The Skolies: The All-Vikings Awards for VT and P/PTSD

The Vikings Are a Center Away from a Complete Offense 
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports.

A little while ago, we here at Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD put together the harebrained idea of launching our own Vikings awards. There’d be no ceremony or official hardware. Instead, we’d simply put together a committee to vote on eight awards.

We are calling the awards The Skolies, drawing inspiration from a certain fictional paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

With our mandate in place, I began messaging the folks who keep content on our sites on a week-in, week-out basis. Below, you’ll find the 12-person committee. Each one was invited to submit up to 3 answers for each category. Take a look at who voted:

To help circumvent ties, we instituted a tiered voting system. A 1st-place vote goes for 3 points, a 2nd-place vote goes for 2 points, and a 3rd-place vote goes for 1 point.

In the end, our best efforts couldn’t totally undermine ties, but it was a reasonably effective system. Given that we had a 12-person committee, the most a single player/moment could get was 36 points. Keep in mind that not all voters submitted the full 3 choices.

Voters were discouraged from giving the same player the top spot in multiple categories. Alas, that was often a difficult thing to enforce. After all, most would agree that a certain exemplary receiver should be both MVP and OPOY. Even still, an attempt was made, and that’s reflected in the final results.

Be sure to let us know on VT’s social media (Facebook & Twitter) and P/PTSD’s social media (Facebook & Twitter) what we got right and wrong.

Enjoy.

Most Valuable Player

Justin Jefferson
11/12 First Place Votes – 33/36 Points

Justin Jefferson Said
Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

The only word that can truly describe Justin Jefferson during the 2022 season is dominant. He went into the season with a goal of being recognized as the WR1 in this league, and he accomplished just that.

His 128 receptions and 1809 yards are some of the best numbers we’ve ever seen at the wide receiver position, and both totals led the NFL, making Jefferson the youngest player ever to lead the league in both receptions and receiving yards.

Whether he was breaking Vikings franchise records, or catching game-saving passes, Jefferson certainly earned the 2022 Vikings MVP award. Now, let’s see if he can get the real NFL MVP award.

Award Write Up: Josh Frey

Offensive Player of the Year

Kirk Cousins
5/12 First-Place Votes – 20/36 Points

roadmap from
Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports.

Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson tied for OPOY, with Cousins getting a share because Jefferson won the Vikings MVP. So, here’s why Cousins sealed the tie.

Cousins gained a new faction of fans — he might’ve lost some of those after the final drive against the Giants — because of his clutch play. The 2021 version of the Vikings showcased ‘Clutch Kirk,’ too, but the defense and kicker often bungled Cousins’ would-be heroism. In 2022, the defense and kicker mostly did their part late in games.

Delivering 4,547 passing yards and 31 total touchdowns, Cousins is your 2022 Vikings Offensive Player of the Year. His eight game-winning drives, which tied an NFL single-season record, evidently put him over the top.

Award Write Up: Dustin Baker

Defensive Player of the Year

Patrick Peterson
6/12 First-Place Votes – 21/36 Points

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

The veteran corner deserves to be recognized for his strong 2022.

At 32, Peterson is no spring chicken, especially when we remember that he’s playing a position that requires tremendous athletic ability. While he isn’t as fast as he once was, Peterson remains one of the game’s smartest players. His physicality and length also help him to continue thriving.

He put together some impressive numbers in 2022. Peterson snagged 5 INTs and 15 PDs. He added 66 tackles and 3 TFLs. More impressive, perhaps, is some of the timing of his plays. He was all over the field in a close Week 6 win over the Dolphins. The harrowing Bills game ended when Peterson picked off Josh Allen. After losing a rep or two in Week 16, Peterson snatched a Daniel Jones pass out of the air.

The veteran was Minnesota’s CB1 and is directly responsible for several plays that dramatically impacted the games’ outcomes. Put it all together and you’ve got the Minnesota Vikings’ Defensive Player of the Year.

Award Write Up: K. Joudry

Special Teams Player of the Year

Josh Metellus
7/12 First-Place Votes – 24/36 Points

Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports.

Josh Metellus may not have gotten the social media love that some other Vikings special teamers did, but that didn’t mean that his impact wasn’t felt.

Per PFF, he had eight special teams tackles on the season. His blocked punt against the Giants on Christmas Eve set up a touchdown that could have put the game away.

