Midseason Report Card | 2024 Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings crossed the regular season’s halfway point last weekend during a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Vikings’ Midseason Report Card | 2024
The purple team has a 7-2 record and an 88.4% probability of reaching the postseason.
So, at the midpoint, let’s evaluate the Vikings’ season with a standard report card. Consider the grades applicable to a team that was supposed to finish this season with a 6-11 or 7-10 record, according to oddsmakers in August and early September.
Offense Grade:
B
Offense Ranking per EPA/Play: 14th
Offense Ranking per DVOA: 17th
Had this report card been published in the first few weeks of the season, Minnesota’s offense would’ve received a resounding “A.” But the group, led by reclamation passer Sam Darnold, has slowed down substantially over the last month, turning the ball over way too frequently and squandering redzone opportunities.
However, most didn’t expect much from Darnold in the first place, so a solid “B” feels like a fair assessment. Onboarding Aaron Jones in March worked wonderfully.
Meanwhile, T.J. Hockenson will continue to fold into the offensive plan. Maybe this grade can climb to an “A-” by season’s end.
Defense Grade:
A
Defense Ranking per EPA/Play: 1st
Defense Ranking per DVOA: 1st
Anyone who wouldn’t grant Minnesota’s defense a solid “A’ is way too damn nitpicky. Flores’ unit has defined the 2024 campaign, only stumbling in two games against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams.
And as poorly as the Vikings’ defense played during those two games, it still ranks the best in the business. That says something.
Minnesota’s defense is how it can make noise in the postseason. The Vikings verifiably employ a Super Bowl-caliber defense. Write that down.
Special Teams Grade:
B+
The purple team ranks 20th per special teams DVOA, so it can’t quite earn an “A” in good faith.
But until Will Reichard’s Week 9 quad injury, Minnesota’s special teams felt fantastic to the naked eye. Per the mere fact that fans have searched for a kicker like Reichard for 25 years, the Vikings earn a “B+” in special teams.
Hell, the replacement kicker, Parker Romo, drilled four field goals last weekend, enabling Minnesota to win its seventh game of the season.
Overall Grade:
A-
Yes, Minnesota’s win last weekend was overly sloppy. No one disputes it.
On the whole, though, a 7-2 record through 10 weeks is remarkable for a squad scheduled to finish 6-11 or 7-10 per oddsmakers. The Vikings have reached the 6.5-win forecast a few weeks before Thanksgiving.
Minnesota has vastly overachieved so far, and the midseason grade is an ‘A-.”
49ers Release Former Viking
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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