Vikings Offense Shines in Madden 24
Ted Schwerzler
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While we are now less than a month away from the year EA Sports Madden release, Madden 24 wrapped up Ratings Reveal Week by showing off team overalls. Although the Minnesota Vikings are not a complete juggernaut, the offense should be scary.
Vikings Offense Shines in Madden 24
When the Minnesota Vikings moved on from Mike Zimmer a season ago, the thought process was to bring a more modern offensive strategy into play. Moving away from a run-heavy gameplan, head coach Kevin O’Connell was going to focus on utilizing Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins.
Although the Vikings weren’t one-dimensional last year, it was clear there was a different offensive strategy in place. Cousins had a very solid year, and Jefferson was trending toward breaking Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yardage record for most of the year. Ultimately, he didn’t get there, but it was a successful campaign nonetheless.
Heading into Madden 24, EA Sports views the offense as the Vikings calling card once again. That’s not a shock, given how poor the defense was a year ago. Hopefully, Brian Flores can right the ship on that side of the ball, but Madden sees O’Connell’s unit as the sixth-best unit in the league. At 87 overall, the Vikings check in just behind the Dallas Cowboys and right ahead of the Baltimore Ravens.
It remains to be seen how Dallas will look on offense without Ezekiel Elliot behind the line, and the Cowboys are clearly hoping that Tony Pollard can be their bellcow back. The Ravens extended Lamar Jackson for the long haul this offseason and then provided him with pass-catching options such as rookie Zay Flowers and veteran Odel Beckham Jr.
The hope for Minnesota is that the offense can be even better in a year where Cousins has extended time to work with superstar tight end T.J. Hockenson. He also upgrades the second wide receiver position by adding first-round talent Jordan Addison as a replacement for the aging Adam Thielen. Dalvin Cook will no longer be behind the line, but continuity remains in the form of Alexander Mattison.
Although Madden 24 doesn’t have the Vikings as a top 10 overall team in the game, it’s not surprising that no team from the NFC North makes the cut. Detroit is currently considered the favorite to win the division, but it’s hardly fair to suggest that the Lions will make something so straightforward. The Chicago Bears should again be somewhat of a bottom feeder, and it remains to be seen what the Green Bay Packers will do without Aaron Rodgers.
Arguably the greatest area of opportunity this season for the Vikings is in fielding a competent defense. Ed Donatell failed to achieve that regularly last year, and both Madden and the league took note. Minnesota’s group was in the doldrums amongst multiple categories, and it’s why the offense often needed superhuman performances every week.
Maybe by the end of the year, Minnesota will have crept into the top 10 teams overall for Madden 24, but for them to have done so, it will require a much better effort on the defensive side of the ball. As evidenced by Madden 24’s current offensive rating, this is already a great team when in control of possession, and there isn’t a ton of opportunity for them to raise that bar.
Cousins isn’t going to bring a flashy offense to the field in real life or Madden 24, but the group should put up points in droves.
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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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