After Brian O’Neill went down in Week 17, the NFL allowed the Vikings to choose Metellus as the team’s ninth team captain, replacing O’Neill’s void. Metellus is a leader on special teams; he’s also a leader in the entire locker room, thriving under coordinator Matt Daniels.

Award Write Up: Cole Smith

Rookie of the Year

Ryan Wright
6/12 First-Place Votes – 19/36 Points

Vikings thru 16 Weeks
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

This one had to go to not one, but two recounts as four Vikings rookies provided meaningful contributions in 2022. Ed Ingram started every game at RG, providing some continuity to an offensive line that dealt with multiple injuries. Brian Asamoah and Akayleb Evans had great moments defensively and on special teams, but didn’t see consistent snaps.

These three gave Ryan Wright a run for his money, but ultimately the Vikings’ Derrick-Henry-sized punter walked away with the hardware.

The key to an effective special teams unit, Mr. Wright’s booming kicks turned him into a field-flipping artist. Only 1 of his 73 kicks landed in the end zone, which was good enough for the league’s best touchback percentage. He was also prolific at pinning opposing offenses deep: 43.2% of his kicks were downed inside the 20 yard line, 8th-best in the NFL.

Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels lobbied for a punter that could throw; his wish was granted. A former high-school quarterback, Wright showed off his arm with a crucial fake punt conversion pass in the Vikings’ Week 4 victory over the Saints in London.

Congratulations to the multi-talented Mr. Wright, who knew that punters are people, too.

Award Write Up: Will Goodwin

Most Improved Player

Garrett Bradbury
8/12 First-Place Votes – 27/36 Points

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports.

Center Garrett Bradbury struggled in the first three seasons of his career. He was one of the worst offensive linemen in pass protection.

In 2022, however, the former first-round pick had his breakout campaign and turned his career around. His pass blocking was much improved. After starting the season with fans calling for a replacement, the Vikings actually missed him when he was forced to sit out a handful of games with a back injury. The center finally developed into the anchor of the interior offensive line the Vikings expected to get when they selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft.

Bradbury earned himself a nice payday with his improved play, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in a few weeks. Unthinkable a year ago, the Vikings should consider opening their checkbook to keep the center in Minnesota.

Award Write Up: Janik Eckardt

Season’s Best Moment

Buffalo Comeback
So Many Votes (Some Naming the Game as a Whole, Some the 4th & 18, Some the EK Fumble TD) – A lot of Points

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports.

During a season in which the Vikings won 13 games, there was certain to be some high moments. Voted the best of them was a road victory against the Buffalo Bills.

Not only did Kirk Cousins take the Vikings into Highmark Stadium for a win, but he did so in comeback fashion. Converting on a long fourth down, Justin Jefferson may have made the biggest highlight-reel catch of his career. Not long after, the Vikings found themselves with an opportunity to get the ball back, and rather than convert a safety, they forced a Josh Allen fumble at the goal line, allowing Eric Kendricks to fall on it for a touchdown.

Pulling out an overtime victory, it was one of the most improbable comebacks across the league all season.

Award Write Up: Ted Schwerzler

Season’s Worst Moment

NYG Playoff Loss
So Many Votes (Some Naming the Game as a Whole, Some the Defense, Some the 4th & 8 Disaster)

The 2022 Vikings Season Ends
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings were riding the wave of an unexpected 13-win season, entering a home playoff game against a New York Giants team they had beaten just weeks earlier. Expectations were high, which made the defeat a bitter pill to swallow. The defensive performance was not just disappointing, it was a disgrace and proved too much for the offense to overcome.

However, trailing by 7 points, the Vikings offense had the ball with just under 3 minutes left. Rather than going out swinging, it ended in a bit of a whimper. Having got to their 48-yard line before the two-minute warning. Minnesota looked set to do what they had been doing all season.

Playing their best football in the big moments and finding ways to win was the 2022 Vikings’ modus operandi. I almost expected it to happen again. Alas, this was one game too far. With the season on the line on a 4th and 8, the interior of the offensive line disappeared. Kirk Cousins checked down to Hockenson short of a first down, and the season was over.

What was a successful first season for Kevin O’Connell finished with a sour taste.

Award Write Up: Adam New


Editor’s Note: On behalf of all of us here at Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD, I send along our sincere congratulations to all the award winners (except the worst moment).

This piece was originally published on PurplePTSD.

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