Vikings Land in Basement for Rankings … Again

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The Minnesota Vikings are evidently the NFL’s ninth-worst team in 2024.

Vikings Land in Basement for Rankings … Again

That’s the word from Bleacher Report, anyway, as that outfit published training camp power rankings this week, and the purple team checked in at No. 24.

Sam darnold
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center during OTAs. Darnold joined the Vikings’ roster in March 2024 during free agency, on deck as a Kirk Cousins replacement and sharing the QB room later with rookie passer J.J. McCarthy of Michigan.

Sandwiched between New Orleans Saints (No. 23) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 25), BR explained, “After bidding goodbye to long-time quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Vikings have gone from contender to rebuilder, with veteran Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy vying for the right to replace Cousins. Most expect that McCarthy will become the team’s starter sooner rather than later. But Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell cautioned reporters not to underestimate Darnold’s chances — especially in the early-going.”

Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons in March, pursuing the optimal amount of guaranteed money a team would offer. In return, the Vikings signed Darnold from free agency as a patchover passer and drafted McCarthy six weeks later with the 10th overall pick.

Vikings
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BR also questioned the outlook of Minnesota’s defense: “Quarterback isn’t the only question mark in the Twin Cities this season — the Vikings were 24th in the NFL in pass defense a season ago and dead last in the NFC against the pass two years ago.”

The Vikings’ secondary indeed struggled in 2023 — it ranked 32nd in completion percentage allowed to opponents — but on the whole, Brian Flores’ group ranked 11th per defensive DVOA.

Aaron Jones, Jonathan Greenard, Jordan Addison and Cam Bynum spoke with reporters after mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, June 5th, 2024, at TCO Performance Center. Minnesota signed Jones during the 2024 free agency period, a replacement for Alexander Mattison, who joined the Las Vegas Raiders roster.

BR concluded its 2024 Vikings synopsis: “There’s talent in the front seven defensively, the Vikes added Aaron Jones in the backfield and the team has the NFL’s best wide receiver in Justin Jefferson. But if quarterback play is an issue and the secondary is a sieve, this could also easily be a last-place team.”

Last season, Minnesota was undone by turnovers, ranking second-to-last leaguewide in giveaways and turnover differential. And since Kevin O’Connell took over in 2022, his team is 17-0 when winning or breaking even via the turnover battle. O’Connell’s Vikings, conversely, are 3-14 when losing the turnover battle.

Rankings
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While BR is correct that quarterback play is the keynote factor for Minnesota’s success or failure, the enterprise might boil down to protecting the football. There’s also a chance that the defense enters the Top 10 per efficiency and carries the squad until McCarthy proves either way that he’s ready for the bright lights of QB1.

The Athletic, too, recently published power rankings, and the Vikings checked in at No. 23.

The NFL regular season is about six weeks away.


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 Vikings 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.