Multiple Vikings Starters Have Never Played in the Playoffs
Janik Eckardt
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A whole new season is starting once the NFC regular season concludes. Teams get ready for elimination games and the regular season only counts for seeding purposes. The Minnesota Vikings will face the New York Giants on Sunday, seven days after convincingly beating the Bears.
Players are humans and are starting to get nervous in the days leading up to the big game, especially those who never played in a professional postseason contest. Multiple Vikings starters have never had the experience because the organization missed the postseason in back-to-back years. Some others joined the team in free agency and will have their playoff debut.
Multiple Vikings Starters Have Never Played in the Playoffs
Both wide receivers Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn were drafted in 2020. Jefferson was immediately one of the elite receivers, while Osborn took one year of development. Jefferson led the league in receiving yards this season, and Osborn was the third receiver on the depth chart.
Despite never playing in an NFL postseason game, Jefferson has all kinds of playoff experience. He played in a bowl game as a sophomore and in the CFB playoffs as a junior, and the LSU alumnus recorded 420 receiving yards and two touchdowns in those three games. He has always been built for the bright lights.
Another weapon in Kirk Cousins’ passing attack has never played in the playoffs. Tight end T.J. Hockenson was stuck on terrible Detroit Lions teams and, therefore, never had a chance to play after the conclusion of the regular season. Hockenson was second in the league among tight ends in receiving yards, only trailing future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce. He is a big part of the offense, especially on third downs. He is one of the go-to guys.
Besides the three skills position players, the Vikings have an inexperienced offensive line. Of the five usual starters, only Garrett Bradbury and Brian O’Neill collected playoff experience in their careers when they faced the 49ers and the Saints in the 2019 season. However, O’Neill is on IR with a partially torn Achilles tendon, and Bradbury’s availability is in jeopardy because of a back injury.
Projected starting tackles Christian Darrisaw and Oli Udoh are without playoff experience. Darrisaw is in his second season. Udoh was a draft pick in 2019 but was inactive for both playoff games in the 2019 season. Both guards Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram came into the league after the last playoff game. Center replacement Chris Reed is an NFL veteran with 30 starts in the league and 68 appearances. Surprisingly, he has never played a snap in the playoffs.
The only three projected starters that played in the postseason are Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, and Adam Thielen.
On the defensive side, the Vikings are much more experienced. Most starters have already played in the playoffs. The three exceptions are Camryn Bynum, a 2021 draft pick, 2022 free agent addition Khyiris Tonga, and former New York Giants defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
Tomlinson is another surprising name on the list. He started 93 NFL games, but the Giants haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, right before Tomlinson was drafted. Cornerback Duke Shelley played a few snaps in 2020 with the Bears against the Saints. If Cameron Dantzler ends up as the starter, which seems unlikely because Shelley is playing at an outstanding level, the 2020 draft pick would be another player without postseason experience.
Fortunately for the Vikings, the New York Giants have a lot of players without postseason games after a drought of five years without a trip to the playoffs. In addition to the players, both head coaches are in their first year in that role. Brian Daboll and Kevin O’Connell were offensive coordinators of successful teams with playoff trips but are without experience as head coaches.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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