Current Vikings Drawing Legitimate Comparison to Decade-Old Team
Ted Schwerzler
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On Wednesday, the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl rosters were announced. When you have a team that wins as much as the 2022 Minnesota Vikings have, it’s not surprising to see plenty of names appear on the rosters. While the game is vastly changed this year, the honor remains similar. This group, though, is as plentiful as we’ve seen since 2009.
When the results were unveiled on Wednesday evening, Kevin O’Connell saw his team have five players selected for the Pro Bowl. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was joined by wide receiver Justin Jefferson and tight end T.J. Hockenson. On the defensive side, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith earned a nod, and special teamer Andrew DePaola also got in. That tally was the most Minnesota has had in a single season since 2009.
Current Vikings Drawing Legitimate Comparison to Decade-Old Team
The 2009 Minnesota Vikings have some similar parallels to this current team. They were coached by Brad Childress and finished the regular season with a 12-4 record. After throttling the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round to the tune of a 34-3 beatdown, they traveled to New Orleans, squaring off against the Saints at the Superdome. In a game that left Brett Favre nearly dead, the circumstances of that contest are now viewed much differently.
Minnesota did some things very poorly in that contest, but it was the Gregg Williams defense that was investigated for Bountygate. Favre surviving the contest was a miracle in and of itself, and that the Vikings lost by just a field goal in overtime was a crushing defeat. The Saints went on to the Super Bowl, despite Minnesota having one of the best teams in franchise history, and knocked off the Indianapolis Colts to secure a ring.
When the group of Favre, Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, Jarred Allen, Kevin Williams, and Heath Farwell were selected for the Pro Bowl, they hoped that they would be unavailable. Unfortunately, that loss to the Saints changed plans, and a handful appeared in that contest. The eight players selected have not been topped since, and this 2022 contingent is as close as Minnesota has gotten.
This time, the Vikings want to turn the page on that result and see a different fate. O’Connell’s team will host at least one home game during the playoffs, and they’d love an opportunity to play for a ring. Despite Jefferson campaigning for himself to be the top vote-getter, there’s no denying he’d rather play in the Super Bowl than don some flags in an exhibition contest.
The five players being selected this season are a reflection of how good Minnesota has been on offense. While the defense has suffered, Smith has been a standout in his first year with the Vikings, and he has helped to take substantial pressure off fellow edge rusher Daniell Hunter. Both Cousins and Jefferson should be on the outskirts of the MVP discussion, and Hockenson has been nothing but spectacular since being acquired at the trade deadline. It is also nice to see a nod given to a long snapper in DePaola. Undrafted out of Rutgers in 2012, he didn’t appear in an NFL game until 2014. Now in the eighth year of his professional career, he finally earns the highest honor.
Again, it’s great to see so many Vikings honored with Pro Bowl selections, but none of them hope to play in that game with sights set on bigger opportunities.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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