Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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Do you see us ranking in top five on offense and defense this year?
— Warren W.
A good question from Warren as the calendar is about to flip to June, and minds start wandering to the fall.
At this point, I'd give the offense a higher chance of being in that upper tier than the defense.
Why? Although the Vikings have a new OC in Kubiak, there wasn't much turnover at key positions. Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson and Irv Smith, Jr., are all back in what should be a similar offense.
And while names such as Riley Reiff and Kyle Rudolph are no longer here, the expectation is that rookie Christian Darrisaw and Smith (along with Tyler Conklin) fill those roles.
The Vikings offense was pretty good in 2020, ranking 11th with 26.9 points per game in a season in which scoring was up across the board. Another 3.3 points per game would have landed Minnesota in the top five. The Vikings, by the way, were just 6-for-12 (50 percent) on field goals of 40 or more yards last season, compared to the 85-percent (17-for-20) success rate by opponents.
Minnesota's defense, meanwhile, ranked 29th in 2020 with 29.7 points allowed per game. Miami and New Orleans tied for fifth at 21.1 points allowed per game, FYI, so the Vikings defense has a bit of a jump to get into the top five.
Yes, the Vikings were annihilated by injuries in 2020. Danielle Hunter didn't play a single snap, Anthony Barr was on the field for 94 plays and Eric Kendricks missed the final third of the season. Michael Pierce opted out, Cameron Dantzler was banged up at times, and Cam Smith and Kenny Willekes didn't play at all.
Throw in an odd COVID season, a virtual offseason and lots of rookies on the field, and the 2020 output was about as rough as anyone could ever predict for a Zimmer-led unit.
Minnesota went all-in on defense this offseason, adding numerous veterans to try and revamp that unit with Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Mackensie Alexander and Xavier Woods. Add in returning players — both those like Hunter and Pierce who missed time, and those like Harrison Smith who didn't — are many believe the Vikings are poised to be the defense that we've come to expect in recent years.
Maybe that doesn't equate to a top-5 unit? But I'd argue that if the Vikings offense is in that tier, and the defense is in the top third of the league, then Minnesota will be a team that many won't want to face late in the season as the playoffs near.