Why The Vikings Can Win It All THIS YEAR

Minnesota sports fans are often reluctant to get their hopes up — understandably so for a state with the longest sports championship drought in America.

That reluctance goes double for Vikings fans, who have seen the team earn the fifth-most playoff appearances, yet have zero championships to show for it — only four consecutive Super Bowl losses followed by six consecutive NFC Championship losses.

So it makes sense if some fans are hesitant to hop on the Vikings bandwagon this year. After all, this was a team that missed the playoffs last year, and betting markets still believe will miss the playoffs again this year.

But after a successful offseason, the Vikings now look playoff-bound. Minnesota had a consensus top-10 draft, with the additions of Christian Darrisaw and Wyatt Davis leading Seth Galina at PFF to call the Vikings’ offensive line the most improved unit in the league. The Vikings have had an even better free agency, adding Dalvin Tomlinson, Stephen Weatherly, and Sheldon Richardson to their defensive line and Patrick Peterson, Xavier Woods, Bashaud Breeland, and Mackensie Alexander to their secondary. And most importantly, Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Anthony Barr, and others are coming back after missing almost all of last season.

Adding all those pieces to fill in the gaps on a roster already flush with All-Pro talents like Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith, and Eric Kendricks makes this roster — in my humble opinion — the best one Mike Zimmer has ever had. They may not be Super Bowl favorites, but with just a little bit of luck, they could easily be contenders.

But every team has questions, and if DE2 or WR3 are the only sore spots on your roster, chances are your roster is pretty darn good. On paper, I think this is the most talented roster Mike Zimmer has ever coached.

No question about it, I am ready to get hurt again.

At first glance, it appears that Barr has been drinking too much purple Kool-Aid. But, on closer inspection, there could be a chance that Minnesota is in position to make a run.

During the Mike Zimmer era, the Vikings have rebounded from bad seasons to make the playoffs the following year. While this could be summed up by an easier schedule or “odd-numbered magic,” Minnesota seems to have put together a better roster when coming off a disappointing performance.

In 2017, the Vikings went 13-3 after going 8-8 the year before. They featured the No. 1 defense in the league and an offense that caught lightning in a bottle with Case Keenum. With the emergence of young receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, the Vikings made their way to the NFC Championship Game. (There’s no need to mention the result here.)

In 2019, the Vikings were trying to rebound from an 8-7-1 record the year before. Much like 2017, many of the same players returned, and they used an efficient offense and solid defense to go 10-6 and return to the playoffs. They even got a playoff victory in New Orleans before losing in the Divisional round. (Again, there’s no need to talk about that game.)

Heading into this season, the Vikings have the same formula. They will bring back Kirk Cousins, who will be in the same offensive system for the second-straight year. Although Thielen is older, Justin Jefferson’s breakout year should be enough to catapult the offense from 11th in total points and into the top 10.

The defense has undergone a major overhaul, but so did the areas where the Vikings were weakest in 2016 and 2018. Both those years resulted in major additions across the offensive line. With that plus $45 million in defensive spending, the Vikings should be improved enough to bump themselves into playoff contention.

That will mean anything goes in a wide-open NFC where almost every team has a major question.

In the NFC North, the Vikings are wondering whether Aaron Rodgers will show up for Week 1 in Green Bay. They also don’t know when the Chicago Bears will start Justin Fields over Andy Dalton or whether Dan Campbell can be more than the second coming of Mike Tice with the Detroit Lions.

The NFC East is filled with bad teams that could take a step forward or regress. Will Washington get over the hump with Ryan Fitzpatrick? Will the Dallas Cowboys rebound with Dak Prescott under center? Is Joe Judge a good coach? And is Jalen Hurts a legitimate NFL quarterback? We don’t know.

The NFC West is also a giant mystery bag. Is Kliff Kingsbury a legitimate NFL coach? The Seattle Seahawks may or may not let Russ cook, and the Los Angeles Rams just installed 32-year-old Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Even the San Francisco 49ers’ down year may not have been a fluke despite all their injuries. We don’t know.

Even in the NFC South, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers return all of their starters, there’s still a question whether Tom Brady can evade Father Time for another year. Are the New Orleans Saints going to miss Drew Brees? Will the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons step up from the bottom of the division?

You guessed it: We don’t know.