FOOTBALL IS BACK! YOUR MINNESOTA VIKINGS ARE BACK! LET'S GO!
Football being back is one of the best times of the year, regardless if the teams you cheer for are projected to be good or not. Let's jump into this Vikings squad and the rest of the NFL while Week 1 gets underway.
To start, our Minnesota Vikings team is being completely overlooked and disrespected by the national media and our own local media (shocker lol). The national media, with their cross-eyed faces and drool coming from their mouths, are saying the Vikings will be one of the worst teams because we lost Curtis Cousins and will be starting Sam Darnold as well as losing "their only good defensive player" in Danielle Hunter. Let's dive into this. I believe the Vikings improved on Offense, Defense, Special Teams, and Coaching Staff. I will also go through my NFL Standings Predictions and the Vikings/Giants Week 1 matchup!
OFFENSE:
Sam Darnold will be the team's starting QB in 2024. This is not ideal, but it will not be as big of a drop off from the QB the Vikings had been starting the last 6 seasons. That previous QB is an idiot and folds under any kind of pressure. I am VERY happy with this change.
Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler are the only 2 RBs on the roster and KOC will HAVE to commit to the run with Darnold at QB this season. Jones and Chandler are both much better than Mattison and the previous 2 seasons under KOC, the running game has been the worst in the NFL. COMMIT TO THE RUN!
The Offensive Line is a Top 10 OL in the NFL. Yes, the middle is the weak spot but they should be improved. Use FB CJ Ham and TE Josh Oliver for added blocking help...otherwise why are those guys on the team?
Justin Jefferson & Jordan Addison are a Top 3 WR duo in the NFL, with Jefferson maybe being the best player in the NFL. WR3 will be determined once the season starts between Nailor, Jackson, Powell, and Sherfield. Nailor should be the guy but he is always injured.
DEFENSE:
Despite the fact the Vikings lost Danielle Hunter, they were able to IMPROVE with their edge rusher room. I know Hunter accumulated a bunch of sacks, but name me a game-changing sack he recorded...just 1. His pressure win rate was also very unimpressive. The Vikings added Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Alabama rookie Dallas Turner (best defensive player in the draft and my pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year) to the edge rushing room. This is an absolute massive improvement over Hunter.
Interior Defensive Line is the one question mark (just like the IOL). The Vikings basically just have Harrison Phillips and a bunch of other slappies that haven't fully panned out. Jerry Tillery and 7th-round pick Levi Drake Rodriguez have opportunities to make a name for themselves.
The Cornerback room has had a tumultuous offseason, but is in a good position now. First off, RIP to rookie CB Khyree Jackson who sadly passed away after being hit by a selfish drunk driver only a couple months after the draft. The Vikings will be wearing his initials on their helmets all season. Promising 2nd year CB Mekhi Blackmon also tore his ACL on the first day of practice and will be out for the season. With all of that, the Vikings now have 3 solid veteran CB that, together, will play very well. Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr, and Shaq Griffin. All 3 have proven track records and will be backed up by promising young corners.
Linebacker depth will be a little light, but they will be led by Ivan Pace Jr and newly acquired, and former Gopher, Blake Cashman. If these 2 can stay healthy, this group will be solid.
Finally, the Vikings have arguably the best (maybe second to the Ravens) Safety room in the entire NFL. Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus, and Theo Jackson will be causing mayhem all season long!
SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Vikings finally found an actual kicker. Alabama, and NCAA all-time leading scorer, Will Reichard is a massive upgrade. He will bring a combination of power and consistency to the kicking position the Vikings haven't had in a long time. He has been training to be an NFL kicker since he was in his mother's womb. Viking fans will still feel uneasy when it's FG time, but he will become Mr. Automatic very quickly.
COACHING:
Kevin O'Connell has proven to be a solid Head Coach and will continue to improve. I wouldn't be surprised if he wins Coach of the Year in 2024.
DC Brian Flores returns, meaning this defense will likely finish as a Top 7 defense in 2024 with the upgrades they made to his personnel.
The sneakiest coaching upgrade the Vikings made was hiring QB Coach Josh McCown. He played 18 seasons as QB in the NFL including backing up Sam Darnoldin New York, and his first season after retiring was in the running for HC of the Texans. He coached Bryce Young to a solid rookie season last year. The Panthers were horrible, but Young played better than what people think thanks to McCown's coaching.
WHAT WILL HOLD THE VIKINGS BACK:
The Vikings have $65 million in DEAD CAP this season, mostly due to the Cousins and Hunter departures. This means that of the ~$261 million Cap that every team gets to spend towards their Top 51 players, the Vikings can only spend $196 million. That is essentially 4-6 additional starting caliber players. We will have that money next season and will likely use it to upgrade the IOL and IDL, like I mentioned earlier in those position groups.
NFL STANDINGS PREDICTIONS:
NFC NORTH
Detroit Lions - Eyeing Super Bowl. 11-13 wins this season.
Minnesota Vikings - Solid team. 9-11 wins this season.
Green Bay Packers - Youngest team in the NFL. 8-10 wins this season.
Chicago Bears - Rookie QB, bad coaching staff. 6-8 wins this season.
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles - Improved run game, balanced attack.
Dallas Cowboys - No run game, Zimmer DC.
Washington Commanders - Promising rookie QB.
New York Giants - Terrible.
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers - Insane offensive weapons. Eyeing Super Bowl.
Los Angeles Rams - Much improved, great HC.
Arizona Cardinals - Could be good before October 25, release of new Call of Duty.
Seattle Seahawks - Transitioning.
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Very solid team.
New Orleans Saints - Being overlooked.
Atlanta Falcons - Terrible QB, new HC, way overrated.
Carolina Panthers - They will still suck.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills - They have Josh Allen and a good defense.
New York Jets - Rodgers needs to stay healthy, good defense.
Miami Dolphins - Soft team, but they have Tyreek Hill.
New England Patriots - Terrible team.
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs - Best team in the NFL. Eyeing Super Bowl.
Los Angeles Chargers - Jim Harbaugh, baby!
Las Vegas Raiders - Love their coach, Minshew Mania time.
Denver Broncos - Boring.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens - Great defense, best QB/RB duo. Eyeing Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Burrow needs to stay healthy.
Cleveland Browns - Defense will win them games.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Mike Tomlin's first losing season.
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans - They got even better.
Jacksonville Jaguars - Good coach and QB.
Indianapolis Colts - Decent team.
Tennessee Titans - Completely new team.
VIKINGS @ GIANTS WEEK1:
The Minnesota Vikings kick the season off in New York against a terrible Giants team. I think the Vikings are going to destroy the Giants and it won't be particularly close. The Giants are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Outside of having a solid DL, this game has a chance to get ugly on Sunday. Sam Darnold will throw for over 300 yards, about 200 yards going to Justin Jefferson. Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler will combine for 125+ rushing yards. The Vikings defense will contain QB Daniel Jones' rushing ability and record at least 1 defensive touchdown. This will end in a 34-13 victory for the Vikings to start the season. Winning by more than 2 scores has not happened for the Vikings since 2019. Bold prediction, yes, but I believe the national media is completely wrong about the 2024 Vikings.
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