September 19, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousin. Compulsory Credit: Billy Hardyman – USA Today Sports
All Vikings fans have to do is anticipate the future at this time of year. There is no big free agency decision or pending draft selection. Instead, it’s time to focus. “What could happen“s
This year, the Vikings may surprise you but in a better way. Of course, you can see this in me as a homer, and probably me too. Either way, I’m buying Vikings even though others are talking about their results.
Currently, the Vikings have nine wins over / underset in the betting market. The PFF ranked 22nd in their NFL as a “stuck” team. Peter King ranked the Vikings 19th and said they could possibly miss the playoffs.
All of them have reason to disbelieve the Vikings in 2022. Betting markets are estimating results based on just a few data points. Some of these are a Rocky head coach, current list and recent history.
PFF is an open book why they think the Vikings would not be very good. Of course, they don’t believe the Vikings have done enough to improve the list. The PFF does not like the position that the owner, general manager and head coach have taken. However, if O’Connell and Cousins play better than expected, they could be better than 10 wins.
Why Peter King believes the Vikings will miss the playoffs is not so detailed. However, this is probably due to how good all the other teams in the league are. He believes it really depends on how well this new coaching staff can perform.
No matter what these companies and people think about the Vikings, I’m not buying it. The Vikings are going to surprise people this year. Let’s discuss why.
Why the Vikings playoffs in O’Connell’s first year
Listen, it’s hard to be a rookie head coach in the NFL. Most of them end up with a record of losing in their first year. However, most of them inherit a bad team. After all, the head coach is not fired without reason.
However, unlike teams like the Bears and Jaguars, the Vikings are loaded with talent. Zimmer was not fired because the team was sucking. He was fired for his poor performance.
Kevin O’Connell inherits a crime that is loaded with players of perfectly talented skill. Needless to say, they made some improvements in ball defense. However, much of the defense depends on the health of Smith and Hunter.
That said, I think 2022 will be the crime that bears this group. This is a significant change in the age of Zimmer, which depends on the level of defense of the elite.
2022 Crime is being investigated
The Vikings’ offense could be something special. With a new system that will (hopefully) highlight things that cousins do well, it can be a direct explosive. Let’s look at this crime:
- Cork cousin: Many will say he is terrible. Many would say he is a top 10 quarterback. The truth is that he is a high-average quarterback capable of making every throw you want.
- Skills: Justin Jefferson is an elite player. Adam Thilen is getting slower as he gets older but he is reliable in catching the ball. Arv Smith Jr. is a disproportionate nightmare. Dalvin Cook, while healthy, is one of the best running backs in the league.
- Offensive line: The biggest problem for the Vikings is the offensive line. However, offensive tackles are set. Ezra Cleveland has improved a lot last year and will do so again this year. Ed Ingram will probably be the right guard and a significant upgrade. We still have to deal with Bradbury, but only one really bad offensive lineman is better than 2.
With all the talent in this team, the only question is, how good can O’Connell be? Better a poor horse than no horse at all. This team can go a long way.
Mitch Massman is a lifelong Vikings fan. His first heartbreak was playing in the 1998 NFC Championship. His full-time job as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He imagines the Vikings winning the Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter skol_vikings3
