2017 Record - 13-3-0
Head Coach - Mike Zimmer
2017 Offensive Ranking - 11th (357 ypg, 23.9 points per game)
2017 Defensive Ranking - 1st (276 ypg, 15.8 points allowed per game)
OFFENSE - There is a complete change at the quarterback position this season in Minnesota. Gone are all three quarterbacks from last season (Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater) and the starter is Kirk Cousins, who had 4,093 yards passing with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with the Washington Redskins last year. Backing him up will be Trevor Siemian (2,285 pass yards, 12 TD, 14 INT with Denver).
Dalvin Cook is looking to return from a knee injury that knocked him out in the fourth game last season. Cook had 354 yards and two scores with a 4.8 ypc average at the time. Latavius Murray did a good job filling the void, going for 842 yards and eight touchdowns.
The wide receivers include Stefon Diggs (64 receptions, 849 yards, eight TD), Adam Thielen (91, 1,276, four TD), Kendall Wright (59, 614, one TD with Chicago) and Laquon Treadwell, who had 20 receptions for 200 yards. Tight End Kyle Rudolph had 57 catches for 532 yards and eight touchdowns.
DEFENSE - The league's top rated defense returns Everson Griffin (13 QB sacks), Danielle Hunter (seven sacks) and nose tackle Linval Joseph, who had 3 1/2 sacks. Sheldon Richardson joins the defensive line this year after playing for Seattle. The linebacking unit includes Anthony Baar, Eric Kendricks and Ben Gedeon.
In the secondary is Harrison Smith (five interceptions) and fellow safety Andrew Sendejo. The corners are Xavier Rhodes (two picks) and Trae Waynes, who also had two interceptions. Rookie corner Mike Hughes (Central Florida) was selected in the first round of the draft and will look to make contributions. The Vikings ranked second against both the run (84 ypg allowed) and the pass, giving up 192 yards per game and finished first in overall and scoring defense.
OUTLOOK - The Vikings rolled to the NFC North crown in 2017 and then won a thrilling game against New Orleans in the divisional round before getting blown out by eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game.
This season, it's being billed as Super Bowl or bust for Minnesota.
Head Coach Mike Zimmer is known as a defensive guru and the Vikings do have a tremendous defense. They would like to see the sacks total go up along with the turnovers. Minnesota had 14 picks last year and registered 37 sacks (both middle of the pack) while allowing just under 16 points per game, which was tops in the NFL.
The offense is being revamped at quarterback where Kirk Cousins takes over after six seasons with the Washington Redskins, which included one playoff appearance in the 2015 season.
The running game is pretty solid and should get better as long as Dalvin Cook can stay healthy this season. Along with Latavius Murray, Cook provides the Vikes a solid one-two punch on the ground and the wide receivers are reliable targets. Tight End Kyle Rudolph is a great red zone target as he hauled in eight scoring passes last year.
An 11-5 record is likely with a very tough schedule, but the Vikings are confident they can go further this post-season. If Cousins can deliver at quarterback and the running game stays solid, the offense should be better than last season. Combine that with the best defense in the NFL and the recipe could be a Super Bowl appearance and possibly a Super Bowl title for the Vikings.
2018 TEAM SCHEDULE
Week 1 - vs. San Francisco
Week 2 - at Green Bay
Week 3 - vs. Buffalo
Week 4 - at LA Rams
Week 5 - at Philadelphia
Week 6 - vs. Arizona
Week 7 - at NY Jets
Week 8 - vs. New Orleans
Week 9 - vs. Detroit
Week 10 - Bye
Week 11 - at Chicago
Week 12 - vs. Green Bay
Week 13 - at New England
Week 14 - at Seattle
Week 15 - vs. Miami
Week 16 - at Detroit
Week 17 - vs. Chicago
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