NFL.com Pegs 2021 Vikings as Just Below Average Team
NFL power rankings and predictions peppered the month of August and now September as the regular season finally arrived on Thursday night. Most pundits foresee a fourway NFL supremacy involving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers. It’s recency bias – the four squads reached conference championships seven months ago, so naturally they’ll perform at an elite level again. In all likelihood, at least one of those franchises will flounder a bit as it is severely unlikely the AFC and NFC Championship games showcase the exact same four teams from 2020. Seldom does that occur.
At the bottom of the league per expert prediction, the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Jacksonville Jaguars usually reside. Rebuilding is on the docket for those three teams, evidenced by the crazy dealings of Deshaun Watson, the trade of Matthew Stafford away from Detroit, and the hitching of wagons to Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.
So, where do the Vikings exist in the pecking order?
A hodgepodge of power rankings vivifies a middling forecast. Some entities shun Minnesota all the way to 22nd-best in the league. A couple of ambitious brains believe the Vikings are as good as Top 13 or so. But the majority of pundits think the Vikings are a mediocre team as 2021 kicks off.
NFL.com confirmed the ho-hum sentiment this week in its power rankings. Writer Dan Hanzus sees the Vikings as slightly worse than average, nominating Minnesota for the #17 spot in the NFL among teams. Hanzus defended the placement:
“The Vikings are confident their defense will vastly improve with better health and upgraded personnel under Mike Zimmer, but is it too much to expect Minnesota’s offense to repeat its top-10 finish of a year ago? The loss of tight end Irv Smith Jr. is significant, the offensive line is inexperienced in key spots and first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will face a challenge filling his dad’s shoes. Minnesota needs its core four on offense — Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen — to stay healthy and produce at a Pro Bowl level. The Vikings are built like a Jenga tower on offense.”
Comparing Minnesota’s offense to a Jenga tower, NFL.com does not believe – at all – in the depth for 2021. At quarterback, Kellen Mond would take over if an injury beset Kirk Cousins – or if Cousins contracted the coronavirus. Alexander Mattison and rookie Kene Nwangwu are the backup running backs. The receiving corps is top-heavy behind Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson – unless K.J. Osborn, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, or Dede Westbrook bust out as true WR3-caliber dudes. The tight end depth was ravaged by the news Irv Smith Jr. would miss all of 2021 due to a meniscus tear. And then – surprise surprise – the offensive line is the elephant in the room. Will this be the season a Mike Zimmer-led team finally protects quarterbacks. If it is, it will instantly feel like a where were you when? moment. Notoriously, the Vikings have not solved the pass-protecting doldrums of their offensive line, arguably since the Brett Favre era.
So, Hanzus has a point. The earth stood still several weeks ago when Justin Jefferson was hurt at practice. Why? Because the depth behind the second-year phenom is skimpy. Jefferson sprained an AC joint but was not hurt in a long-term capacity. It did spur anxiety that exposes the depth at WR, though.
Time and wins are the only elements that will change the national opinion about the 2021 Vikings. While Hanzus is correct that the offense is not loaded with depth, the Vikings finished 7-9 in 2020 with a nauseating defense. The offseason was a case study on fixing a defense as general manager Rick Spielman added free agents galore. On paper, the roster is now good enough to smash that 7-9 record, hopefully to the tune of several more wins.
In the Vikings neighborhood per Hanzus? The Indianapolis Colts are the league’s 16th-best franchise at the moment. Then, beneath the Vikings are the Arizona Cardinals (18) and Dallas Cowboys (19).
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).