Image courtesy of Vikings.com
The Minnesota Vikings haven’t even finished their 2015 campaign, but we’re already excited for the draft, free agency, and the rest of what should be an exciting offseason for Mike Zimmer’s up-and-coming team. Maybe we’re used to thinking about the Vikings’ future in January — we haven’t had postseason football in Minnesota since 2009!
With that in mind — and with the help of Adam — I decided to ask the team to give me their Vikings bold predictions. Not for the Vikings’ upcoming playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, but for the 2016 season. Will Teddy Bridgewater take the next step and join the NFL’s elite? Will Adrian Peterson win his second-straight rushing title? Can the Vikings hold off the Green Bay Packers and retain their title as “Kings of the North?”
The Vikings took advantage of a down year for their division foes in 2015 and capitalized as NFC North champions. The momentum that will carry into the new season should not be discounted, nor should the experience their core of young players will gain from the successful season. The Vikings landed arguably one of their better drafts in recent years and I suspect Spielman and crew will add to that in the new year. Although the Vikings are solid in a lot of fronts, there are still some areas that call for improvement, and Spielman’s ability to stock pile draft picks will come in handy as we continue to identify some impact players and add depth across the board.
As NFC North champs, the Vikings will face the toughest scheduled in the division and will have to play well through out the entire season in order to replicate 2015’s success. Challenging? Yes. Worthwhile? Absolutely. Testing themselves throughout the season will prepare the team mentality and emotionally for another postseason run, and I predict the Vikings will play in the 2016 NFC Championship game.
There is no doubt that it is entirely too early to be making bold predictions about next season when we are still awaiting the almost-certainly dramatic conclusion to this season… but who cares, speculation is fun! My bold prediction is actually pretty simple and should be proven right or wrong relatively quickly this offseason. I still, after all of the disappointment, believe the Vikings will retain Mike Wallace into 2016. They may try to reduce his salary, and here’s hoping they succeed, but I think he is still the deep threat that Norv Turner covets. The working theory within my logic is that Wallace becomes more valuable when the Vikings improve their pass blocking this offseason in addition to moving indoors for 2016 and beyond.
Teddy Bridgewater’s development hasn’t progressed exactly as expected this season. Though he shares responsibility for his lack of production, Bridgewater has had to deal with things like sub-par offensive line play that led to him being pressured more often than any quarterback in the league, a mediocre group of wide receivers that lacks a true downfield threat, and questionable play calling and game planning from offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
However, this upcoming offseason, I fully expect the Vikings to spend some resources developing this offense. That means surrounding Bridgewater with the pieces necessary to be more successful. It’s likely the Vikings prioritize improving their offensive line and giving Bridgewater more weapons at receiver — preferably a big bodied play-maker who can make contested catches downfield. If those things happen, I predict that, with another year in the system and improved pieces around him, Bridgewater will make the leap we expected this year next season. And for the sake of being bold, I’m willing to go on record saying I believe Bridgewater finishes next season with a top-5 traditional quarterback rating.
Not only will the Vikings make the playoffs for the second straight season in 2016, but they will be one of the top two seeds in the NFC. They will add a few more necessary pieces through the draft and free agency that will propel them all the way to the NFC Championship game.
With the schedule Minnesota has in 2016 (NFC East and AFC South), the Vikings will finish with a total of 13 wins at the end of the regular season. Head coach Mike Zimmer will be rewarded with his team’s success and become the first Minnesota head coach since Bud Grant in 1969 to be named the NFL Coach of the Year. Players will also be rewarded from the success that the Vikings will experience next season. Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr will not only be named to the 2016 Pro Bowl roster, but the 2016 NFL All-Pro Team as well.
The lights in Minnesota’s brand new stadium will not be the only bright thing about the Vikings in 2016.
Adrian Peterson won the 2015 rushing title handily, outpacing runner-up Doug Martin before the Vikings’ Week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers. He ran roughshod through the NFL, amassing 1,485 yards behind seven 100-yard games and one 200-yard outing against the Oakland Raiders in Week 10. The unanimous All-Pro selection helped propel the Vikings into first place in the NFC North and shows no signs of slowing down. That’s why I’m predicting Peterson wins his second-straight rushing title in 2016, following up an impressive showing at 30 years-old with another a year later.
Next season, the Vikings have the good fortune of playing teams from the NFC East and AFC South; two of the weakest divisions in the NFL. Of their 13 opponents, seven ranked in the bottom-12 defensively against the run in 2015. These include the Packers, the Giants, the Cowboys, the Bears, the Colts, the Redskins, and the Eagles, all teams Peterson should be able to find success against. Even with injuries to the offensive line, the Vikings have been stout blocking for Peterson, and it’s reasonable to believe that will improve with offseason additions and another solid draft class from Rick Spielman. For Peterson, 1,200-plus yards isn’t out of the question.
