How Soon Can the Vikings Win a Super Bowl?

Vikings Win a Super Bowl
Image courtesy of Vikings.com

It’s a question Minnesota Vikings fans have been asking since Max Winter, E. William Boyer, H.P Skoglund, Ole Haugsrud and Bernard H. Ridder, Jr. founded the team in 1961. Over the years, Minnesotans watched the Vikings reach the Super Bowl four times, only to lose all four in devastating fashion.

Today, ESPN shared a tweet featuring a dejected Blair Walsh, looking down in disgust after his missed field goal from last year’s NFC Wild Card playoff game. It named Minnesota as one of four metro areas in the United States that hasn’t won a professional sports title in this century. Vikings fans know how lonely this existence can be, but some believe the drought may be over very, very soon.

In an interview with the MMQB’s Peter King earlier this week, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had this to say about the team’s Super Bowl aspirations in 2016:

[quote_box_center]“We are going to have a good chance to win it this year—win everything. Sit back and watch. Sit back and watch. You can be like, ‘I thought you guys were at least a couple of years away.’ Nope. You sit back and watch, this year.”[/quote_box_center]

His comments address a question that’s gone unanswered for nearly 60 years: How soon will the Vikings win their first Super Bowl? Peterson makes the case that the team is ready to contend this year, which feels like a natural —if slightly accelerated — progression after the team went 11-5 and won the NFC North division title in 2015.

Building on the team’s recent success, general manager Rick Spielman spent resources upgrading the offensive line in free agency. He signed Alex Boone and Andre Smith to step in and start right away, then re-signed players like Mike Harris to serve as valuable depth. What was Minnesota’s Achilles Heel last season is potentially a position of strength, with depth and upgraded talent across the board.

In the draft, Spielman replaced the departed No. 11, Mike Wallace, with a player who should make an impact immediately for the Vikings. Laquon Treadwell, the 23rd-overall pick, is the presumptive starter at wide receiver opposite Stefon Diggs. He chose to wear Wallace’s old number, and the hope is that he makes the plays, particularly down the field and in the red zone, that Wallace couldn’t last season.

The defense, already a strength for the Vikings, needs little commentary. MMQB analyst Andy Benoit called the unit one of the best in the league, proclaiming they’re only behind the Seahawks and Broncos in the talent department. It’s a group that should only improve in its third year under head coach Mike Zimmer, who transformed the Vikings into a top-five unit in 2015. Now, he has new toys to play with, from free agent linebacker Emmanuel Lamur to second-round draft pick Mackensie Alexander.

Of course, the Vikings, don’t have a clear path to the Lombardi Trophy. Despite entering the season with a top-flight defense and a carefully adjusted offense, Minnesota demon’s still linger. The kicking game — the ailment that ended the team’s 2015 run — remains an unknown, Teddy Bridgewater is still working through the NFL growing pains, and the NFC North as a whole improved this offseason. Eleven wins certainly isn’t an unrealistic goal this season, but it’s one that won’t come without its share of challenges.

Everyone can agree that the proverbial arrow is pointing up for the Vikings. A new stadium and a revamped roster signal a new beginning in Minnesota, one that hopefully begins with a Super Bowl title (or two, or three). No one knows when exactly that will happen, but the belief in Minnesota is that it becomes a reality very, very soon.

Are you as optimistic as Adrian Peterson, or do the Vikings have a few more years of heartbreak before finally hoisting the Lombardi Trophy?

 

 

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