Questions Answered: Vikings Playoff Chances, the RB Plan, TEs on the Roster
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the August 30th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Vikings Playoff Chances, the RB Plan, TEs on the Roster
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Do you think the Vikings really have any shot of reaching the playoffs this year?
Answer: Yes.
Two items stand in the way: a) The schedule is brutal and among the NFL’s most difficult, at least according to win-loss projections of teams on Minnesota’s docket. b) The NFC North has sped up its supremacy, and “pushovers” no longer exist in the division. In fact, some consider the Vikings to be the pushover.
However, Vikings football usually involves competitive seasons. Teams like Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City, to name a few, never “tank” and are not about to roll over and die this time.
The 2024 season boils down to how well Sam Darnold plays. Minnesota can obtain a Wildcard berth if he provides Kirk Cousins-like production. But Darnold playing like Sam Darnold, well, that likely has 6-11 or 7-10 written all over it.
Q: Do you endorse the running back plan of Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, and Myles Gaskin? Or do the Vikings need to add another guy?
Answer: We’re content with the running back room.
The only player missing compared to one month ago is Kene Nwangwu — and Minnesota really never used him as a running back in the first place. It was just surprising that it said goodbye to Nwangwu when kickoff return rules were tweaked to give returners a chance. Kick-returning is Nwangwu’s forte.
As for another guy, they can find an RB3 anywhere if injuries pop up and wreck the RB room. We trust Jones and Chandler with RB1 and then Gaskin at RB2.
One thing is certain: the Vikings must fix their ground game no matter what. The offense will never fully unlock with a bottom-of-the-NFL rushing attack.
Q: Which tight end on Minnesota’s roster will get the most targets in the passing game while T.J. Hockenson is out?
A: We believe Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, and Nick Muse will receive somewhat equitable targets to start the season, with a slight edge possibly skewing to Oliver because he’s the TE1.
Hockenson fetched about nine targets per game before his injury last year, so we envision about three apiece between Oliver, Mundt, and Muse on Sundays in 2024.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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