took over in 2014 after six seasons as the Bengals defensive coordinator.
Zimmer, like Childress, both seem to have a disdain for the media and have a way of answering questions without really providing any insight what they really think or feel.
2009 was the second journey into the postseason for Childress who built a 36-28 record with consecutive NFC North division championships. Zimmer heads into the 2017 postseason, also his second, with a 39-25 record at head coach winning his second division title in three years.
Again, like the quarterback comparison here's hoping that Zimmer can win at least one more game this year than Childress won in 2009. That loss in the NFC Championship game to the Saints in New Orleans arguably started Childress' downfall in Minnesota. In 2010 Childress was replaced with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier after 10 games.
Yes, there are a lot of similarities between these two seasons, two seasons that have produced the most excitement this side of 1998. Let's hope the comparisons of the regular season are where the similarities end and that Zimmer can do what no other head coach, not even the great Bud Grant whose 158 wins are the most in franchise history, can do and bring a Super Bowl championship to Minnesota.