Making a 2016 bold prediction is difficult, because you’ve got to straddle the line between believable and a stretch, all while contemplating a shape-shifted roster once “Slick Rick” gets done with it. With that said, I’ll just throw it out there: Danielle Hunter will lead the team in sacks in 2016. Hunter has been SO much better over the course of the season than anyone could have hoped for. Coming out of college, Hunter certainly looked the part, rocking a perma-“pump” a la a young Ronnie Coleman. But beyond absurd athletic ability, he was more of a diamond in the rough than a polished gem you knew would contribute right away. An LSU defensive scheme focused on run-stopping and Hunter’s underdeveloped pass rushing techniques produced just 4.5 sacks in 3 years (two as a starter.)
Hunter’s rookie season though, has been an irrefutable success. Hunter has been praised by coaches and teammates as a hard worker and student of his craft. Utilizing that work ethic in combination with head coach Mike Zimmer and defensive line coach Andre Patterson’s instructions has morphed Hunter from a raw prospect to a surprising sensation all in a debut season’s time. In just 394 snaps, Hunter has notched six sacks, in comparison to Brian Robison’s five with 900 and Everson Griffen’s 10.5 with 865. B-Rob has his place on the line, but long in the tooth he is getting. Griffen will provide stiff “competition,” but give Hunter another offseason of tutelage, skill-sharpening and even more muscle making and we’ll be calling him Danielle “Big Game” Hunter as the 2016 sack leader.
Check back next week for a chance to have your answers featured as part of the Vikings Territory Question of the Week!
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on twitter:
Marshawn Lynch did not board the bus with the team.
Meaning? Seahawks are on the way to the airport to fly here. #vikings
i thought this might help us if lynch played. wilson's scoring took off after lynch went down
I agree- and how many times have we seen it, in football as well as other sports, that when an offense is in a groove and they add/return a skill position player, it messes up their rhythm, even if that player is all-pro quality (as Lynch is). I thought that Lynch returning actually may have helped the Vikings a bit, so I was very mildly disappointed when I saw he was ruled out.
Besides, who wants to hear excuses about "if only we had Marshawn Lynch" after we pull out the upset?
I went with us playing in the NFCCG.
Hey, did you guys see this;
https://teespring.com/NFL_RAK_MIN_ALASKA
Copyright infringement Adam???
Ha, I did not see that, Fran. How'd you come across that, if I might ask?
I think it just popped up on my Facebook page. Pretty cool, eh?
I voted "Other" ......
Introducing, President Elect Jeff MetaUniversalPeace Dugan
I'm ok with this just as long as he doesn't have that Rat Bastard 2MT as his Vice President
My other vote is for Nick Easton to become the new anchor for the oline. Im not real convinced Sulli will return and I have a feeling this guy will show he was the key piece in pulling the trigger on the Hodges trade.
I hope that you are correct. I did not like the Hodges trade as I have always liked Hodges. They trade away a LB that filled in admirably at both outside LB spots, for a guy that was a healthy scratch all year. What?!! Hodges would have been nice to have after Audie got knocked out for season and Barr for a few games.
My bold prediction. By week 3 of the NFL season we will have 3 new starters than last game of this year. (and this is not including Phil Loadholt and Sullivan.)
I predict David Yankey will become an all Pro Guard next season, dramatically improving our O-line, while sending us on to win the Super Bowl in 2018.
Seriously, what the hell happened with this guy? He's still on our practice squad yet never advances to the roster, even with such a crappy O-line. The guy must be just awful.
I have been wondering about that too Fran. Promising when he was drafted, but two years in a row doesn't put on a jersey with numerous injuries on the o line. He must just be a soft and flabby big guy with no heart, drive, and/or quickness.
Yeah, he was a holy terror at Stanford but seems to be a little too soft for the NFL I guess. Shame.
Other.
Vikings will win the Super Bowl.
I like your confidence CC. They should have a respectable record considering AFC South and NFC East draw. Of course they will still have NFC division winners from West and South. Many things can change over one off season, but good divisional draws with respect to this year.. Could we hope for a 12+ win season? I think it is not out of the question. That would likely give them a first round bye and home field for the play offs. I don't think that a trip to the Super Bowl is just fanciful thinking.
Oh hell yes it's not out of the question for a trip to the big one in the next 3 years. We will have to of course fix our O-line, get teddy another weapon or 2, get someone as good as Smith to play across from him. And last, I'd like to see us take a good look at QB's in the next draft. I like a lot of what I see of Teddy but I'm not totally sold yet.
I'm not either Fran. I may be biased as I am a Bison alum, but I would be very happy if their first round pick was Carson Wentz out of NDSU. However, his stock was rising while he was injured for almost two months and had to rise even more after the way he played yesterday to win their 5th consecutive national FCS title. He is 6'5", 220, can make all the throws, and is very mobile while still being a prototypical pocket passer. If he were playing for a FBS program he could well be #1, but it sounds like he is the consensus #3 QB in the upcoming draft. But it could well be that the top three QB's will have been selected by the time the Vikings pick, I would have to think that Rams, Browns, and Texans will all take a QB in the first round. I hope that there is a stud safety or o lineman if Wentz is already gone.
Haven't followed much NDSU football but it sure sounds like he has all the physical qualities. It's Teddy's stature that is one of my concerns. I doubt the Vikings would take a 1st round QB but sure would like to see us get serious about one in the later rounds, just to start working with.